UPDATE: The Sounds of Summer (My Outdoor Audio Project)

Audio: Listen to this article.

In the summer of 2021 I installed an outdoor audio system and documented it here. And, as I like to do, I'm following up on that article to show everyone how the system has held up and to discuss what I like or dislike about the system after using it for two years. A one-and-done review is fine, but it's also really nice to know how products hold up physically and via software updates. 

From the previous article:

I settled on a system that I knew would accomplish my goals and was manufactured by two solid companies. 
 
The speakers I selected are the Dynaudio OW-8. These two-way speakers have an eight inch woofer and one inch tweeter. I love the eight inch woofer because again, it's physics. When it comes to speakers, I encourage people to get the largest models they can. Dynaudio also offers the OW-6 with a six inch woofer, but the size and cost difference was marginal at best, so I went for the larger model. 
 
I purchased two pairs of the Dynaudio OW-8 so I could place two near my house for that zone and two near the garage for the other zone. The cost of the OW-8 are $1,200 per pair. 
 
I combined the source and amplification into single units per zone by purchasing two Bluesound Powernodes. One Powernode to drive the speakers near the house and one Powernode to drive the speakers near the garage. After researching all the options, I really don't think there is a more cost effective solution than the Powernode. It's a stellar tool that everyone should keep in mind for this and many other situations. 
 
The newest version of the Powernode has more power 220W (4 Ohms) / 130W (8 Ohms) than the previous version, and supports all the usual Bluesound goodies such as wide file format support, local library support, Roon and Bluesound native app support, tons of content options, AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, and the critically important facts that it works every time and it's simple to use if I'm not around to be the tech support guy. 
 
Keep in mind that the Powernode sounds great. That's a must, or else I wouldn't eve consider it. 
 
The speaker stands that I "created" for the OW-8s are a mix and match of pieces not designed for speaker stands. 

The System in 2023

The system I installed in 2021 is identical to the system I use today. I haven't changed a single item! Bluesound Powernodes and Dynaudio OW-8 speakers are a fantastic combination that I have zero desire to change. I don't even have an itch to upgrade anything in this system. I've thought about it a couple times, not because I want to upgrade, but because I like to daydream about possibilities and I like to understand products and solutions on the market. Each time I thought about it, I settled on doing nothing because I wouldn't gain anything by making a change. 

The Dynaudio OW-8 speakers have held up physically as well as I hoped. I originally planned on removing the speaker from the stands and bringing them inside for the winter, but I opted to leave them in place outside. The specifications state that the speakers can withstand the winter in Minnesota, so I decided to let them live up to their capabilities. After one summer and two winters, the speakers have no external issues, and sound exactly the same as the day I installed them. 

These speakers are extremely tough. I know this because I knocked the grill off one of them, and didn't get around to putting it back on for an entire year (all summer, fall, winter, and spring). Yet, the speaker looks and performs perfectly. Rain, snow, sleet, hot, cold, sub-freezing, etc... didn't even affect the naked drivers without a grill. 

The Bluesound Powernodes that drive the two zones have operated without fail. Each unit has received several over the air upgrades via the BluOS app for iOS, and every upgrade has been flawless. When I go outside to let the chickens out of the coop, or just to sit down for a while, I open the BluOS app and it works without fail. When there is an upgrade available, I can easily delay the installation if I want to get right to listening to music. When I opt to complete the upgrade, it's extremely fast and the BluOS app keeps me informed of the upgrade's progress. 

Bluesound also has a Powernode Edge available now for $649. The Edge has 40 watts per channel, which is half the original Powernode. My guess is that would work well in my system because it doesn't require much power. I don't need to pressurize my neighborhood like the guy who drives by my house too often with the subwoofers in his trunk rattling every house on the block. 

I really couldn't be happier with the way this system has held up and its performance over the last two years. 

Looking back on the entire project and end result, with 20/20 hindsight, I still wouldn't do anything differently. OK, the only exception is that I'd hire out the work of digging a trench through my backyard. That was backbreaking work with a shovel and I will never do that again. If I started from scratch today, I'd still have a trench for cabling and use wired loudspeakers. I'd also use the same custom speaker stands that I assembled, rather than attach the speakers to my house. The stands have weathered a bit, but I like the rusty look. They've held up perfectly and remain rock solid in the ground to this day. 

On the network side of this installation, I installed an access point in the garage at the same time as I installed the speakers outside. That access point failed last summer, and has been replaced by a UniFi Flex HD access point. If I have to guess why the initial unit failed, I'd say the heat in the garage may have been too much, but I'm not positive. So far the Flex HD has performed perfectly in the same location. 

Last, given my newfound love of Dolby Atmos music, the fact that it's streamable from Apple Music, Tidal, and Amazon, and I can get music from those three services to the Powernodes, I am at least interested in playing this music on my outdoor system. However, there's no way, that I can figure out, to play Atmos music from either service through the Powernode. Apple says AirPlay 2 is required to stream Atmos over AirPlay, but there are more requirements. When I attempt to do this, my iPhone falls back to a stereo signal as soon as I connect to a Powernode. When I tried to stream Atmos from Tidal, using the BluOS app, the MQA version of the album played instead. Not a dealbreaker, but more of a curiosity for now.

In the future I'd love if the Powernodes supported Atmos playback. Bluesound has the knowhow and capability to implement Atmos in the Powernode, I hope the company considers it going forward.

Overall, I'd still install this entire system unchanged from two years ago. If you're ready to take the outdoor music plunge and your requirements are similar to mine, I'd say add to cart.

Note: The Dynaudio OW-8 has been discontinued, but appears to still be available online. I don't see a direct replacement available from Dynaudio.

The Dynaudio OW-8, in the garden two years after installation:

The Dynaudio OW-8, near the back of the house, also fenced off because the chickens will eat everything insight without a fence (no they won't eat the speakers, but all the living things are on the menu), two years after installation:

The Dynaudio OW-8, near the garage, showing the mounting hardware and my custom stand / pole, two years after installation:

Obligatory shots of some of the chickens:

The chickens have been hard at work: