o most people, filling a house with
music is an enriching experience.
It livens up parties, pleases revelers
and feeds the soul. Equally delightful is
the pleasure many take in enjoying higher-
quality music. Proper bass lines enhance
the experience, as does the sweetness of
the vocals when listening to higher-quality
speakers. When music is reproduced in a
way that makes it sound tinny or harsh, lis-
teners usually stop listening. In accordance
with this ideal, when it comes to outdoor
sound, people traditionally don’t expect to
hear good-quality music. However, there are some manufac-
turers who pride themselves on their approach to outdoor
sound, and Definitive Technology is certainly one of them.
Top This!
Definitive Technology’s AW100 all-weather loudspeaker
is based on their high-performance ProMonitor 100 loud-
speaker. The AW100s feature a weatherproof cabinet con-
taining a specially developed cast-basket 5
1
/
4
-inch bass/
midrange driver seamlessly blended with a unique 1-inch
dome tweeter. The AW100s are available in either black
or white, allowing you to integrate them visually into an
outdoor environment.
Pulling It Together
The AW100s are fairly compact speakers, and feature a
clever mounting bracket. In fact, their compact size and
unique, inconspicuous “hideaway” pivoting mounting
brackets allow them to virtually disappear when installed.
The speaker, which is relatively lightweight, can be installed
high or low, on a wall or on a fence post. Simply mount the
bracket to a post or wall, and screw in the speaker to the
bracket. The speaker can be angled in any way to further
simplify the installation process.
Many outdoor speakers shave quality when it comes to
connecting them to the speaker cable; not so with the
AW100s. The hefty gold-plated binding posts allow for
a snug and tight fit, ensuring long-lasting connections
that will not tarnish with age. This is important, especially
if the speakers are mounted in hard-to-get-to places.
The Last Word
The AW100 is a complete package that is truly missing
nothing. At $400 a pair, you get high performance and pleas-
ing aesthetics, mixed with an easy and solid installation.
Because these speakers are direct radiating (which means
that they aim their sound in a specific direction), be careful
not to place them too far apart, or the sound quality will
suffer. However, this is not unique to these speakers; all
direct-radiating speakers will perform this way if mounted
incorrectly. Your best bet is to keep the speakers approxi-
mately seven to 20 feet apart, giving you a true stereo
image that will sound great from most distances. Obviously,
the larger the space, the further apart the speakers need to
be positioned.
With standard amplification the AW100s offer excellent
performance. The midrange and treble offer excellent clarity
(in the voices on music, for example), and the bass perform-
ance is certainly surprisingly pleasant. With several pairs set
up intelligently in the backyard, these speakers will surely
please those of us who appreciate high-quality music in a
clever, visually pleasing package.
Contact:
Definitive Technology, 410-363-7148
www.definitivetech.com
Price: $400/pair
T
Jeff Cherun is a Los Angeles-based home theater consultant. He has just
restored the screening room in silent film star Buster Keaton’s original
Beverly Hills estate. Jeff also designs whole-house automation systems
incorporating control of HVAC, lighting, audio and security cameras.
Email him at [email protected].
These speakers will surely please those
of us who appreciate high-quality music
in a clever, visually pleasing package.
Jeff Cherun,
Home Theater Consultant
Outdoor Speakers
High performance and pleasing aesthetics
mixed with an easy and solid installation.
D
EFINITIVE
T
ECHNOLOGY
AW100
There are some manufacturers who
pride themselves on their approach to
outdoor sound, and Definitive Technology
is certainly one of them.
