Summer is on the way so it's time to start thinking about taking your entertainment outside. Outdoor speakers are a special case and of course can cause special problems when it comes to weathering the storm. They not only need to sound good up close, but they also need to project that sound into a void. They also need to battle the effects of the weather so they last more than a few minutes.

The Paradigm Stylus 370 units that we installed seem to do the job quite nicely and I'm very impressed with the sound quality. I often find outdoor speakers to be tinny and poor at reproducing bass tones. The Paradigms are crisp and clear and deliver bass particularly well and that means a rich sound quality according to my ears (which is all that counts really).

Installing the speakers was easy once the wire was in place. I'm getting smarter in my old age so I had that nasty task performed by others so all I had to do was screw in the brackets, strip and connect the wire and mount the boxes. I chose to mount them sideways under the eaves for protection from heavy weather. Having them sideways also allowed me to tilt them down so the sound is aimed at human ear level rather than over my head.

I'm powering the speakers from Zone 3 on an Onkyo TX-NR3007 receiver which gives me the ability to select a separate source and control the volume independently from the main listening zone. This works great although it's best to have volume control in the space rather than walking back and forth with the IR remote which is what I did for the first few weeks. To solve this dilemma, I bought a Universal RF remote --- great solution for a relatively small donation of $. Now I have full control of the outdoor room without getting out of the hammock :-)

Overall --- brilliant sound quality all over the back yard. It has made working in the garden even more of a pleasure and having a spa to sooth the tired muscles even more relaxing. Can't wait to throw a huge party to see if the neighbors like them too ;-) If you like to work and play outside then don't even think about it --- install good quality outdoor speakers before summer gets here.

Here are some facts and figures for those who need them to justify the purchase:

Paradigm Stylus 307 Outdoor Speakers

Design	2-driver, 2-way acoustic suspension, weather, water, UV-resistant PolyGlass™ enclosure
Crossover(s)	3rd-order electro-acoustic at 2.3 kHz
High-Frequency Driver(s)	25-mm (1 in) PTD™ dome
Bass / Midrange Driver(s)	165-mm (6-1/2 in) ICP™ cone, die-cast chassis
Low-Frequency Extension*	55 Hz (DIN)
Frequency Response: On-Axis	±2 dB from 80 Hz - 20 kHz
30° Off-Axis	±2 dB from 80 Hz - 18 kHz
Sensitivity - Room / Anechoic	91 dB
Suitable Amplifier Power Range	15 - 100 watts
Maximum Input Power†	70 watts
Impedance	Compatible with 8 ohms
Internal Volume	5.4 L / 0.19 cu ft
Height, Width, Depth	27.3 cm x 19.3 cm x 18.8 cm 10-3/4 in x 7-5/8 in x 7-3/8 in
Weight (Unpacked)	8.0 kg / 17.6 lb per pair
Finishes	Black, White