FAQ
Q – “I have seen these products in Hotels, resorts
and themaparks such as Disneyland. Can I install these outdoor speakers
myself ?”
A - Yes, while we are most renowned for our professional commercial
installations world wide, TIC products are designed with ease of use
in mind. Even professional systems integrators like a product easy to
install and many thousands of normal consumers and enthusiasts have
installed our products themselves with no difficulties. For further
information first read our model specific Installation Instructions
under our main menu item Technical Resources and then for further information
consult our Audio Installation Basics under the same heading.
Q –“Do I need to hire a contractor to install these
speakers?”
A - Absolutely not!! Installing these speakers is very simple,
just decide where you want them to go and run the speaker wire from
the desired sound source to the speaker, bury or cover the wire under
ground or dirt so that it's not visible, and then connect. Check installation
guide section for more Do-it-yourself information.
Q – “How durable are these speakers?”
A - Outdoor speakers were developed with harsh conditions of
the outdoors in mind. The shape is designed to withstand large amounts
of pressure, extreme temperatures and moisture. Remember though, outdoor
speakers are an investment, so take care of them. Storing them away
from extreme weather conditions will only lengthen the time you will
get enjoying outdoor speakers. We use only non-water-absorbing materials,
they can be soaking wet but won't absorb any water, it is critical in
winter so it won't frozen crack.
Q –“Is there something to protect the speaker from
mechanical damage?”
A - There is a specially designed screen shied that protects
the speaker cone from the elements normally found outdoors. (ex. Rain,
Dirt and Insects)
Q - “What kind of stereo system do I need to play rock
speakers?”
A - Our outdoor speakers are compatible with any home stereo.
Make sure your audio amplifier have enough juice (watts) to drive your
outdoor speakers. Most amplifier today have A+B channels, you can use
the extra channel to drive the outdoor speakers.
Q – “Do you make or recommend wireless speakers
?"
A - TIC researches and studies the developments in wireless
speaker technology constantly. With the new developments in 1Ghz+ transmission
technology there is some hope in the future. Unfortunately and at present
we must conclude that wireless speaker technology for exterior use is
below our minimum acceptable standard for exterior speaker performance.
Also note, that according to consumerreports.org wireless models were
tested and are not recommended;
"Among the wireless sets we tested, they were prone to interference
from devices such as cordless phones, microwaves, resulting in static,
hissing or clicking". They have high failure rate for a frequency
transmitter, their sound quality is AM radio comparable and made of
fragile plastics which can easily break."
Q – “Can I connect the speakers to my amplifier
in the house ?”
A - Yes! TIC exterior speaker units are commonly connected
to household amplification. Please refer to your amplifier for correct
connection procedures.
Q – “How do I connect to the outdoor speakers ?”
A - While there are many methods of connecting exterior speakers,
most are decided by the personal preference of the installer involved
and we have heard of them all; from barely sufficient silicone filled
screw-on wire caps to the most simple caulking and duck tape methods.
What we recommend is to use our SP CN1 weatherproof cable connector
which is, as far as we know, the only specifically designed and weatherproof
connector made for this application. You may review these on the Accessories
products page of this site.
Q – “Can I really get the speakers wet ?”
A - TIC exterior speaker products are in use from the frigid
wastes of Alaska or Norway down to the baking sun of South Africa or
Australia. In all these installations TIC products have stood the tests
of time and weather. TIC products are specifically designed to withstand
water and while there are many stories of actual accidental submersion
TIC products continue to perform as designed. TIC exterior speakers
are not underwater speakers and in that regard, technically, all such
items must be referred to as "water resistant" and not "water
proof".
TIC exterior products are also proof against the intermittent water
wash of modern garden sprinkler systems. While we do not recommend you
place your speakers in the direct spray of garden sprinklers, intermittent
or accidental exposure poses no problems either by design or historically.
Some consideration should be made when considering prolonged exposure
near to pool or spa waters. These waters contain harsh chlorinated solvents
particularly harmful to modern plastics and advanced materials. Again
TIC engineers have considered this in their designs and while prolonged
or continual exposure could be harmful, intermittent or occasional exposure
poses no problems. Many TIC products are used regularly in marine applications.
Q – “I have a ____ space, how many speakers do I
need ?”
A - Speaker quantity decisions based upon coverage space for
exterior installation are difficult because each exterior space being
a garden type setting has idiosyncrasies of design. In that, exterior
gardens typically have garden walls, trees, foliage and architectural
features all of which contribute to complicate the standards of audio
systems design. Beyond the normal speaker installation considerations,
some attention must be made to the landscaping and features of an exterior
installation. Typically sound spread from the speaker is calculated
at between 30' - 60' speaker dependent. Ambient conditions and background
noise would lean towards using corners or solid architectural features
for sound promotion while ignoring any promontories or surrounding foliage
would lead to detrimental sound decay. Consider the use or avoidance
of all exterior garden features before deciding on final speaker layout.
Q – “Will one speaker create enough sound for outdoor
use?”
A - A total of 100 watts of sound is normally adequate for
most small gardens but it is two speakers that will give you the stereo
quality sound that people have become accustomed to. Most small watts
speaker are usually sold in pairs so they give you more combination
watts. Two 80 watts speakers will give you a total 160 watts of sound.
Q – “How far should the speakers be apart ?”
A - Typically the ratio for sound broadcast range based upon
the SPL of the speakers used and average ambient background noise is
30 - 60 ft. It is generally accepted that speakers of less than 88db
or more generally (full range) under 100 watts are typically expected
to perform satisfactorily in the 30 foot broadcast range while speakers
above these ratings should adequately reach and even begin to exceed
the 60 foot separation stage.
Q - "How long can I run the speakers to or what cable should
I use?"
A - Speaker separation or spread was answered
in an earlier question but basically amounts to 30' to
60' feet of separation, individual speaker performance
dependent. Exceeding these averages creates "dead
zones" where a difference in sound quality or eroding
speaker performance is noticed. Please study our Audio
Installation Basics I under our Technical Resources section
to obtain guides for speaker cable usage. www.ticcorp.com
Q - "Do your speakers have left and right channels?"
A - TIC full range speakers may be connected to either the
left or right of a single channel individually, not both at once. In
a typical situation an amplifier provides connections for two/ four
speakers connected to the "A" and/ or the "B" channel.
Each TIC speaker would be connected to the left or the right connection
of those channels and not the left and the right or both.
Speakers with left and right channels contained in one unit are usually
dual voice coil and dual tweeter units. TIC, due solely to lack of market
demand for these units, does not currently produce a "stereo"
speaker unit. TIC does monitor this situation constantly and may produce
such a unit at an opportune time. Each speaker we produce operates from
one channel.
Q – “You sat the cable only needs
to be 4” below ground cover; Could animals chew
the cable ?”
A - TIC has recommended as a "standard", 4 - 6"
of cover for its exterior speaker cable for many years. In all that
time we have never had one single report of wild animals chewing or
piercing the cable nor any type of insect infestation.
Q – “Are there any special precautions I should take to
protect my outdoor speakers in snow or winter ?”
A - While no special precautions are absolutely necessary,
some may be beneficial or even prudent considering the range of exterior
conditions seasonally and world wide. A trick learned many years ago
from the many theme parks who use TIC products is to cover the units
with a plastic bag while outside in winter or under severe weather conditions.
This acts much as "lagging" a pipe in preventing components
from absolute freezing and complete saturation during the long winter
months.
Q – “I hear a tiny rattling in the speaker housing
as I shake it or turn it on its side ?”
A - During the post manufacturing period the housings are ground
internally prior to the application of the Teflon® seal. This sometimes
produces small particles or inert "swarf" which will settle
at the base of the unit and have no effect whatsoever on the speakers
performance.
Q – “What do you mean 70v switch-able on some models
?”
A - TIC "Pro" products are equipped with an "on
the fly" 70v switch assembly. This allows a commercial installer
to rapidly switch to the correct 70v wattage tap each installation may
require without soldering, tapping or disassembly and reassembly which
normally complicates such installations.
Q- “What is the warranty ?”
A - The standard TIC product Warranty is a "no-hassle"
one year comprehensive warranty covering parts and labour. TIC also
offers a five year warranty under certain purchase conditions. TIC does
not offer limited, unworkable or misleading "lifetime" warranties.
Terra-Forms®
Q – “What colour’s do your Rock Speakers come
in ?”
A - The Terra-Forms® Speaker Stones are available in CN:
Canyon. SL: Slate and WG: White Granite finishes. Each one is hand finished
to create the most realistic and aesthetically pleasing natural stone
look and feel.
Q - "What are the Rock Speakers (TIC Terra-Forms® Series)
made of ?"
A - Our Terra-Forms simulated stone speakers are constructed
of an Aerospace grade composite first developed by the Composites division
for use on the US Army's Apache Helicopters. It has a tremendous strength
to weight ratio and is totally inert in use. It is a PU/ Poly Hybrid
composite material and represents some of the most advanced specialty
formulated plastics being used today.
Sub-Woofers
Q – “Do I need subwoofer for my outdoor music application?
A - Depends your application and your music preference, a subwoofer
will greatly enhance your listening experience. Our new design satellite
subwoofer doesn't require separate amplifier to drive it. It is a plug-and-play
to your current outdoor speaker system, connecting this subwoofer directly
to your receiver, then hook up your regular outdoor speakers to the
subwoofer through our new design waterproof connectors. The subwoofer
has built in crossover that produce rich smooth bass and let your full
range outdoor speakers perform better
Q – “What is the difference between a woofer and
a sub-woofer ?”
A - Most people know that a sub-woofer promotes the Bass notes
or more correctly the low frequency response in the sound they hear.
Simply put; a sub-woofer is a woofer with a limited frequency range,
typically below 1kHz. A better quality sub-woofer such as the TIC models
GS50 or TFS50 also have a larger voice coil and magnet system to promote
that lower frequency range. A designed sub-woofer such as these also
has another advantage over a woofer with limited frequency response;
it can, through its design, promote the lowest frequencies at a volume
not normally obtainable by a standard woofer without considerable distortion.
Typically you would install a sub-woofer in conjunction with a pair
of fuller range satellites.
Q – “What is the difference between a passive sub-woofer
and the powered sub-woofer on my home theatre system ?”
A - TIC produces a passive sub-woofer in our GS50 and TFS50
units for a number of reasons mostly to do with their exterior performance
function. The main difference between a passive sub-woofer and a powered
or active sub-woofer is that an active sub-woofer has an amplifier contained
within which amplifies the low level frequency signal received from
the Receiver/ player by the active sub-woofer. In exterior use this
type of powered amplification is the subject of numerous regulations
for exterior power installation as well as definitely having to comply
with UBC restrictions. This will to some degree or another complicates
the install and potentially, greatly increase its costs. The TIC passive
sub-woofer suffers no such restrictions and its installation is little
more than that required for a typical full range speaker unit.
Accessories for your outdoor speakers
Outdoor rated direct burial cable
You will need to run speaker wire through your walls to get the sound
from your stereo to your outdoor speakers from inside your house. Here
are a few recommendations for running wire to your outdoor speakers
that should simplify the installation process and save you maintenance
time down the road:
Q – “How long can I run the speakers to or what
cable should I use?"
A - Speaker separation or spread was answered
in an earlier question but basically amounts to 30' to
60' feet of separation, individual speaker performance
dependent. Exceeding these averages creates "dead
zones" where a difference in sound quality or eroding
speaker performance is noticed. You should use at least
18 gauge outdoor rated speaker wire. For length over 50ft,
16 gauge is highly recommend. Speaker wire should be run
through your walls and not sent out through a door or
window jamb, as it is possible to crimp the cable and
cause a short measurement to give you some play when you
install the cables.
Q – “How deep should I bury the direct burial cable?”
A - 4 - 6" of cover for exterior speaker cable is recommend.
We recommend you use speaker cable that complies with the national electrical
code for outdoor and in-wall installation. These types of wire come
with a smooth casing that makes it easy to run through walls and other
tight places. Plus, the casing stands up well against climate changes.
Bring the speaker cable through the exterior wall very close to each
speaker location. The less speaker wire you use outside your house,
the better. No matter where your speaker wire will exit your house,
the hole will need to be sealed with silicone or another appropriate
sealant for insulation and as an insect barrier.
Waterproof Connectors
Make sure you are using waterproof connectors to connect
your wires outside. We do offer some of the best of waterproof
connectors in the industry. They seal so well that you
can put them into water and won't leak at all.
Here is the blue print for our award winning waterproof
connectors.
Playing your exterior and interior speakers together
In the event that you play your indoor and outdoor speakers
simultaneously with the same receiver/ amplifier, you
may experience higher volume levels with your indoor speakers.
The are many reasons for this;
1. Most interior speakers
radiate in one direction only. TIC OmniSpeakers® for
instance, are designed to radiate in a full 360degree
direction.
2. The waterproof
materials used in the outdoor speaker cones and the resistance
in long exterior speaker runs lower the frequency
received by the exterior speakers.
3. No reflection or
sound promotion in an exterior environment.
4. Most TIC exterior
models are a full 8Ω (Ohms) impedance while many
indoor home theatre, bookshelf and wall speakers are 4/6Ω
only. Area sound concentration is much higher in an interior
environment than an exterior environment.
Installation Guide For Underground
Speakers:
Select your Location.
Dig a hole for speaker to allow for 2"-6" of
cover depending on how large the rock speaker is. The
larger the rock speaker the more cover you will need around
the base. Do not cover the holes of the speaker.
Connect Speaker wire to speaker.
Run your speaker wire to your receiver (We recommend
that you run the speaker wire on the outside of your house
until you reach the room where your amp or receiver is
located. Then run it into the house from that point.)
Connect Speaker wire to Amp or Receiver.
Cover the base of the speaker with rock, dirt, etc.
If you have to run the speaker wire in your landscape
or under the ground we recommend that you use pcv pipe
(plastic) to run your speaker wire through. This
will prevent you from cutting through your speaker wire
in the future when doing any landscaping.
Cable Specifications – A Guide
Based upon impedance testing 8 Ohm units (This
is your typical home audio setting) – Recommended
(AWG - American Wire Gauge) Cable Gauge (g) vs. Length
of Cable Run (ft + m)
| 50 ft |
100 ft |
150 ft |
200 ft |
250 ft |
300 ft |
| 15m |
30m |
45m |
60m |
75m |
100m |
| 18g |
16/14g |
14/12g |
12g |
12/10g |
10g |
70v In-Line Distribution Transformer Wire run
gauges - Recommended maximum wire run for a certain
power rate and wire gauge.
| Wire Gauge |
5 watt |
10 watt |
15 watt |
30 watt |
50 watt |
100 watt |
200 watt |
| 16 |
10,000 ft |
7,000 ft |
4,600 ft |
2,300 ft |
1,400 ft |
700 ft |
350 ft |
| 18 |
9,000 ft |
4,500 ft |
2,800 ft |
1,400 ft |
830 ft |
415 ft |
205 ft |
| 20 |
5,500 ft |
2,700 ft |
1,800 ft |
900 ft |
540 ft |
270 ft |
135 ft |
| 22 |
3,400 ft |
1,700 ft |
1,100 ft |
550 ft |
330 ft |
115 ft |
60 ft |
| 24 |
2,100 ft |
1,000 ft |
700 ft |
350 ft |
210 ft |
105 ft |
50 ft |
