Exactly

or try stereo stone our customers love them here in vegas

Do they make mono-stone?

Sure, just hook 'em up wrong and everything will sound right.

We always use stereo pairs. The customers enjoy the stereo sound verses the mono sound. We also arrange the speakers so they have L/R imaging from any point. If you want better sound, arrange with 8 ohm system.

To be honest, you couldn't hear a stereo image with that kind of reverberation anyway. Stereo is really for critical listening areas only, how many times do you sit down and say, I think I'll really LISTEN to this CD while I swim laps?

How do you have L/R imaging from any point? I could be overlooking something very simple, but I just don't see how it's possible

QQQ, about the resistor -- it wasn't quite a joke; you could keep the panel from freezing by running current through a resistor placed inside the box housing the panel. You would of course have to experiment to see how to keep it from freezing, then keep it cool enough in the summer.

The critter comment has to do with the fact that anytime something outdoors is warmer than the rest of the environment, some life form will move in. (Okay, so I just can't keep from using terms that sound like jokes.)

This resistor method is used, for instance, in very expensive Bruel & Kjaer reference microphones to make sure that the diaphragm is dry. A cold microphone would not be the accurate reference, in a warm humid room, that Bruel & Kjaer specify, because water would condense on it, changing its response.

I've had success with O.W.I rock speakers for around pools. 99% of the time I'll us multi tone brown LR 203's. For the price and the look you get alot of bang for your buck. And with today's natural moss rock look that seems to be prevelant the multi tone browns blend right in.
I've always wired in stereo l/r l/r, as mentioned above and had great success. In fact I'm always impressed with our outdoor systems, and most importantly the clients are crazy happy, which is all of ours ultimate goal. My guess is mono is more fitting when there is great distance between the stereo pair. I've never done a mono system so I can't say but I know that the seperation of stereo sure sounds cool, even outside.
If someone could elaborate on the reasons for using a mono system outside, it would be interesting. Although the reasons may seem obvious, something always comes out of it that is unexpected.
CMack

I haven't actually tried my system in stereo, It would be easy to do, but my in-ground speakers aren't set up for any kind of imaging. They're just placed around my patio in various spots and I run my amp in parallel so that both channels output the same signal. I honestly don't know if stereo imaging outdoors would work, or not. Thinking about it though, if I set up 4 speakers, around a pool let's say....facing north, you put left and right, accordingly. If you arranged the ones facing the south the same way, then you'd have both right speakers to the east and both left's to the west. As soon as you face south, your imaging is backwards, facing east, it's all right signals....facing west...it's all left. That just doesn't seem like "Imaging" to me. With my system, or any mono system. I'm not interested in imaging, I'm more interested in not missing the sound coming from ONLY one side because of the recording itself, because the speaker is either facing away from me, or too far away to be heard properly. That's why "I" use a mono system. The same reason why I and most other DJ's use a mono rig, because if someone's over by the left speaker, they should hear exactly the same thing as they would over by the right. My system consists of 8 TIC in ground Mini Omni speakers running off of a Carvin DCM1000 power amp, @ 2ohm/channel stereo output, paralleled inputs. Sounds good, looks invisible. And wasn't very expensive either

Those touting stereo would generally follow one of two setups:

If the speakers are so located that they naturally fall into pairs, it's obvious to use them that way. For instance, if a pair were mounted under the eaves, another pair in a garden, another pair by the pool, etc, it's a no-brainer.

If they're around a pool as Its Cold mentioned, at the corners, say, then you should wire the diagonally-opposed pairs together, so at any point along a side, you'd be between a left and a right, even if the 'left' is on your right, and vice versa.

With a scattered pattern, just alternate channels. The first one to the left channel, the second to the right, left, right, left, right, etc. The idea is that, while not perfectly centered in a sweet spot, at any point, you'd be somewhere between one channel and the other, so you'd hear some of each.

Larry
www.fineelectricco.com

Still, seems like you wouldn't get true stereo, and a mono signal would still sound better. Unless of course you only have two speakers outdoors, then what the heck.

Guess the bottom line is what sounds the best. Seems as though imaging is out the door when you don't have dedicated seating and dealing with the great outdoors. Personally I like to hear the seperation we get with stereo, but I'm going to try a mono system so I can hear it for myself.
Do you just use some type of mono converter? The only one I've seen is made by O.W.I. Or maybe the product by Audio Plex would be the best bet. It's a volume control the turns stereo into mono, which allows for the rest of the system to play in stereo. Sounds like the best bet, then it could be changed with minimal expense and labor if not liked.
CMack

The simplest way to try a temporary mono in a stereo system, if the amp/receiver has no mono switch, is to use a pair of "Y" connectors to bring the channels of a stereo source together. One with two females to one male, and one with one female to two males would work.

Sure, you could use AM radio, but you'd never know if the difference in sound is due to the stereo/mono difference, or just the typical suckiness of AM.

Larry
www.fineelectricco.com

Larry, some people do still listen to AM you know.