Klipsch SA-3 Outdoor Speakers

July 2001

A quick note on this, while it was the easiest way for me to install these speakers, I don't recommend it. It's better to connect them to a receiver with multi-room control and a small two-channel amp, because there are some compromises involved in my setup that most people might find annoying.

Once I had everything set, I switched my receiver from A speakers to B and then switched the receiver to stereo, and finally, switched the front speakers from small to large, a process I would have to repeat each time I wanted to listen to music outdoors.

Once done, it was apparent that it was worth the work. As good as I thought the Klipsches sounded in my lab, I was more impressed with them outside.

Obviously some of the soundstage disappeared as I moved around my deck, but detail held pretty well. Better still, upper bass and mid bass held together quite well, better than I expected. Vocals, whether Mark Knopfler's on Sailing to Philadelphia, or Freddie Mercury's on Queen's A Day At The Races, were clean and clear as long as I stayed within a roughly 60-degree wedge from the front of the speakers. If I drifted too far to the right or left, the sound began to attenuate and became seriously muted, which is what they are designed to do.

By fussing around with pointing, you can set up a pretty solid soundfield, yet not annoy your neighbors. After pointing these properly, I could stand on either of my property lines and it sounded like somebody was listening to a portable radio at a moderate level. On my deck, though, the area was filled with music, at a level louder than I probably will ever casually use.

After extended listening time, I found myself wishing for a bit more bass extension, as these units are only rated down to 55 Hz and tended to sound like it, but admittedly, bass is the biggest challenge for any outdoor speaker designer, even with fairly big enclosures and eight-inch woofers. I suppose that's why there are all those rock-shaped outdoor subwoofers out there.

In terms of cost and performance, it's pretty hard to argue with these speakers. If $700 a pair is too much or the SA-3 is just too big for your space, the company offers the less expensive SA-1 and SA-2, smaller units with smaller woofers and enclosures. These speakers are well designed for outdoor use, clearly by someone who understands how people use sound outdoors. They come in white and black, which should fit into your décor, and are paintable.

If you spend a lot of time outside and want to enjoy your music sources, you should seriously consider the SA-3s. Because of the careful attention to detail in design, there's no question that these are winners.

$700/pair

www.klipsch.com