Outdoor Setup for Vintage Receiver?

I was sitting on the front porch with my wife the other day and got to thinking it would be nice to have a simple vintage setup out front to listen to. I don't know if I'm off the wall thinking along these lines or if there's some workable solution to do this. I've got a few spare receivers I could choose from - I'd go for the weakest link of the three (the most beat up may be a Kenwood). Our front porch has a six foot overhang so it's somewhat protected (blizzards would see minimal snow build up).

Maybe I'm crazy, but what else do you think about when you're relaxing in a seat enjoying the view? How to incorporate a vintage setup into the scene, of course!

So, I would want to:
- "set it and forget it" not have to lug it in and out seasonally.
- protect it from the immediate elements by putting it in some kind of cabinet that can be weather sealed (keep the spiders out of it, basically). I'm thinking some kind of modified Ikea piece.
- use some Minimus 7's I have hanging around (they seem like they'd be outdoor friendly).
- hook up a CD player that's getting covered in sawdust anyway.

Am I just way out in left field wanting to do something like this or is there a strategy that people follow to be successful? Any ideas?

What I don't want to do is just have speakers wired to something inside - where's the fun in that?

One other point is I plan on building a small deck off the patio next year, so even more application for having some tunes out there.

I'm very curious to get some opinions on this. I'm okay with "your idea is a recipe for disaster" because then I'll just stop wasting my time on a hair brained scheme and move onto the next dumb idea.

Use sacrificial speakers but keep the electronics inside. Weather, temperature change and wind blown precipitation is an electronics killer.

Get some outdoor speakers and keep the electronics inside.

Maybe something like this?
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=305721

I agree. Get some Bozak Bards outdoor waterproof speakers and run your wires thru a window. I will video my bards. I gutted a pair of BOZAK LS 200 speakers and "restored" a few pair. No matter what receiver i use them with they sound surprisingly good and look pretty friggin atomic. Humidity in north texas is not good for electronics you like and want to keep alive. But im a moron. So who cares what i say.

What you have planned will work just fine. I pick up cheapo receivers at yard sales for just for this purpose. I presently have an sx550 that's been outside on a covered deck for a few years now and still works fine. I also have minimus 7's in metal cases and they've also been outside for a few years with no apparent problems.

I was thinking about just this the other day....first blue sky of the year, was out on the porch enjoying a beverage....but ide not long returned from a weekend market where I had picked up "the Mushroom evolution concert" 3xlp live concert...classic rock...and I really wanted to listen to it....I was actually thinking about dragging a turntable amp and speakers out onto the deck....
Sunshine, Cold beverage, and a record player within arms reach of my armchair...mmmmm....its on the cards

Bobaloniny - Your solution was a moment of true genius and quite elegant to boot. When I mentioned using Ikea as a "box" I was thinking in general terms of an inexpensive piece of knock down furniture that I could use silicone caulk to seal seams as I built it. I even went as far as to consider a magnetic strip to seal the door like a fridge. Maybe I was channeling your post in a moment of wakefulness at 2am!
Maybe I'll check Craigslist for an old wine fridge - that stuff doesn't get left out on the curb in our town. I keep a boombox in the shed that I use when I'm doing work in the backyard. It's about 40 years old with a dual dubbing tape deck. It's been abused over the decades and sees the full temperature extremes of New England weather. I really only use it sporadically and yet, even the tape mechanisms continue to work flawlessly. I'm not concerned about temperature, but protection from the elements is another story. I like the repurposed fridge concept better than building up a sealed enclosure.
One question for you, Bobaloniny. It's been four years since you came up with this. How is your equipment doing?

No big deal for the gear in my case..still running the little Sansui 221, changed to a Sony auto reverse deck, and a Technics cdp a few years ago. Also running an Elac 625 on top (in a plastic base).
Now the particular situation is this..the porch faces west, but we are surrounded by trees, so not a peep of sun makes it to the fridge. I also did not hermetically seal the cord pass through, which is a 1 or 1 1/4" hole facing straight up and down in the top of the cubby where the compressor was jammed in.
I do bring the gear in for the winter..then just go through it quickly with a little deoxit etc in the spring before the ceremonial reinstallation. The tt of course gets a little clean off once a week or so, especially during pollen season, but thats about it for special treatment on any of that.
Maybe you could leave word at the local recycle center or something..those little Danbys die with amazing regularity, it would be a shame to actually spend money on one.

I just hooked up a couple marine speakers to my main system. That drives six sets of speakers both in and out of the house so I don't have to miss anything when I fetch a beer ... or deposit one ...

* And +1 on humidity being the big killer. A sealed enclosure may keep it out of the weather, but wouldn't stop condensation. I'd add weatherproof vents top and bottom. Still seems like a lot more work than just running a couple speaker cords outside.

This is a great conversation (or at least I think so)!
On the very practical side of things, have a setup inside and run speaker wires outside. With two sets of speakers hooked up, I get music inside and out. My porch isn't near my current stereo setup, and the room adjacent has no easy way to fit a stereo into it.
For me, an environmentally sealed cabinet would be less work (I think). Bobaloniny's recommendation of finding a throw away fridge is a good one - the only investment is time, no cost. If I follow the seasonal path and treat the setup like the lawn furniture, then presumably I can get a minimum of four years out of the equipment. Not a bad return on investment.
That leaves humidity. How about a desiccant? Or an annual check of the electronics looking for organics and solder joint degradation?
Thoughts?

Wireless speakers? $40 to $500 at Best Buy. Pretty decent selection too.

Or your basic weatherproof boombox for $100.



Or just open the windows and crank it ... <G>

PS ... problem with dessicants is they work best in a totally sealed environment. What with opening the cabinet regularly, they'd fail fast and you'd end up with little bags of water instead.

Well, I am not sure just how humidity does or does not play a role in my set up, as opposed to the gear in the house, as we only have run the a/c for a total of 2 days this year, the rest of the time its been open windows.
I would presume that the same conditions exist for the gear in the fridge since the wire pass is x amount larger than the actual wires in it, so it is actually an open cab that shares the environment, the closed door part is more all about dust and pollen and critters here.
I can also attest that I have never seen or felt any condensation in that cabinet and never seen any detrimental effect to solder joints,cabs, or anything else during my springtime maintenance ritual.
If the conditions are so different in Mass than in Quebec, I would certainly take a hole saw and pop a hole or two through the back at the top of the cab and cover with aluminum screen and maybe a cute little hood, just to let air circulate that much better.

One thing's for sure - New England isn't tropical. I wouldn't expect 8 months of humid and 4 months of snow. I'd expect a couple of bouts of unbearable humidity during the summer season. Right now it's rainy and 65% RH outside. 40-50% is the preferred environment for electronics assembly to reduce ESD risk. I guess what I'm thinking is I don't expect the boards to get slick with growing green stuff anytime soon. I would think Quebec would be overall cooler but similar weather patterns. I'm encouraged by four years of life. Annual inspection and maintenance is reasonable. In fact, it would be interesting to see what degradation there was. Time to attack this from a new angle.

Your weather assessment is spot on.
I think where all of the excitement occurs on this subject is thinking in terms of the care we take with the good gear in our life. I think the gear in question here is more what would be relegated to a garage system (not so sure how many garages are climate controlled), adequate for the location, but not quite the queens jewels for whatever reasons.
As per 4 years of life, well, in my case I am not seeing the same gear in the same spot next year, its all working as intended at this moment with probably around 3 weeks or so left in the listening season. I project at least a fifth (or at least consumption of a fifth) and truthfully am looking forward to beyond. If someone goes south in the meantime, oh well...replace it with something else sort of mediocre at best.

bobaloniny said:

Your weather assessment is spot on.
I think where all of the excitement occurs on this subject is thinking in terms of the care we take with the good gear in our life. I think the gear in question here is more what would be relegated to a garage system (not so sure how many garages are climate controlled), adequate for the location, but not quite the queens jewels for whatever reasons.
As per 4 years of life, well, in my case I am not seeing the same gear in the same spot next year, its all working as intended at this moment with probably around 3 weeks or so left in the listening season. I project at least a fifth (or at least consumption of a fifth) and truthfully am looking forward to beyond. If someone goes south in the meantime, oh well...replace it with something else sort of mediocre at best.

Click to expand...

I'm thinking the same thing - it's very easy for this topic to go against the grain. The very idea of taking cherished equipment and kicking it out of your home. There must be a government office that protects vintage equipment from such abuse! But you're right, if it's okay to live in the garage, then it's okay to live in a studio apartment on the front porch! Afterall, the equipment I'm thinking of is in a box in the garage not being used. And to your point, my garage isn't climate controlled. It's controlled by the climate.

I'm talking about hardware purchased because it was cheaper than buying replacement knobs for my chosen equipment. If I were to go the Ikea route for an enclosure, I would expect the electronics to outlive the furniture.

Is there an IkeaKarma website where I can ask about hacking indoor furniture for outdoor use? jk.

I think the thread you want @ IkeaKarma is "Why Does My Expensive Hunka Hunka Flatpack Love Have Swollen Feet?" and then find Post 5 in "Almost Caught That Squirrel With The Overactive Bladder".

Woah! Sharp left turn! I just got whiplash!