OSD AP650 Review (outdoor speaker)

[Doodski]

I don't mind parties, but I would not think it in any way reasonable to noise pollute a whole neighbourhood with an outdoor one. That is taking "freedom" too far and I would consider it to be spectacularly rude and obnoxious.

I had a neighbour that had a summer pool party on the same day each year. He would walk the neighborhood and advise everybody there will be noise till maybe midnight and then it will go indoors. We tolerated it because it was well organized.

 

[Frank Dernie]

I had a neighbour that had a summer pool party on the same day each year. He would walk the neighborhood and advise everybody there will be noise till maybe midnight and then it will go indoors. We tolerated it because it was well organized.

Once a year from somebody considerate enough to let you know in advance would not be a Capital offence. Just.

 

[Frank Dernie]

One word Frank. Acreage.

Our neighbours are 100M away on the top side, 300M+ away on the downside and over a kilometre away over the back fence.

My garden is ¾ acre but sound travels and I am in town. It is about ½ mile to the town centre and the summer concerts there are noisy enough to be annoying if you don't go and be in the audience yourself.

 

[Doodski]

My garden is ¾ acre but sound travels and I am in town. It is about ½ mile to the town centre and the summer concerts there are noisy enough to be annoying if you don't go and be in the audience yourself.

One kilometer from home there is a stadium that seats up to 60,000 and when there are football games and concerts we can hear it clearly. It can be a bother if the windows are open in the summer but otherwise we ignore it.

 

[restorer-john]

I had a neighbour that had a summer pool party on the same day each year. He would walk the neighborhood and advise everybody there will be noise till maybe midnight and then it will go indoors. We tolerated it because it was well organized.

Gotta love considerate neighbours like that, as Frank needs notice to set up his 'hide' and get his sniper rifle ready.

 

[digicidal]

Yeah... my neighborhood is now choked with young families... I bought a 5 bedroom house for the 2 of us because one is for the cat and 3 are for "the hoard" (in her case clothes and papers... in mine, computers and audio gear). Newest neighbor is now having nightly sing-along sessions with his kids which are clearly audible.

If I were really in love with my house/lot, and if dads that actually spend quality time with their kids weren't so rare - I'd definitely start something over it. As it is, we're just going to move to an age-restricted masterplan and get a second home in a nearby rural area with acreage. Sometimes you just gotta take one for the team I guess. Although I do have several rifles... I don't feel this reaches that particular level of engagement.

 

[Tks]

Outdoor speaker

"Not meant for this level" (96dB output test)



And we have Brent Butterworth's deaf self praising this thing. Maybe he took Amirs advice and pointed it straight up during testing.

Just crazy. But makes for a great review. A 1.1 preference score and the NY Times tells us this is the best outdoor speaker.

 

[richard12511]

I think his neighbors need to lie down, behind some solid cover.

(I kid, I kid.... I assume the sniper rifle was for the speakers and not the neighbors themselves... unless they are playing Smashmouth... in that case I suggest close quarters combat so they know it's personal)

Somebody once told me...

 

[AndreaT]

Trustworthy NYT review...Not worth the money and the pain to install it.

 

[JohnBooty]

For those trashing the NYTimes article, please note that it specifically focuses on speakers under $300USD/pair.

They are not claiming this is the best outdoor speaker at any price. They mention better-sounding alternatives for more money.

Are there any compact outdoor speakers that actually sound good? Obviously I'm sure Genelec's offerings would stomp this, but they seem to be active designs costing multiples as much. Quite a different beast.

 

[Rick Sykora]

If any of my neighbours played music outside in good weather I would buy a sniper rifle.
I detest background music with a deep and burning intensity. Somebody else's would tip me over the edge.

Lol, I have one of those neighbors, so I get Frank's sentiments. Winter has fortunately hampered his rudeness. His speakers would be a target if I still owned a rifle...

If I was not preparing to move, maybe would build something more covert like an RF canon.

 

[ta240]

If any of my neighbors played music outside in good weather I would buy a sniper rifle.
I detest background music with a deep and burning intensity. Somebody else's would tip me over the edge.

The availability of cheap and loud speakers for outdoor and mobile use can be a real negative anymore.

Outdoor subwoofers... cringe....

 

[Xulonn]

The OSD product line reminds me a bit of the 1950's-1960's vintage days of the Bogen Company in the U.S. - utilitarian and not noted for high fidelity products.

 

[BostonJack]

Gotta love considerate neighbours like that, as Frank needs notice to set up his 'hide' and get his sniper rifle ready.

I'm assuming that Frank just wants a little practice time at the range to calm his agitation with the loud neighbor situation.

Frank: you can damage your hearing in a hurry with a 30 caliber rifle. I recommend in-ear plugs with active noise ear muffs (Wolf Ears or similar).
The plugs attenuate ~30db, the earmuffs add to that and additionally reduce transmission through the jaw bone, and the active muffs allow you to hear range commands, but will then cut off on any high intensity sounds (like a rifle shot). Oh yeah, pay attention to the muzzle device. A muzzle without flash suppressor and a recessed crown (like most target rifles) is good for accuracy and does not direct sound (gas) towards the shooter.

(all in fun, of course).

 

[ta240]

....utilitarian and not noted for high fidelity products.

I got an OSD subwoofer amp and it died after not much use. I looked up the warranty and was happy it had a 2 year one until I saw that I'd have to pay to send it back to them and IF they determined it was a problem due to a defect they would cover the parts but not labor to fix it.

 

[Frank Dernie]

I'm assuming that Frank just wants a little practice time at the range to calm his agitation with the loud neighbor situation.

Frank: you can damage your hearing in a hurry with a 30 caliber rifle. I recommend in-ear plugs with active noise ear muffs (Wolf Ears or similar).
The plugs attenuate ~30db, the earmuffs add to that and additionally reduce transmission through the jaw bone, and the active muffs allow you to hear range commands, but will then cut off on any high intensity sounds (like a rifle shot). Oh yeah, pay attention to the muzzle device. A muzzle without flash suppressor and a recessed crown (like most target rifles) is good for accuracy and does not direct sound (gas) towards the shooter.

(all in fun, of course).

I passed accuracy tests at school as an Army cadet in 0.22 and 0.303 calibre rifles to marksman level but haven't shot a gun for over 50 years now, so I may not hit a noisy neighbour with one shot

 

[xykreinov]

View attachment 111398
hard to find anything to hang your hat on.

Actually, it looks like there are many jagged spikes you could rather easily hang hats on :^)

 

[LTig]

I had a neighbour that had a summer pool party on the same day each year. He would walk the neighborhood and advise everybody there will be noise till maybe midnight and then it will go indoors. We tolerated it because it was well organized.

The best way to handle it is to invite the neighborhood so they can't complain

 

[JohnBooty]

I had a neighbour that had a summer pool party on the same day each year. He would walk the neighborhood and advise everybody there will be noise till maybe midnight and then it will go indoors. We tolerated it because it was well organized.

This has been my experience as well. I used to move fairly often and therefore have had lots of neighbors.

90% of the aggrevation is wondering, "when the %*($*# is the music going to END? Midnight? 1AM? 4AM?"

If you talk to your neighbors ahead of time and give them a heads-up... well, then they're not sitting there wondering when the music's ending. Because you gave them a heads up.

My current closest neighbor even told me straight up: "I sleep like the dead and I leave the TV on. I won't hear anything you do" lol. I see a lot of wine bottles sitting on the curb each week on trash day as well. So I bet that has something to do with it as well.

 

[MatthewS]

I'm good friends with all of my neighbors; I've had explicit conversations about music choice, and volume with all of them. We listen at low volumes during the day and regularly have them all over (pre-covid) for backyard activities. I really don't see the issue with outdoor music if you're respectful, communicate, and have a relationship with your neighbors.