****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
This speaker looks Nice, the cabinet(?)is well built and sealed, feels solid and fairly heavy especially considering it's very reasonable price, but has disappointing sound and low volume in comparison to even a low wattage powered sub. I purchased this subwoofer for an outdoor pergola I just built. I was going to use it in conjunction with a pair of outdoor Sonance speakers mounted under the eaves of the pergola. After doing as much research and reading as many reviews as I could on all outdoor rock speakers, I chose the TIC. In retrospect, do whatever you can to listen first before you buy! But this is not easy for outdoor rock speakers. There aren't very many shops that have them on display to audition.First off, the speaker looks very good for an imitation rock. No big grille holes or slots that many others have that shouts "Fake Rock". It has an 8" driver mounted facing up with an omni-directional grille pattern and a built in passive 2.1 crossover network to make for easy integration with 2 satellite speakers. I had hoped I would be happy with this as a simple solution to make a good sounding patio system. Unfortunately, the sub volume is far low and the bass isn't well defined, not as "muddy" as some cheap subs are, but not very articulate when compared to even an inexpensive powered subwoofer like you would use for a Home Theater system. The Sonance speakers I am pairing this up with arent overly efficient (88db), a fairly average rating, so I had hoped for better integration. The main complaint is the sub volume is much too low to be effective in this 2.1 passive configuration. I've run this sub almost daily for a month now and it should be broken in well enough to see any improvements that come as the speaker settles in. These results were duplicated when I tried a few different pairs of bookshelf speakers I have on hand too. The sub volume is simply too low.In fairness, the sub may pair up better with TIC's satellite rock speakers, as originally intended. My next step to salvage the sub (and the rock) in this system is to remove the sealer from the bottom and bypass the crossover. I purchased a 100 watt Dayton Plate amp to run the 2.1 system with the sub powered, instead of running the sub passive. Passive 2.1, or sub/sat systems were the rage in the early days of surround sound, but have largely fallen out of favor. Perhaps this is why, or maybe the TFS50's crossover could have been better designed to play the satellite speakers at lower volumes to bring out more bottom end of the music spectrum in a more convincing fashion.Was a bit worried due to a lack of recent reviews, but took a chance...and I'm glad I did. Not only does the color (canyon) of the speakers match my outside perfect, but the sounds of the speakers are quite impressive. My setup involves running a speaker wire from an inside Pioneer receiver. After drilling a hole in the wall, I ran the wire around the perimeter of my yard (which is going to be buried, I hate wires showing) to the speakers.The connections for which you attach the speaker wire are very sturdy and I was impressed that the bottom of the rock speaker has a notch if you were trying to lie the speaker flat. The notch would allow the speaker rock to sit flush without pinching the wire (an undocumented feature in the reviews I read). I live in Las Vegas, so I'm hoping these speakers will hold up in the heat and will keep you posted if anything changes. I did however take the advice from different reviewers and I'm using a 14 gauge speaker gauge wire which feels just right.I have a pretty decent size backyard and I'm fortunate that the speakers are sitting on top of a 5 foot retaining wall, which I think will help with the projection of the speakers. When I bought these speakers, I had a few goals in mind. I wanted a decent sound for a decent price. I wanted a low key style speaker rock that wasn't too large but wasn't too small. I wanted something that would not have any exposed wires or marking that would give away too easy that it was an outdoor speaker. I also wanted a clean sound that not necessarily focused on bass, but rather the mid and high sounds of audio...especially so it could take on the noise of my waterfalls which are quite loud. So far, I'd have to say that ALL of my expectations have been met.I'm also using the Apple airport express to "beam" my music from my upstairs computer to the receiver downstairs, which in turn, powers the outdoor speakers. It certainly feels very cool that I not only use my iPhone to operate the music, but adjust the volume to the outdoor speakers as well.I ordered these as a replacement for TIC 8" 3-way speakers for around the pool. I stayed with TIC due to their Build Quality and Sound. The pair replaced was 14 years old . Two failed over the winter and two continue to work well so the build quality and the sound really exceeded my expectations. TIC is a quality product. Now, lets discuss the "big boys".These speakers are large but are not intrusive in our landscape. Mine are hooked up as individual channel speakers (one for right and one for left) and are the "front set" in a 4 speaker set up. Installation was a snap. We have 10 gage outdoor speaker wire and I would suggest this as a minimum with these speakers. My amp is 250 watts per channel but these should work well on 100 watts or even less. The sound is spectacular for outside speakers. There is clarity on all frequencies (bass, mid and high). Clear Mid and High separation. The extra sub woofer effect really produces a clear bass that is not over powering. We like a variety of music and these reproduce well for Rock, Country, Jazz, and Classical. Output is smooth, linear and complementary.If you are looking for a great outdoor sound, you will not be disappointed with these speakers.It didn't work. I had to return the item.
