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Overview: The Definitive Technology AW series all-weather outdoor
speaker allows you to enjoy your music outdoors in domestic or commercial
applications. The AW series all-weather outdoor speaker utilizes specially
developed materials and components to achieve a high level of durability,
dependability, and sound quality.
Driver Technology
Enclosure Design
Connections
Mounting Options
Driver Technology
Pressure Coupled Radiator Design: The AW series outdoor
speaker provides clear, high-definition sound by pressure-coupling a BDSS
technology driver to a racetrack-shaped mid/bass radiator cleverly placed on the
opposite side of the enclosure. This technique offers a
total bass radiating area greater than an 8-inch woofer to belt out powerful
bass that fills outdoor areas.
BDSS Technology: Definitive Technology's Balanced Double
Surround System (BDSS) driver offers a wide-bandwidth accurate frequency
response, broad dispersion, low distortion, and detail retrieval; so you hear
more the music with greater accuracy and enjoyment. BDSS drivers incorporate the
following design features.
- Balanced Double Surrounds: The speaker's balanced
double surrounds support the cone at two points to provide better mechanical
stability for longer, more linear excursion, and improved damping to
suppress parasitic cone resonance.
- Mineral-Filled Polymer Cone: The speaker features a
deeply drawn mineral-filled polymer cone engineered using sophisticated 3D
modeling techniques for wide range performance.
- Waveguide: The cone's integrated waveguide smoothes
off-axis response for broad, even dispersion and better imaging.
- High Temperature Voice Coil: The driver's high
temperature, oversized, lightweight vented voice coil offers improved power
handling and quick transient response. The voice coil is also lengthened to
increase linearity and lower distortion.
- Magnet Structure: The driver's magnetic system is
optimized by finite element analysis to maximize magnetic flux in the gap
for high efficiency and linear excursion.
- Die-Cast Alloy Basket: The die-cast alloy basket
minimizes ringing and vibration while the open area minimizes back wave
reflection.
Drivers: The Definitive Technology AW5500 features a 5-1/2"
BDSS driver coupled to a 5" x 8" (racetrack) pressure-driven low-bass radiator,
and a 1" pure aluminum dome tweeter.
Break-In Period: The AW series outdoor loudspeakers will
sound good right out of the box; however, an extended break-in period of 20-40
hours or more of playing is required to reach full performance capability. The
break-in period allows the suspensions to work in and results in full bass, a
more open midrange, and smoother high frequency reproduction.
Enclosure Design
Polystone Non-Resonant All-Weather Enclosure: The Definitive
Technology AW5500 features a fully sealed (air and water tight) design, aluminum grilles, and rugged
PolyStone enclosure, which allow it to be fully exposed to the elements and
still reliably deliver their indoor speaker sound quality for years of outdoor
listening enjoyment.
Note: The AW series speakers utilize special components and
material for outdoor use. However, you will achieve the longest life of the
speaker by positioning it to minimize direct exposure to the elements as
much as possible.
Available Colors: The Definitive Technology AW5500 comes in either a
Black or White (paintable) finish.
Connections
Binding Posts: The AW5500 is equipped with a pair of
gold-plated, 5-way binding posts to attach your receiver's speaker wire.
Mounting Options
Mounting Bracket: The AW5500 outdoor speaker features an integrated
galvanized steel mounting bracket and unique enclosure shape which allow a full
360-degrees of rotation for maximum placement flexibility. The AW outdoor
speaker, using the integrated mounting bracket, can be oriented horizontally or
vertically. The mounting bracket allows you to mount the speaker to an outdoor
wall or under the eve of your home. The integrated mounting bracket can also be
used as horizontal stand, if you want to simply place the speaker on a table or
shelf. The mounting bracket is also removable, if you want to place the outdoor
speaker in a vertical position on a shelf or table.
Note: The AW speaker can be mounted vertically or horizontally,
but remember to always point the speaker in such a way as to allow water to
roll off the driver cone and/or low bass radiator.
Placement: Position the AW series loudspeaker as close as possible to
the area where you will be listening to it. Pointing
the active driver baffle towards the listener while the low-bass radiator side
faces the wall or ground gives you the ideal balance of clear mids, extended
highs, and low-end bass even in the tough acoustic conditions of the outdoors.
The AW speaker has a very wide dispersion pattern; however, if you are
trying to cover a very large area, you will be better off using multiple pairs
of AW speakers in order to achieve an even distribution of sound. With multiple
pairs you will avoid having areas where the sound is tool loud and others where
the sound is not loud enough. One pair of AW series loudspeakers will cover
approximately 200-400 square feet of listening area at moderately loud levels.
Try to point the speaker directly at the listening area.
