About the Definitive Technology AW5500
High-performance sound for wide-open spaces
Definitive Technology's AW5500 speakers will liven up your next outdoor party.
High-performance sound for wide-open spaces
Rock your next pool party with outdoor speakers from Definitive Technology. The AW5500 features the same high-quality speaker components as their indoor models, but it's ready to stand up to the hardships of outdoor living. Buy a pair to place near the pool or on your deck — their non-resonant PolyStone enclosures are fully sealed and built for direct exposure to the elements. And the included bracket lets you rotate the speaker up to 360° for maximum flexibility.
Crystal-clear highs, distinct mids, and solid bass
The AW5500 combines a 1" pure aluminum dome tweeter with a 5-1/2" woofer for clear, accurate reproduction of voices and instruments. The woofer uses Definitive's BDSS (Balanced Double Surround System) design for accurate response across a wide frequency range. A pressure-coupled racetrack-shaped radiator reinforces the output of the woofer, for overall bass that's equivalent to that of an 8" woofer. (Pretty cool for a compact outdoor speaker that's sized to fit under a roof eave.) Some outdoor speakers are anemic at the low end — not this one.
Got wire?
Most speakers don't include any. Learn more about in-wall wiring at the Crutchfield Learning Center.
Shop our selection of in-wall speaker wire.
Did you know?
Your new speakers will probably sound better after several weeks of use than they do right out of the box. That's because the material surrounding the woofers will loosen up, allowing the drivers to move more fully. Definitive Technology estimates a break-in period of 24 to 48 hours of playback before the speakers will deliver optimum sound quality. For more information and helpful tips, check out this article from Definitive's website about conditioning your speakers.
Product highlights:
- 1" pure aluminum dome tweeter
- 5-1/2" BDSS mid/bass woofer
- 5" x 8" racetrack-shaped pressure-coupled radiator (produces bass equivalent to that of an 8" woofer)
- frequency response 45-30,000 Hz
- sensitivity 91 dB
- handles up to 175 watts
- 5-way binding posts
- rugged, fully sealed PolyStone enclosure
- aluminum speaker grilles
- includes galvanized steel mounting bracket that allows 360° rotation for maximum placement flexibility
- 7-13/16"W x 12-5/8"H x 8-1/16"D
- weight: 8.33 lbs.
- warranty: 5 years
- MFR # NEAA
What's in the box:
Definitive Technology AW5500 owner's manual
- Black all-weather outdoor loudspeaker
- Mounting bracket (installed)
- Owner's Manual
- Online Product Registration card
Featured video:
Customer reviews for Definitive Technology AW5500
Loading...
Loading reviews...
Average review:
5.0 out of 5 starsThanks for submitting your review
Customer photos
This review was collected as part of a promotion
Pros:
Cons:
More details on the Definitive Technology AW5500
Features & specs
| Type | Surface Mount | |
| Bluetooth | No | |
| Enclosure | Passive Radiator | |
| Tweeter Type | Hard-Dome | |
| Tweeter Size (inches) | 1 | |
| Midrange Size (inches) | N/A | |
| Woofer Size (inches) | 5.5 | |
| Woofer Composition | Polymer | |
| Woofer Surround | Rubber | |
| Power Range (watts) | 10-175 | |
| Sensitivity | 91 dB | |
| Impedance (ohms) | 8 | |
| Frequency Response | 45-30k Hz | |
| Connector Type | 5-Way post | |
| Height (inches) | 12-5/8 | |
| Width (inches) | 7-13/16 | |
| Depth (inches) | 8-1/16 | |
| Weight (pounds) | 8.33 | |
| Wall-mountable | Yes | |
| Bracket Included | Adjustable bracket | |
| Parts Warranty | 5 Years | |
| Labor Warranty | 5 Years | |
Product Research
Features
Pressure Coupled Radiator Design: 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. 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" 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.
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. The Definitive Technology AW5500 comes in either a Black or White (paintable) finish.
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.
Binding Posts: The AW5500 is equipped with a pair of gold-plated, 5-way binding posts to attach your receiver's speaker wire.
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.
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.
Loading...
Loading accessories...
Customer Q&A
10 questions already asked
Loading...
Loading articles...
Using on the Bridge of a Boat and I was debating going with the 6500 or 5500 and decided on the 5500 due to a little smaller size. I have to say I was surprised with the base that comes out and the highs are crisp and clear. I would recommend these and may have to get another pair!!
Terry from Waukegan, IL