Systems integrator Terry Mullin, President of Creative Stream in Costa Mesa, CA. is a Boston Acoustics dealer and professed evangelist for their Voyager Series of all-weather speakers. During a press event this week in Southern California, that BA called a demonstration of “Soundscaping,” Mullin opened his home to demonstrate an exceptionally impressive outdoor sound system in his spacious and beautifully sculptured backyard. 

The BA Voyager Series is specifically engineered for any outdoor condition including the harshest heat or the chilliest cold and are easily hidden behind trees and bushes. Stealth placement of seven pairs of BA’s Voyager 7 speakers ($299.95) generates a remarkably clear and pulsating system that is completely invisible at first glance. Creating a highly credible stereo image that can be enjoyed from any place on the patio or around the pool, Mullin uses exacting calculations to determine optimum placement of each speaker. 

The Voyager 7’s are a 2-way design that are specially voiced for open-air environments and configured with a 7-inch copolymer DCD™ woofer that delivers extended excursion for maximum bass and a 1-inch Kortec® soft dome tweeter for a super smooth and natural high frequency response. The enclosures, grilles, cones and all hardware will stand up to any kind of weather and temperature extremes. The wedge shape enclosure allows it to be mounted anywhere including corners. All of the Voyager 7’s in Mullin’s system are black, though this model is also available in white.

The coup de grace is the two giant Voyager Sub12 subwoofers ($900 each) with a 140-watt SA1 subwoofer amplifier ($600) that provides such deep, resounding and controlled bass you forget you’re even outside. The Voyager Sub12 consists of a massive 12-inch aluminum cast woofer enclosed in a moisture-sealed, UV-resistant polyethylene cabinet that stands up to any environmental punishment. It mounts easily and covertly between deck joists, or can be buried vertically in a garden, which is what Mullins has done in his system. By using two of these subs he was able to get an additional 6 db of bass output. The effect is astonishing, providing tight, clean bass no matter where you are in the large backyard area.

Mullins also installed two of BA’s newer Voyager models, the RK8T2, which resemble natural rock formations. The drivers are tilted upward for superior sound distribution and the RK8T2 are configured with a dual tweeter design, delivering stereo sound from a single ‘rock’ speaker. 

The remainder of the system includes a flat panel TV mounted above the BBQ in the patio with electronics that include an audio distribution amp and dedicated music server under the counter.

If you happen to be a customer of Terry Mullin you won’t hear this in a static showroom, he’ll invite you to his Orange County home to hear just how amazing an outdoor sound system can really be.