Now that we’ve had a taste of summer-like weather, sort of, it’s time to start thinking about setting up your sound system in the back yard. Unfortunately, there are many ways to achieve good sound outside, and with the wide array newer technology you can go all the way from really big to really small.

Let’s start with tried and proven. For years I’ve run the audio from my home theatre by running a pair of speaker wires to the backyard and using a second room audio channel on my amp for source selection. The big advantage here is that, pending on the quality of your outdoor speakers, you can build a very impressive sounding backyard system. On the plus side, most receivers today have an app that lets you control things like volume and what source you want to listen to, and once you have in and working, it should always be there and ready to supply great sounds at the pressing of a button. The downstrokes are that it’s difficult to get the speaker wires outside. The best way is to drill a hole in your wall or run the wires through an existing hole like one for your aid conditioning or vents. If you’re reluctant to start drilling holes through the walls, you can go to one of the big box stores and buy a trailer light connector. As it turns out the connector comes with a plug and socket that supports four wires, the same number of wires that your speakers would need. Just run the speaker wires around the room to your patio door and attach one end of the connector, and outside run the speaker wire from the speakers back to near the patio door, and install the other end of the connector. When you want music, open the door, and connect the two ends.

Reporting for Computer Insider, I’m Bob Pritchard