NEAR OUTDOOR SPEAKERS

NEAR (New England Acoustic Research) has been perfecting outdoor speakers and their amplifiers for 30 years, we were told by the genial Mr Pete Baker (right) at Integrate. “So over 30 years, any potential failure point they’ve removed completely or introduced more durable materials. The drivers are metal, much more durable than plastic or paper, and they replaced the butyl rubber surround with a more durable polypropylene and tuned that so we don’t get any ringing or coloration even though we’re using a metal cone. They use stainless steel for the grilles, they looked at the traditional plastic enclosures and made that more durable, rigid and inert so it doesn’t colour the sound; they inject mica into the polymer, along with colour and UV protection. I’ve had these speakers on my deck for three years — under several feet of snow, 30 degrees in summer, and you just wouldn’t know to look at them. They’re really really durable.” More info: www.avation.com.au