Phase Technology Solaris SPF-35 Installation Manual

Product Review

By Kevin Nakano of
LA
Audio File
Phase Technology
SPF-35 Outdoor Speakers
O
utdoor speakers have a tough ti me
meeti ng the demands of criti cal listeners
largely because the listening environment
can be unpredictable. In additi on, outdoor
speakers require a robust design to survive
the eff ects of the sun, varying humidity, and
in many cases extreme temperature changes.
The folks at Phase Technology have introduced
the Solaris SPF-35 outdoor speakers that are
designed to not only survive the elements,
but also sound great. The speakers use an
SPF high-density resin enclosure that is a
paintable, UV-resistant, composite enclosure
which can be matched to any decor. The
speakers are available in either black or
white for those whose prefer a factory color.
The design includes water-ti ght fi tti ngs, a
polypropylene woofer and a powder-coated
aluminum grille, enabling the speakers to
withstand nature's fury. The exposed hardware is stainless steel or brass and the binding posts have gold over brass to
Reprinted May 2008
R
prevent corrosion. All this leads to a product that is designed to last.
Mounti ng
The SPF-35 speakers come with a set of C-clamps that are designed to mount to a fl at
surface and att ach at both ends of the speaker with adjustable knobs. This allows the
speaker to pivot on the mounti ng axis for an opti mal listening angle directed towards
the listener. The speakers also include a set of pre-threaded inserts imbedded in the
housing that make them compati ble with a wide variety of standard swivel mounts.
For our installati on, we used the C-clamps that came with the speakers and mounted
them under the eaves of our roof to minimize direct exposure to rain and the sun.

Wiring

Our speakers were wired using a pair of 14-gauge Tributaries speaker cables coming
directly from our Sonos ZP100 Zone Player. The ZP100 is capable of 50 watt s per
channel and in this applicati on these speakers were a nice match. The SPF-35
terminals include 5-way binding posts with great build quality and gives the user
fl exible wiring opti ons. When possible, I like to use banana plugs instead of stripped
wire for a solid connecti on that is easy to disconnect when needed. The terminals on
these speakers allowed me to do this. The screw-down knobs are made of metal
instead of cheap plasti c.
"These new outdoor speakers are the best we have heard in
our pati o and they are here to stay."