Music lovers can go to a lot of expense wiring for sound or buy an OutCast, writes STEPHEN FENECH 

IF there’s one thing we know about Australians it’s that we love the great outdoors.

We also have a love of technology and there’s a product that combines the two.

OutCast is a wireless speaker system that can become the life of the party.

The problem for many people who want to have audio around the home or in an entertainment area such as a deck or patio is they don’t have speakers where they want them.

If they do position speakers, then there is cable running back to the music source.

If your home isn’t wired for sound, this is a problem. 

The OutCast can be the ideal solution.

The speaker system is contained within a cylindrical housing that is 65cm tall.

There are a number of music controls on the top of the unit along with a carry handle.

Inside the housing is a 100W digital amplifier and four 7.6cm high-frequency drivers set up in an omni-directional array.

To add bass to the output, there’s a 20cm down-firing subwoofer at the base. Music can be streamed to OutCast wirelessly from an iCast transmitter dock, which has the familiar 30-pin connector included in the OutCast package, can be set up safely inside and paired to the speakers by setting it to one of the three frequencies.

The OutCast itself can then be positioned up to 100m away from the transmitter without any interruption to the music, thanks to its reliable 2.4Ghz operating frequency.

In testing, we managed to get about 130m away from the transmitter before it started losing signal.

So if you are having a barbecue or want music while relaxing outside, the OutCast is ideal.

Thanks to the OutCast’s all-weather construction, there’s no need to worry about leaving it out in the rain or putting it near a swimming pool.

The OutCast can run for about 10 hours with a full charge to the internal rechargeable battery so there’s no need to snake a power cable to it in the back yard.

The transmitter can also be connected to other music sources such as other non-Apple MP3 players, CD players or even a PC to the secondary audio input on the back of the dock.

The speaker allows users to control the music playback from outside with the ability to adjust the volume, play/pause and navigate forward and backwards through the tracks.

And while the convenience of the device is excellent, the sound quality is remarkable.

The speakers, thanks to their multi-directional arrangement that covers the entire circumference of the housing, dispersed the music evenly in all directions.

The music was crisp and clear and, even at high volumes, maintained its quality without distortion.

The subwoofer chimed in well to give the sound a real authority.

The OutCast can more than hold its own to supply the music for a back yard party.

We streamed music from a range of products including a desktop and laptop computer, iPod and even the latest iPhone.

The OutCast system comes with a two-year warranty and ticks the boxes when it comes to quality, convenience and value.

It’s an excellent way to enjoy music whether you want it inside or out.

It costs $1199 and is available from LeisureTech – go to leisuretech.com.au

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