Definitive Technology AW6500 All-Weather Speakers (Pair)

Definitive Technology AW6500 All-Weather Speakers (Pair)

The Definitive Technology AW6500 is the largest model in Definitive’s AW all-weather series, listed here as a pair for stereo outdoor coverage. Each speaker combines a 6.5-inch BDSS cast-basket bass/mid driver, a 5.5 x 10-inch pressure-driven planar low-bass radiator and a 1-inch Pure Aluminum dome tweeter inside a fully sealed PolyStone enclosure. The racetrack radiator gives a total bass radiating area greater than a conventional 10-inch woofer, which is how the AW6500 reaches 40 Hz outdoors, where there are no room walls to reinforce the bass. Frequency response is 40 Hz to 30 kHz and sensitivity is 92 dB, so the pair plays loudly with modest amplifier power.

Key features

• 6.5-inch BDSS driver: Balanced Double Surround System cast-basket bass/mid driver for clear midrange and controlled excursion.
• Oversized bass radiator: 5.5 x 10-inch pressure-driven low-bass radiator with more radiating area than a 10-inch woofer.
• Pure Aluminum dome tweeter: 1-inch dome for extended, detailed high frequencies to 30 kHz.
• Sealed PolyStone enclosure: Non-resonant, air and water-tight cabinet that keeps the weather out and the sound clean.
• 92 dB sensitivity: High efficiency suits amplifiers and multi-room power amplifiers from 10 to 200 W per channel.
• Full rotation bracket: Included galvanised steel wall bracket allows 360-degree rotation for precise aiming, vertically or horizontally.
• Gold-plated 5-way binding posts: Secure, corrosion-conscious connections for outdoor speaker cable runs.

Designed for open-air acoustics

Outdoor listening is acoustically unforgiving: there are no walls to reflect sound back to the listener and no ceiling to contain it, so speakers that sound full indoors can sound thin outside. Definitive Technology engineers the AW series specifically for that environment. The active driver baffle faces the listening area while the low-bass radiator works against the mounting surface or ground, and the pressure coupling between the BDSS driver and the large radiator produces deep, tuneful bass without a port. Ports are a liability outdoors, since they admit water and insects; the sealed design avoids the problem entirely, and drainage channels around the input terminals prevent water pooling where cables connect.

Weatherproof construction

The PolyStone enclosure is air and water tight, the grille is aluminium, and the mounting hardware is galvanised steel, a specification intended for permanent installation through rain, heat, humidity and dust. Nominal impedance is 4 to 8 ohms and recommended associated amplification is 10 to 200 W per channel. Each speaker measures 14 and 7/16 inches long by 8 and 7/8 inches wide by 9 and 1/4 inches deep with the wall bracket fitted (approximately 367 x 225 x 235 mm) and weighs 10 lbs (4.52 kg). The speakers are produced in black and in a paintable white finish, so the pair can be matched to render, cladding or pergola timber; the colour of the pair supplied should be confirmed against the unit received.

Placement for stereo coverage

As a pair, the AW6500 creates a genuine stereo soundstage across a patio, deck, garden seating area or pool surround. Mounting under eaves or on a wall a few metres apart, angled toward the main seating, gives the most even coverage; the rotating bracket makes fine adjustment simple after the cables are run. Aiming the driver baffle at the listeners and the radiator side toward the wall or ground gives the balance of clear mids, extended highs and full bass the design intends. Wired to a zone amplifier or AV receiver’s second zone, the pair brings the main system’s sources outdoors, from quiet evening listening at low level, where the high sensitivity keeps detail intact, to gatherings that ask for real volume.

For larger outdoor areas, additional AW pairs can be added on further amplifier channels, but for most homes a single AW6500 pair is the substantial option in the range: the biggest drivers, the deepest bass and the highest output Definitive offers in an all-weather cabinet.