High Humidity Weather Resistant In-Ceiling Speakers Technical Brief
V2 10/6/08
General Description:
Boston Acoustics Weather-Resistant Custom In-Ceiling Speakers are designed
for outstanding durability as well as exceptional sonic performance. These
weather-resistant speakers can be used in bathrooms and other moist interior
locations as well as exterior locations that include some protection from the
elements.
No speaker is completely weatherproof. Salt water, driving rains, direct sunlight,
and freeze and thaw cycles will degrade all materials over time. Unprotected
outdoor locations may cause the speaker to deteriorate more quickly. To ensure
protection from the elements, speaker cones are made of polypropylene and
surrounds are made of rubber. The woofers are attached with coated steel
fasteners and coated steel speaker grilles that provide additional protection for
the drivers. The speaker frames are made of ABS plastic and are UV resistance
so they can be used outside near sunlight. For added durability and better
performance in these environments, Boston Acoustics weather-resistant models
are further protected from the elements by; completely sealing the electrical
components including the entire crossover board in a special conformal coating;
using waterproof switches and using a moisture-resistant seal between the
tweeter post and the voice coil.
Weather Resistant Features:
Tweeter – The tweeters HSi H460T2 are made of polypropylene material which
is highly resistant to both temperature and moisture. The soft dome Kortec®
tweeters on the VSi H470T2 are covered in a coating that is highly resistant to
temperatures and shed water very easily and it is highly moisture resistant.
Tweeter Post and Woofer Voice Coil – The tweeters on the Boston Acoustics
High Humidity models are coaxial mounted over the woofer voice coil. Boston
designed a special post collar that completely shields the voice coil from the
intrusion of moisture. The collar is attached to the woofer cone and slides smooth
on the tweeter mounting post.
Woofer Cone – The HSi H460T2 use a coated fiber material which is highly
resistant to both temperature and moisture. The polypropylene woofer on the
VSi H470T2 is highly resistant to temperatures and shed water very easily and it
is highly moisture resistant.
Woofer Surrounds -- The surround is made of water-proof butyl rubber material
that extends to the edge of the speaker frame for added protection.
10/8/2008 High Humidity Speakers Technical Brief
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High Humidity Speakers Technical Brief Cont:
Solar Radiation -- To determine the effects of being out in the sun, such as
yellowing or chalking. 48 hours of very intense UV (1120W/sq m). These
48 hours are supposed to simulate about 1 year of being out in the sun.
High Humidity Speakers Technical Brief Cont:
Low Temperature -- According to the Mil Spec document, this simulates
acceptability in a mild climate such as "coastal Europe and southeast
Australia". This cycles from -6 degrees C to -19 degrees C (21F to -2F) for
48 hours.
High Temperature – According to the Mil Spec document, this simulates
acceptability in a Hot climate such as "North Africa, the Middle East,
Pakistan, and India, southwestern US and northern Mexico". This cycles
from 32 C to 49C (90F to 120F) for 48 hours.
IEC 529 IP Ratings:
Boston Acoustics High Humidity models are tested against the IEC529 IP
rating. This is a standard rating in which to pass the speaker must function
properly at the conclusion of the test. These speakers must meet all of the
frequency response and power handling specifications as listed. Boston
tests these speakers to an IP X5 rating.
Degrees of Protection Against Water
(tests implemented using fresh water)
IP X0 - Not Protected
IP X1 - Protected against vertically falling water drops; drops have no
harmful effects.
IP X2 - Protected against vertically falling water drops when enclosure is
tilted up at a 15° angle; drops have no harmful effects.
IP X3 - Protected against water sprayed at up to a 60° angle; water has no
harmful effects.
IP X4 - Protected against splashing water from any direction; water has no
harmful effects.
IP X5 - Protected against water jets from any direction; water has no
harmful effects.
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High Humidity Speakers Technical Brief Cont:
Boston Acoustics loudspeakers have been exceeding the expectations of serious
music listeners for over 25 years. With advanced engineering, innovative design
and high quality manufacturing, our High Humidity speakers embody everything it
means to be from Boston.
Boston Acoustics maintains an ongoing program of product improvement.
Speakers are under constant testing and quality control auditing to ensure that
they always meet or exceed our published specifications. If you have any
questions please e-mail our Product/Technical Support staff at
These models offer a limited warranty to the original purchaser purchased from
an authorized Boston Acoustics dealer, including authorized internet partners.
This warranty protects against defects in materials or workmanship that occur in
normal use of the Boston Acoustics product for 5 years and will be repaired
without charge for parts and labor. If product cannot be repaired, it will be
replaced with a comparable product or (at Boston Acoustics’ discretion) a refund
of the current retail price of the product. It is the customers’ responsibility to use
the unit according to the instructions supplied, to provide safe and secure
transportation to an authorized Boston Acoustics service representative, and to
present proof of purchase in the form of the original sales receipt to establish
warranty coverage. The customers’ sales receipt should note the model, serial
number and date of purchase from an authorized Boston Acoustics dealer.
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