Outdoor speakers buying guide

hen the weather warms up, most of us find more and more reasons to be out in the yard. Whether you're digging into yardwork, reading a book, or hosting a BBQ, outside time is more fun with your favorite tunes on hand.

Fortunately, there are plenty of outdoor speakers that can help you take your tunes outside. This guide will show you a number of different options, so you can decide which ones will look and sound best your unique outdoor space.

Two types of outdoor speakers

There are two types of speakers we generally expect to see in an outdoor environment. You may want to permanently mount outdoor speakers under eaves, in the yard, or around a swimming pool.

On the other hand, there are plenty of Bluetooth outdoor speakers, also known as portable wireless speakers, that are made for outdoor use.

Like the idea of permanently installed speakers, but want to use Bluetooth as your music source? You can power your outdoor speakers with a receiver that has Bluetooth built in.

Permanently installed outdoor speakers

If you want to enjoy detailed, immersive sound on a deck or porch, or in a small backyard, passive stereo speakers — the type that get power and signal from a home receiver — are the best option. Outdoor stereo speakers are similar to indoor speakers, with two big differences:

1. They can stand up to the elements. Many outdoor speakers are weatherproof, meaning they can withstand direct assaults of rain, sun, and cold. Other speakers are weather-resistant, so they require some protection from rain and ice.
2. They come with mounting brackets. In the shipping box with the speaker, you'll find a special outdoor mounting bracket that attaches to the side of your house.

Speakers that mount to the side of your house offer robust stereo sound for your outdoor space.

Pay attention when ordering. Some speakers, like the popular Polk Audio Atrium 4, ship in pairs. Others, like the best-selling Definitive Technology AW5500, are priced "each."

Most outdoor speakers also have paintable grilles and enclosures, so you can match them to your color scheme.

Outdoor speakers and Sonos

Lots of people ask for Sonos outdoor speakers. Sonos doesn't make a powered speaker for outdoor use. But that shouldn't stop you from adding an outdoor zone to your Sonos network.

Choose a pair of regular outdoor speakers made by another manufacturer. Run speaker wire from them to a Sonos Amp located inside your home. 

If you decide to run indoor and outdoor speakers with a multi-zone home theater receiver, the Sonos Port lets that component play content from your Sonos network, as well.

Patio and garden speakers

If you want to listen in an area that’s farther from your house, look for speakers designed to sit on the ground or mount on in-ground stakes.

A company called Acoustic Landscape™ offers packages of stake-mount speakers. You can add up to 8 satellites to expand your outdoor listening area to include gardens, patios, and pools.

They’re weatherproof for permanent outdoor installation without any cover or protection. They’re a better option than simply blasting music from the side of your house way out into the yard. Your neighbors might not appreciate that. And the music won't be too loud for people sitting closer to the house.

Environmental speakers blend into their surroundings. Can you spot the rock speaker in this photo?

Some of these speakers are even designed to blend into their outdoor surroundings (like these "rock" speakers). Others are compact and rounded, so they don’t take visitors’ eyes away from your beautiful landscaping.

Some environmental speakers are designed to be partially buried in the soil. The Bose FreeSpace® 360P II, for example, uses a unique design to broadcast music in a 360-degree pattern from the top of the speaker, while the rest of it hides out of sight.

Stereo-input speakers

If you need to add sound to a large outdoor space, stereo speakers might not make sense. After all, if you’re in one end of the pool or yard and closer to the left speaker, you’re only going to hear half of your music. That’s when you need to get stereo-input speakers.

This Polk Audio Atrium 8 speaker has inputs for both left and right channels, which allows stereo playback from a single speaker.

These speakers have inputs for both left and right channels. 

Use four-conductor cable for stereo-input speakers. These cables contain wires for both left- and right-channel inputs in a single casing.

70-volt speakers and amps

If you want music to play in several discrete outdoor zones, a 70-volt system is a smart choice. Designed primarily for commercial use, 70-volt systems can drive several speakers with a single amplifier. They're more efficient and often easier on the budget as a result.

70-volt outdoor speakers — like this JBL Control® HST — are great for larger residential installations and commercial use.

Need help designing and choosing a 70-volt system? Check in with our commercial design team.

Portable wireless speakers

Portable wireless speakers usually operate via Bluetooth®, so you can stream music wirelessly from your smartphone or tablet. Some have built-in Wi-Fi®, so you can stream music from networked computers. If you select a speaker with Wi-Fi, be sure your home network reaches outdoors to where you’ll be using the speaker.

We can help you choose

Have questions about choosing the right outdoor speakers? Call, email, or chat with us today.

Our expert Advisors know the gear inside and out. Your Advisor can send specific Crutchfield pages to your screen, saving you a lot of browsing time. You'll get a shopping cart loaded up with everything you need for your new TV sound system.

Free lifetime tech support is included with your Crutchfield purchase.