Outdoor speakers buying guide
What to look for in an outdoor speaker system for your home
W
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 grilling with family, 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 in 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-enabled outdoor speakers that are also suitable 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:
- 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.
- They come with mounting hardware. In the shipping box with the speaker, you'll find a bracket or similar mounting hardware that attaches the speaker securely 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.
Our outdoor A/V design expert Norm has plenty of helpful tips if you choose to do it yourself when you install outdoor speakers.
You can install outdoor speakers on your own, but don't hesitate to check in with one of our experts to help plan out your system before you start.
Outdoor speakers and Sonos
If you want to use Sonos with a multi-room amplifier to build an indoor/outdoor system, good news. The company offers Sonos by Sonance Architectural speakers for outdoor use. You can easily run speaker wire from them to a Sonos Amp, like our video team leader Tara did in her treehouse Sonos system.
Sonos by Sonance outdoor speakers let you expand your wireless Sonos system to outdoor spaces.
If you have an existing outdoor system, the Sonos Port lets you add Sonos capability for an easy upgrade.
Whole-home audio with outdoor speakers
If you're starting from scratch and want to build a convenient whole-home audio system, you can include outdoor speakers in the mix. Our system designers can help you plan and power a flexible system that suits your unique layout.
And, if you're hoping to use wireless sources to stream music throughout your home, a multi-node mesh router system can make sure you're getting strong, fast Wi-Fi everywhere you need it.
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. And 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.
TIP: Get the right speaker wire
Remember: when installing outdoor speakers, be sure to wire them with cable that is UL approved for in-wall use or direct burial.
Stereo-input speakers
Typically, an outdoor system has two main speakers — a left and a right speaker in a stereo configuration. In some cases, you only need one speaker, say for a small breakfast nook. Or you may have the opposite issue, where your space is so large that you need a third speaker fo fill out the sound between the two main speakers.
This Polk Audio Atrium 8 speaker has inputs for both left and right channels, which allows stereo playback from a single speaker.
A stereo-input speaker is what you need for these types of situations. They have have inputs for both left and right channels, and two tweeters that handle the stereo channel separation.
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 we installed at a local brewpub — 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.
Bluetooth speakers
Convenient, portable Bluetooth speakers let you stream music wirelessly from your smartphone or tablet. Some also 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.
The JBL PartyBox 300 Portable Bluetooth® speaker lets you raise your game for outdoor music listening.
Not all portable speakers are weather-resistant, and none are designed to be left outdoors permanently. Be sure to read the specification on our website to determine if the speaker is water- or weather-resistant, and always bring them inside when not in use.
We can help you choose
Have questions about choosing the right outdoor speakers? Contact us today.
System design specialist Norm shows off an impressive Focal 100 OD8 outdoor speaker.
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.
Reader comments (15 responses)
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Tom Flowers from Columbus, Ga.
Posted on 8/21/2017
I have a McIntosh 6500 integrated receiver (200w/channel), XR50 bookshelf speakers, Mac room balancer, a B&O turntable and a Harmon-Kardon CD changer. The integrated receiver has a pair of outdoor (pool) speakers wired to it, one of which is blown. My question: What do you recommend to replace the outdoor hard wired speakers...need very good sound quality, range with good bass. Would you suggest I consider portable wireless speakers...need same good quality...what would be the distance from receiver the speakers would hold the wireless connection effectively.
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Kramer Crane from Crutchfield
Posted on 7/18/2016
Hi Colleen, I've forwarded your request to our Advisors. They will be in touch to get more information about your system and to make an amplification recommendation. You will definitely be able to get fantastic sound with your outdoor speakers with the right amp.
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Colleen from Portland
Posted on 7/17/2016
I need power. Lots of power for my outdoor set of speakers. Lots of bass, too. LOTS of all of it. What would you recommend?
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Dave Bar from Crutchfield
Posted on 8/21/2015
Ken, without more info to go on, I'm going to make the assumption that your Pioneer is a 7-channel (or more) home theater receiver with at least Zone 2 audio capability. In a case like this, you would wire the ceiling speakers to the receiver's Back Surround speaker outputs, then go into receiver's settings menu and assign the Back Surround channels to Zone 2 audio output. Now your receiver will play music sources through those channels instead of surround sound. For details, I would recommend checking your receiver's owner's manual. Hope that helps.
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Ken lewis from Chandler, az
Posted on 8/20/2015
My house is prewired for patio in ceiling speakers, bought a pair of acoustic audio csic53 speakers and placed them in the patio ceiling, I have a pioneer receiver I don't know how to set the receiver to get sound from the speakers, can you help?
David Miller from Lincoln Ne
Posted on 4/1/2020
We have a covered porch 15'x 15' and want to install a TV out there in a cabinet it will not have direct light on it and should be protected by the weather it has a doors that swing open when in use and am wondering about what kind of outdoor speaker and wattage to use. I can run a hard wire to these speakers. Do I install these directly across from each other?
Eric Angevine from Crutchfield
on 4/2/2020
Tom from Temecula
Posted on 12/7/2019
I want to install outdoor weatherproof speakers in my backyard. 2 under my patio cover/bbq area(detached from house) and 2 on house either in the stucco wall or under a small awning of house. They will have power but I was hoping to have blue tooth speakers so I don't have to use a receiver. How can I accomplish this and still have the ability to control each speaker individually on one bluetooth device? Many times I won't use one set just the bbq area but when I do use all 4 I want to be on one Bluetooth device. Thank you.
Eric Angevine from Crutchfield
on 12/9/2019
Tyson Wells from Pryor
Posted on 7/30/2019
I have 4 definitive technology AW6500 for my outdoor kitchen/patio. I'm wondering if the sonos amp will power all 4 speakers or do I need to go another route.
Eric Angevine from Crutchfield
on 7/31/2019
Brian from Altoona
Posted on 7/27/2019
I've got an outdoor covered deck. Everything is wired for the television and sound. I can find plenty of outdoor speaker options but am lost on how to power them to get good sound. Do I go with a standard home receiver with my television setup?
Eric Angevine from Crutchfield
on 7/29/2019
Al Ashton
Posted on 7/26/2019
As a painting contractor I need to mention your cabin needs a coat of something. That wood looks pretty dry.
Pat Bannan from Fort Mill
Posted on 6/20/2019
I am building a pool and will have a patio area off to the side with an outdoor fireplace. Nothing is enclosed so a smarty I know is recommending 4 PSB SC-1000's as the best option. Since you carry them and several other audiophile grade speakers, would you have other suggestions or do you concur?
Eric Angevine from Crutchfield
on 6/21/2019
Justin P Hull from Gray Court
Posted on 6/18/2019
Okay, without blowing the bank, I am looking for the impossible. I'd like to get some sort of outdoor blue tooth speaker(s) that can run off my mobile phone/tablet via BT. This would be for around a pool (18x32) environment. A second area (separate) would try to throw sound into an open horse riding area (100x200). I've seen speakers that need a receiver, but then I don't want to keep going inside to make changes. I'm good with one well sounding (360) type BT speaker around the pool, but jsut want good crisp sound
Eric Angevine from Crutchfield
on 6/19/2019
Michael Hock from Worthington
Posted on 4/4/2019
I have a travel trailer with outdoor speakers of poor quality and want to improve my audio excellent outside. Speakers need to be weather proof. What makes the most sense, a good value?
Eric Angevine from Crutchfield
on 4/5/2019
Cara from Frisco
Posted on 11/24/2017
Our patio is pre-wired for speakers. Do I have to get speakers specifically for outdoors? I'd like to use in ceiling speakers bc it looks cleaner.
Eric Angevine from Crutchfield
on 6/8/2018
Heidi from Columbus
Posted on 11/20/2017
Have you heard about the Roamproof Macroboom/Gigaboom?? I'm wondering if they would be something you recommend?!? Thanks!
Eric Angevine from Crutchfield
on 6/8/2018