Choosing an Outdoor Speaker System
When choosing an outdoor speaker system for your patio or deck, there are three major things to look for: durability, sound quality and convenience.
Because the system will be outside, it needs to stand up to wind, sun and water without breaking down, even if your deck has plenty of shade. Next, you need speakers with great sound that are loud enough to be heard over talking guests without distortion. Finally, outdoor speakers should be easy to mount so you don’t waste precious time setting them up.
Best Budget Outdoor Speaker System
The Dual Electronics Three-Way High Performance Speaker System is the best selling outdoor speaker system on Amazon, and people love it. It has a four-star rating from more than 4,000 reviewers. This speaker system is ultra affordable and surprisingly tough.
“I’ve had these speakers for 8 years,” wrote one Amazon reviewer. “They sit on an outdoor wall, exposed to the elements on a windy corner patio in NYC. They’ve survived 2 hurricanes, 2 tornadoes, snowmageddon, snowpocalypse, Bloomberg, de Blasio, and some pretty intense heat. I haven’t taken them down or covered them in the winter, and they still sound great. Only now are the grilles starting to rust. Hard to go wrong at this price.”
Best All-Around Outdoor Speaker System
The OSD Audio Patio Pro Speakers is the best all-around outdoor speaker choice because they offer everything you need. These speakers have:
- Great sound;
- A decent price;
- A small footprint;
- Easy installation;
- Durability.
“There’s a lot of really cheap and really expensive outdoor speakers on the market,” wrote one Amazon reviewer. “I think these hit a good mid point and deliver quality for the money. The woofers are sealed, not ported, so out of the box they have less bass than some other designs, but with a little EQ (bass boost) they can sound significantly better than their ported counterparts. Top end is clear but not harsh thanks to the soft dome tweeter. I mounted them under an eave by my patio and the brackets were easy to use.”
Best Sounding Outdoor Speaker System
The Klipsch AW-650 has an injection-molded graphite 6-1/2-in. woofer and a titanium dome one-inch tweeter. That translates to booming bass and rich, full sound that other outdoor speaker systems can’t match.
“Absolutely fantastic speakers. Clear highs and mid-range. Bass is present but not obtrusive. Highly recommended,” wrote an Amazon reviewer.
Best Floating Outdoor Speaker System
If there’s a pool in your outdoor living area, a floating speaker system can keep the tunes cranked through all the splashing and noise. The DemerBox has fantastic sound that other floating speakers lack. You can pair multiple DemerBoxes to create a floating sound system, each running for more than 40 hours before needing a charge. The DemerBox also has a storage compartment to keep your phone and other items dry.
“I’m a musician and an audiophile who loves the great outdoors. This is perfect for that type of person. It’s smooth and warm to my ears. Battery? Blows away any speaker in its class,” wrote an Amazon reviewer.