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Best outdoor speakers for your backyard or patio

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6 years ago

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Get the party started with these outdoor speaker options.

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Every product here is independently selected by Mashable journalists. If you buy something featured, we may earn an affiliate commission which helps support our work.

2018%2f06%2f06%2f8e%2fhttps3a2f2fblueprintapiproduction.s3.amazonaws.com2.90dd0By Rudie Obias2018-10-08 19:43:00 UTC

Stop using your smartphone as a speaker. It sounds like crap. 

The best way to listen to music outside is through a soud system with great speakers. Speakers that won’t muffle the sound, or make it feel strange with a series of hisses and pops. 

Finding a good pair of speakers is easy when you’re trying to build a sound system inside of your home, but finding the same kind of high audio quality for the outdoors can be tricky.

If you have a great backyard, patio, deck, or swimming pool, you need a really good pair of speakers to fully enjoy and get the most out of lounging around on lawn chairs or floating on an inner tube. But you can’t use the same speakers for your living room as you do in your backyard. For one thing, indoor speakers aren’t built to carry audio in wide open spaces. A good set of outdoor speakers can spread audio equally, while also being waterproof and weather-resistant to the nasty elements when not in use. 

Our pick for the best outdoor speaker is this pair by JBL, which is versatile enough to work both indoors and out. This one by Dual Electronics is our pick for the best budget option. To see our full list of the best outdoor speakers, keep reading.

We compiled this list for a wide range of people, budgets, and activities, so you can go back to enjoying the outdoors more quickly. Here are 11 of the best outdoor speakers for your backyard or patio:


Very affordable • Weigh only 2.8 lbs as a set • Weather-resistant

You probably won’t get the sound quality of higher-end options

If you don’t use outdoor speakers that often, or are just looking for an affordable option, these could be the ones.

The are the best speakers you can buy at such a low price. The pair are made with a 20mm tweeter piezo dome and a 40mm polypropylene cone, and only weigh 2.8 pounds as a set. They feature 100 watts of peak power with a frequency range between 100Hz and 20kHz and a 4-inch woofer built-in for improved sound every time you use them. They’re even weather resistant and durable, which makes them ideal for the outdoors.
The best part of these speakers is their rock bottom price. The speakers are $32.99 for a pair on Amazon. The set even comes with a one-year warranty.

Excellent sound quality and balance • Extra weather protection • Can be used indoors or outdoors

If you’re looking for the flexibility of indoor/outdoor speakers, along with great sound quality and balance, these could be worth it.

The audio company JBL is known for their signature style and sound with their high-end speakers and headphones. The company’s deliver excellent sound quality and natural balance in a compact form factor. 
The speakers are made to deliver accurate sound in a contemporary and clean design. They are also made to fit in virtually any existing sound system, so they’ll sound good no matter what kind of setup you have. The speakers feature JBL’s WeatherEdge, which is, according to the product listing, “a seamless, rubberized extension of the woofer surround that provides added protection to critical transducer elements.” Simply put, they’ll deliver the same audio quality whether you’re indoors or out.
The come in black or white and retail for $232.00 for the set.


Made to blend in with landscaping • Excellent sound quality

If you’re looking for a long-term outdoor speaker system with excellent sound, these could be the ones you’re after.

This omni-directional outdoor in-ground speaker from is cleverly designed to blend into your lawn or a hedge of bushes, so you can always get great sound without ever noticing where the sound is coming from. Just bury the green speakers in the ground and you’ll get a great audio experience each and every time you use them.
The 4.5-inch full-range driver offers true 360-degree high fidelity, deep bass, and crystal clear sound at only 100 watts of power. You’ll always get the richest sound no matter where you are in the yard. While the speakers also offer full studio sound in your own backyard, Bose also guarantees rugged all-weatherproofing no matter how cold, icy, wet, hot, dry, or muggy the weather.
The retail for $449.00 for the pair on Amazon.

Excellent sound quality • Battle-tested to withstand weather

These sound so great and look so good, you might not mind the high price.

Bose is one of the most trusted and reliable brand names in luxury audio. You’re going to get high-end quality and sound at a high-end and premium price — which is why this brand shows up more than once on our list. features 2.5-inch full-range drivers and 5.25-inch woofers for outstanding audio quality. The speaker weighs about eight pounds each for long-lasting durability and world-class style. 
They were made with the great outdoors in mind with their water resistant and all-weather build. The good people at Bose tested the speakers at very rough conditions to withstand extreme heat up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit to the bitter cold down to -22 degrees Fahrenheit. These speakers are battle tested to deliver the best and brightest sound no matter the weather.
The retail for $398.00, but you know you’re going to get something from Bose that sounds and looks good too.


Portable and Bluetooth-ready • Goes for 35 hours on a charge • Compact and light • So waterproof it works underwater

Not the cheapest, but not the priciest, either

If you’re constantly on the move and want to take the party with you, this impressive portable speaker might be your best bet.

5. Fugoo Style XL

This cool-looking, ultra-portable option goes for 35 hours on a single charge, and can even be used underwater.

Sometimes you just need to take the party with you. The delivers premium audio with rich and full tones and deep and heavy bass in a package that’s completely portable and Bluetooth-ready, so anyone with a smartphone can be the DJ. The device will churn out up to 35 hours of sound before it needs another charge. It’s compact and light, weighing under four pounds, so you can take the speaker with you to the beach or a friend’s backyard.
The powerful speaker is waterproof and will even work under three feet of water for a whopping 30 minutes, while it’s also dust-proof with a IP67 rating, so feel free to take this bad boy to the beach or in the pool. It features eight drivers, including a subwoofer radiator, mid-woofers, and tweeters for an immersive sound experience that’s delivered in a full 360-degrees with a range of 33 to 120 feet for parties indoors and out.
The ultra-portable retails for $169.99. There’s even a smart home version that’s $50 more, which works seamlessly with Google Voice Assistant and Apple’s Siri for voice commands.


Affordable • Angular shape gives more directional options • Great sound quality

Not the cheapest, but relatively inexpensive

If you’re looking for a highly-rated, stylish option, this could be the one.

Although the delivers powerful and clear sound with its 1/2-inch dome tweeter and 2.5-inch mid-bass driver, it’s also very stylish thanks to an angular shape that gives you better audio and more directional options. Available in black or white, the speaker’s shape gives you more options for placement, such as tough corners and unique configurations and setups like you might find outdoors. 
Amazon customer writes:

“I could not be happier with this set up. Excellent sound overall from such a tiny speaker and have no complaints to date. I have continually put these through the ringer with no distortion. I was pleasantly surprised on how well they sound no matter which channel you address them. Finish is holding up and still looks perfect.”

The retails for $79.00.


Extremely good sound quality • Highly weatherproof

If audio quality is your main concern, these indoor/outdoor speakers might be music to your ears.

If you have a pair of expert ears and want the best audio quality while you’re lounging in your pool or just in your backyard, then are for you. The set features a UV-resistant ABS casing with an aluminum grille that’s completely durable and rust-proof, so the speakers were built to take harsh damage from the elements. 
The speakers deliver crisp and detailed sounds with spotless highs and strong lows that will keep any audiophile happy while floating on an inner-tube. Klipsch also designed them to consume less power than typical outdoor speakers, so that’s another thing that will put you at ease, as you’re enjoying the relaxation of your beautiful patio. These used to run in the $500 range, but they’re now going for under $300.


Easy one-handed installation • Affordable • Very weatherproof

May not have the sound quality of higher-end options

If you don’t want to hire a handyperson to install your speakers, these could be the ones for you.

The feature the company’s “speed-lock mounting system” for easy and safe one-handed installation. It was designed with fewer moving parts to make installation and mounting a simplified process, even for outdoor use. 
The speakers’ internals feature a broad soundscape and acoustic design that makes the speakers sing with a full-range of sound in large areas. Spec-wise, the speakers each come with a 4.5-inch long-throw driver and a ¾-inch tweeter with a frequency response between 12KHz to 20KHz to maximize wide open spaces.
Polk Audio’s Atrium series also exceeds baseline industrial and military specs for all-weather conditions and environmental endurance. Each speaker was made with anodized aluminum tweeter domes with rubber surrounds that are pretty much immune to the elements, especially rain, snow, and extreme heat.
The retail for $115.


Blends in with landscaping • High-quality sound • Great weatherproofing

If you want expansive sound that hides in your yard, this could be worth the price tag.

If you’re looking for an outdoor speaker that will perfectly blend into the scenery, then is the one for you. It’s shaped like a rock to hide among others in your backyard landscape, while it’s painted with a special “no-fade” paint to keep the speaker nicely camouflaged through the summer and beyond. As the name suggests, the loudspeaker is weatherproof, so it can really stand up to wear and tear from the elements, no matter how severe.
The outdoor speaker doesn’t just look good, but it also fits the role as a powerful and clear speaker with a two-way, eight-inch dual tweeter, as it can output sound in mono, two-speaker sound, or single-speaker stereo audio. This loudspeaker is no joke. It weighs about 30 pounds, so it might actually feel like a heavy rock when you pick it up.
The retails for $344.98.

Sound designed specifically for outdoor use • Affordable

Sound might not match higher-end options

If you want to have parties without bothering the neighbors, these speakers were designed for that.

Yamaha is having a party and you’re all invited. The feature balanced and full audio capacity with crystal clear sound and controlled bass from their 5-inch polypropylene woofer and a ½-inch tweeter that were designed primarily for the outdoors. However, while the audio is perfectly balanced, it’s not annoying or too loud to bother the neighbors. The best part about the speakers are their very affordable price at under $100, so you can spend more money on beer and munchies for your party guests. Amazon customer writes:

“I’ve had these speakers up now for over a year and am very pleased with everything. I was able to place them under our eaves of our deck so that we can enjoy them both on the 2nd floor (deck) and/or down on our ground level patio. As someone else mentioned, the fact that these speakers are in the eaves, it seems like it helps the bass have a little more ‘boom.’ The sound quality is fine…probably a bit better than expected…the power is just about perfect because if I turn them up to what I consider ‘loud’…I can hear them at all areas of our backyard and our yard is good sized. The great thing is that the sound seems to drop off quickly, so that our music doesn’t bother the neighbors as they can barely hear it.”


Easy to install and mount • Good sound quality

Extra subwoofer is recommended

If you’re deciding between mid-range options, this one is highly-rated.

11. Kicker KB6000 Speakers

These are really easy to install, which is one of their biggest selling points for people setting up parties or outdoor theaters in their backyards.

These speakers are perfect for anyone with a mid-sized backyard, patio, or pool thanks to audio quality between 55 Hz and 21 kHz at 150 watts of power. to be mounted outdoors, so audio coming out of these speakers really fill outside spaces with ease. The sound is wide, robust, and dynamic with crystal clear mids and highs with fair enough bass, but it’s recommended to use these speakers with a subwoofer to get the most out of them. The speakers are really easy to install, which is one of its biggest selling points for people setting up parties or outdoor theaters in their backyards. Amazon customer writes:

“I have had these about 2 weeks now. Set them up under my patio facing out towards my pool area. I paired them up with a Pyle receiver and a second pair of OSD rock speakers. These simply sound great. They fill the space with great sound and have excellent bass response for a speaker outdoors. Just remember unless you have an outdoor subwoofer you are not going to shake the ground. But compared to higher end speakers these sound amazing. I have had higher end speakers, such as Klipsch reference series speakers and Dynaudio speakers for indoor use. These speakers sound great especially for outdoor use. Would not hesitate to buy again.”

The retail for $99.22 on Amazon.

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