How to choose the right outdoor audio system

A warm day and a gentle summer breeze will bring joy to even the most sheltered soul. The best option for outdoor recreation in this age of social distancing is right outside your sliding-glass door in your own backyard. If music is an important part of your summer activities, you’ll be relieved to learn that the recent boom of outdoor-sound technology has made it easier than ever to bring your favorite tunes out to the patio.

Most weatherproof outdoor sound systems needed complicated wiring and costly keypads until recently (or tedious trips indoors to change the music). We now have more options thanks to Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, such as lightweight, portable Bluetooth speakers, massive “pool blaster” Bluetooth speakers, Wi-Fi speakers, and powered models of conventional outdoor speakers.

These speakers, which are referred to as passive because they require an amplifier, are similar to conventional bookshelf speakers and typically have better sound quality and volume than most wireless outdoor speakers. They’re usually sold in pairs, and each speaker is usually a two-way configuration with a bass woofer and a treble tweeter, which makes for deeper bass, louder peaks, and a more open sound than smaller speakers with full-range drivers.

The outdoor speakers components and enclosure are generally waterproof (or at least water resistant), and it usually comes with a mounting bracket that allows it to swivel back and forth or up and down depending on whether it’s mounted horizontally or vertically. These speakers aren’t portable since they’re mounted on eaves or patio supports.

There are some great sounding choices at reasonable prices. Let us guide you to the best outdoor speakers for your pool area or home theater. The best ones have natural-sounding voices and a pleasing amount of deep bass, which will be useful when summer pool parties resurface. You can add as many speakers as you want (as long as you have the amplifiers to power them) to cover even the largest backyards with clear sound.

Let’s look at the advantages and disadvantages of each system so you can plan for a wonderful summer.

These speakers can be powered by almost any amplifier, from a small, low-cost stereo amp to a powerful multichannel amp built for multiroom audio systems. More strength, just as with an indoor system, means cleaner sound and the ability to play your system louder.

As the amplifier is mounted indoors, however, controlling the device from outside becomes more difficult. Outdoor multiroom audio controllers with keypads and remotes are available, but they are usually costly and difficult to configure and install.

The amplifiers and a Bluetooth receiver are integrated into a conventional pair of waterproof outdoor speakers in this newer product group. These work similarly to a single Bluetooth speaker: To begin streaming music, simply connect your phone or tablet to the device. However, since they’re built along the same lines as the passive speakers mentioned above, they usually sound much better than a single all-in-one Bluetooth speaker. They also have a waterproof power supply, so installation and hookup are easy as long as there is an AC outlet nearby.

The amplifiers and a Bluetooth receiver are integrated into a conventional pair of waterproof outdoor speakers in this newer product group. These work similarly to a single Bluetooth speaker: To begin streaming music, simply connect your phone or tablet to the device. However, since they’re built along the same lines as the passive speakers mentioned above, they usually sound much better than a single all-in-one Bluetooth speaker. They also have a waterproof power supply, so installation and hookup are easy as long as there is an AC outlet nearby.

Portable, battery-powered weatherproof speakers with Wi-Fi are ideal for outdoor use because they can connect to streaming services from your home network, eliminating the need to carry your phone nearby, as with Bluetooth speakers. They usually come with voice commands, which makes them even more useful. In many homes, Wi-Fi coverage in the backyard is reasonably high; if your signal isn’t strong enough, you can use a Wi-Fi extender.