What are the best sounding outdoor speakers?

I have outdoor JBL speakers and I like them alot, dont pay a ton for a speaker that gets so many weather issues thrown at it, plus seldom would I think any critical listening will be done outdoors, so use some common sense and be practical.....1 vote for JBL here!

I have phase technology they arent bad. I have heard klipsch at my parents house they are a better speaker but about twice the price. I agree with Chandliz dont pay too much for a speaker that is going to be exsposed to so much weather. hope this helps.

check out N.E.A.R.

I sell both JBL and Niles Audio. I like the Niles because it has a higher SPL level which is important for an outdoor speaker and it is not ported which is also important for outdoor speakers. Insects just love ported speakers.

I like my B&W's WP-1's. But, they are outside under a covered patio and are not directly subjected to the elements so I can't comment on weather durability, only sound and they sound terrific. I believe they were $ 500.00 for the pair.

Hi, thanks for the recommendations; I had a chance to hear the B&W WM4 (medium size) and WM6 (larger) outdoor speakers today. It was in a retail show room, so it's hard to know just what they would sound like outdoors, but in the show room, both were very good. The WM6 is only $50 more ($250 vs $200), but it clearly had more low end. For loud party rock n roll, it's probably the way to fly (I think it's good for other types of music as well). On the other hand, the low end almost got in the way of the midrange and the WM4 sounded very sweet if you mostly wanted vocals or didn't need/like the extra low end extension. Either way, both of these are speakers worth considering.

I haven't had a chance to find a way to audition the others recommended brands yet, but thanks in advance for posting any further suggestions or comments.

I recommended a friend check out NEAR speakers about a year or two ago. He liked them so much he bought a pair for indoors and outdoors both.

I've heard them both too. They are truly audiophile level speakers. The sound he got outdoors was just so real. Vocals made me feel like I was inside in the sweet spot, and I was out on the lawn with a beer!!!

Definitely worth the effort to track down,
Bob

I'm normally not a big fan of BOSE speakers, but my wife's folks bought me some BOSE 251 speakers for a gift about a year ago, and they sound awesome! These are much better than the boston's and altec lansing's that I have heard in comparison. One of the most impressive points is that they are mounted about 30 feet apart around a corner from one another, and yet still deliver huge detail and dynamic sound when sitting under just 1 of the speakers.

Check out the Rockets at av123.com. For $99.00/pr tough to beat, or go wrong. I have a pair of Speakercraft's that are serving me well though. For 2+ years they were uncovered and exposed to lots of sun and rain (this past winter in Southern CA, and are still in great shape.

About 8 years ago a friend of mine asked me for a recommendation for outdoor speakers to get her husband for Christmas. After some research I recommended some Cantons (Kanton?). They were $500 sound decent and have stood up to the outdoor elements in Montana for all these years.

Mike

You should hear the Klipsch AW-525 or better yet the AW-650.

How about the Niles RS8si rock speakers? I was thinking about getting a pair of those and putting them on the outside of my lanai facing in through the screen. This way the whole lanai/pool/hot tub gets coverage and by facing them in towards the house I won't blast out the neighbors (that bad, haha). Also, I can hide them well in the bushes with this arrangment. They're not cheap though ($400ish each?) but the smaller 6 1/2 two way version is about half the price. Is the sound of the 6 1/2 good or should I splurge on the 8" two way RS8si's? My lanai is fairly large. I'll bury the cable (enclosed in some small pvc pipe, etc.) around the base of the lanai to the house and feed them with zone 2 of an Arcam AVR300.

Scott

I just found these Sonance ones as well:
http://www.abtelectronics.com/product/13124.html

They look like they perform better on paper going lower freqwise, less load and higher sensitivity than the Niles:
http://ww1.onecall.com/PID_21112.htm

Anyone have any experience with these brands? Which is the better quality? I know the rock idea is kind of fugly but actually it would work well in my lanai/garden application. The coverage I could get from where I could put them is better than standard speakers (can't hang standard speakers on the outer lanai poles facing in) and wiring the rock speakers on the ground would be a heck of a lot easier than trying to wire ceiling/wall mounts (my attic/crawl space sucks).

Scott

As far as rocks go I’ve only heard the Niles RS8Si (8” rock) and their 6”. The 8” sounded great and can be run as a single rock or as a pair. They are expensive and sold individually.

Does anyone know a good mail order supplier to purchase the Klipsch WA-650 outdoor speakers?

Thanks for the reply,

Yes, I noticed the RS8Si had two tweeters. I can get two of the Sonance rocks for the price of one of the Niles. I bet two of the Niles would sound great but at a hefty price.

Scott

The reason for the Niles having two tweeters is because it can be used as a stereo speaker by itself. It has stereo inputs or can be used for left or right.

I have a pair of Speakercraft outdoor speakers, I think they actually call the outdoor line Weathercraft. They have dual 5 1/4" mids and a 1" alum. dome tweet. I listened to Polk,Infinity, JBL,Boston Acoustic and Niles. The speakercraft were the best overall then the Niles. The rest were just OK. Most of the outdoor speakers I listened to have a very boxed in sound and the Speakercraft were very open. They do require a bit of power, I am using my two rear channels off of a Rotel 5 X 200 amp, and they will rock.

I have a pair of Mirage Oasis. They are excellent

Three weeks ago I purchased a pair of Klipsch WA-650 outdoor speakers. Although they are pricey ($400) they do sound very good. I had an opportunity to demo them at my dealers against several of the brands named above. Although the others are good I preferred to spend the extra money on the sound produced by the Klipsch.

JBL Northridge. Worth every bit of 179.00 a pair.

I bought a pair of Near A8s (400)based on this thread. Thanx these speaker sound great. Truly life like.

I think would be a good idea to bring this question back to life because for some of us this is a present dilema so ... in 2017,  witch do you consider are the best options for outdoor speakers? ,In this area there are no too expensve options so what do you consider are the best in audio quality and power with no restrictions in budget? Thanks in advance and happy holidays 

For those of us on budgets, you have to hear the Kicker 6000.  $100 a pair, or less. You read that right.  I had a pair hooked up to a sony 90 watt receiver and sounded really good.  then I found a used NAD 150 watt integrated. HOLY CRAAAAAAAAAAAAP!  I didn't know what I was missing!!!!  those little speakers kick total ass!!! they sound huge.