Outdoor Speakers

[vegabay]

Can anyone reccommend some good outdoor speakers? Any good wireless ones or ones that can be hooked up to Sirius radio?

[glaciercory]

Can anyone reccommend some good outdoor speakers? Any good wireless ones or ones that can be hooked up to Sirius radio?

Got to go with the Bose. Jbl makes a decent outdoor speaker as well.

[rusty-D]

I installed a pair of Yamaha 4 year ago and they are still going strong, about $ 120.00, of course Bose and Jbl are a lot better, but you get what you pay for.

good luck.

[Pool Clown]

Bose 151. Had em for bout ten years. Still sound great. You can leave them out all year. Heard that Bose blasted them with salt water spray for some crazy amount of time.

[Trigger]

Bose 151. Had em for bout ten years. Still sound great. You can leave them out all year. Heard that Bose blasted them with salt water spray for some crazy amount of time.

I've got the Bose environmental 251's outside for about 6 years or so and I love them.

I noticed they changed the shape of the 151's. The 151's used to be square and to be honest didn't think the sound quality was that good. I'm wondering if the new design has made a significant difference?

Anyhow, my Bose 251's have been outside in New England for going on 7 years. They get used constantly (and sometimes very, very loudly....like to 11 they still sound great and I highly recomend them.

[Nalod]

I hate bose!!!!!!

Won't put a theatre system of thiers in my house at all!!!! OVerpriced and over rated!

THey make things simple, which is not entirely a bad thing.

But, as a consumer product company for the smaller products they make they do a nice job. I have a 2.1 bose system at my work computer and it does a nice job. The headphones they make also sound very good.

I have 2 sets of the 251's and I they are wonderful! They are full range speakers and the bass response for an outdoor speaker is very good. So good I was inspired to change my main system a few years ago. I also have some Boston acoustics set up just for the hot tub.

The Bose prices are usually fixed to within 10% so getting a "deal" on them are tough. The more they are proteced from the elements the longer they will last.

There are some nice "rock" speakers that can be placed on the ground or those in flower pots for the outdoors. Bose and others also have in ground systems.

Outdoor speakers set up is a bit trickey as sound carries and you can be suprised how far it travels to your neighbors yard. Thats why the more speakers you have the less volume you need. Think of a central air conditioning vs a monster window unit. The more outlets you have the more coverate you have. Thats why at theme parks they have those cool in ground speakers all over the place. You hear the music but don't really know where it comes from.

How high you put them, mounted on wood or brick, or under an over hang or wide open all have an effect on the sound.

Most important is what you think of them and how much you want to spend. Some are bright sounding while others are "warm". There is no right or wrong.

JBL, Bose, Niles, Boston Accoustics, are all good. Yamaha is a big name but not a known for its speakers. They are likely a good value.

Try www.outdoorspeakerstore.com/

Wireless are convienent but the technology is not there yet. But it gets the music to where you want and thats all that matters!!!!

[shovelhd]

I am a audio visual custom installer. I have installed a number of these speakers in both indoor and outdoor environments. Customers love them. Great sound for the money.

http://www.mtxhome.com/p/allweather/aw_mp52b.aspx

[bob81]

I just bought a set of Polk Audio Atrium 45 all weather speakers. I am going to install them this weekend, but they seem to get really good reviews and are a decent price.

[shovelhd]

I just bought a set of Polk Audio Atrium 45 all weather speakers. I am going to install them this weekend, but they seem to get really good reviews and are a decent price.

Those are very nice speakers.

[limulus]

I hate bose!!!!!!

Won't put a theatre system of thiers in my house at all!!!! OVerpriced and over rated!

THey make things simple, which is not entirely a bad thing.

But, as a consumer product company for the smaller products they make they do a nice job. I have a 2.1 bose system at my work computer and it does a nice job. The headphones they make also sound very good.

I have 2 sets of the 251's and I they are wonderful! They are full range speakers and the bass response for an outdoor speaker is very good. So good I was inspired to change my main system a few years ago. I also have some Boston acoustics set up just for the hot tub.

The Bose prices are usually fixed to within 10% so getting a "deal" on them are tough. The more they are proteced from the elements the longer they will last.

There are some nice "rock" speakers that can be placed on the ground or those in flower pots for the outdoors. Bose and others also have in ground systems.

Outdoor speakers set up is a bit trickey as sound carries and you can be suprised how far it travels to your neighbors yard. Thats why the more speakers you have the less volume you need. Think of a central air conditioning vs a monster window unit. The more outlets you have the more coverate you have. Thats why at theme parks they have those cool in ground speakers all over the place. You hear the music but don't really know where it comes from.

How high you put them, mounted on wood or brick, or under an over hang or wide open all have an effect on the sound.

Most important is what you think of them and how much you want to spend. Some are bright sounding while others are "warm". There is no right or wrong.

JBL, Bose, Niles, Boston Accoustics, are all good. Yamaha is a big name but not a known for its speakers. They are likely a good value.

Try www.outdoorspeakerstore.com/

Wireless are convienent but the technology is not there yet. But it gets the music to where you want and thats all that matters!!!!

I'm with you on the B word. I have a custom home cinema in my basement and I would never allow anything from the B company in there for movies and especially not music. I don't think they are too expensive, but definitely too much for what you get if you like to enjoy your music. However, for outside speakers, I think they are probably fine. Based on the experiences of those who already mentioned them, they seem to last in harsh climes. I have a set of JBL S36AWII speakers for outside use. They are quite nice 3-way speakers meant to be mounted horizontally.

http://www.jbl.com/home/products/product_d...IWO&ser=OUT

They are a little large:

In Horizontal Configuration:

10-1/4" x 14-5/8" x 5"

(260mm x 371mm x 127mm)

The Polks are probably a nice speaker.

[shovelhd]

The JBL Control 1's would be a better fit.

[Zirgalmnod]

I bought the soundcast system this summer and it´s great. My neighbours love it....NOT

http://www.soundcastsystems.com/products/outcast

/Zirgalmnod

[Trigger]

I hate bose!!!!!!

Won't put a theatre system of thiers in my house at all!!!! OVerpriced and over rated!

THey make things simple, which is not entirely a bad thing.

But, as a consumer product company for the smaller products they make they do a nice job. I have a 2.1 bose system at my work computer and it does a nice job. The headphones they make also sound very good.

I have 2 sets of the 251's and I they are wonderful! They are full range speakers and the bass response for an outdoor speaker is very good. So good I was inspired to change my main system a few years ago. I also have some Boston acoustics set up just for the hot tub.

The Bose prices are usually fixed to within 10% so getting a "deal" on them are tough. The more they are proteced from the elements the longer they will last.

There are some nice "rock" speakers that can be placed on the ground or those in flower pots for the outdoors. Bose and others also have in ground systems.

Outdoor speakers set up is a bit trickey as sound carries and you can be suprised how far it travels to your neighbors yard. Thats why the more speakers you have the less volume you need. Think of a central air conditioning vs a monster window unit. The more outlets you have the more coverate you have. Thats why at theme parks they have those cool in ground speakers all over the place. You hear the music but don't really know where it comes from.

How high you put them, mounted on wood or brick, or under an over hang or wide open all have an effect on the sound.

Most important is what you think of them and how much you want to spend. Some are bright sounding while others are "warm". There is no right or wrong.

JBL, Bose, Niles, Boston Accoustics, are all good. Yamaha is a big name but not a known for its speakers. They are likely a good value.

Try www.outdoorspeakerstore.com/

Wireless are convienent but the technology is not there yet. But it gets the music to where you want and thats all that matters!!!!

I'm with you on the B word. I have a custom home cinema in my basement and I would never allow anything from the B company in there for movies and especially not music....

Bose has it's place. For Home theater they have a bad rep, But overall, I think Bose makes a very good product and depending on the application would recomend them. Bose Speakers are able to create some very good room filling, rich sounds with thier technology. (The Bose Wave is a great product ) True audiophiles, (and those claiming to be) will protest that the highs and lows are clipped, but overall I personaly am a fan and would recomend folks listen and decide for themselves.

Outdoor acoustics are very different than a home theater and Bose's bass technolgy works very well outside.

[hottublady]

Can anyone reccommend some good outdoor speakers? Any good wireless ones or ones that can be hooked up to Sirius radio?

Best Buy has some cool ones that are shaped like rocks.. My dad has it at his place but if I can remember correctly they are not wireless...

[shovelhd]

Best Buy has some cool ones that are shaped like rocks.. My dad has it at his place but if I can remember correctly they are not wireless...

Rockustics, Niles, and Russound, among others, make them They also have ones that are planters. None are wireless.

[RickJ]

I'll throw in my two cents, but I'm going to want some change back.

I went the cheap route for my hot tub speakers, and bought a pair of Sharper Image wireless speakers.

http://www.kaboodle.com/reviews/sharper-im...mhz-transmitter

They were under $100 at Bed Bath and Beyond (or the other place that sells lots of towels). They can be plugged in to a wall outlet, or battery powered. I run them battery powered so I can't electrocute myself if they fall in the tub.

They are not the greatest sounding speakers, but were a cheap and easy way to get some music out to my tub. I didn't want to go through the hassle of running speaker wire through the eaves of the house, down the wall, underground, and then up the fence near the tub. Someday I might do that so I can get better sound, but not today.

If you want some cheap, okay sounding speakers I would recommend these sharper image (or comparable brand) speakers. They won't blow your socks off, but when you have the bubbling sound of the water around you then you probably wouldn't notice the audio clarity of the more expensive speakers.

Oh, and if you're going to get some good speakers, go test out some Paradigm speakers. For the money, they are some of the best sounding speakers that I have ever heard. I use Paradigm throughout my house, and I cannot say enough good things about them.

http://www.paradigm.com/

If I decide to upgrade my outdoor speakers, they will be on the top of my list.

[thinkxingu]

Hello,

Bose are crap--they'll last forever, but then you'll be listening to crappy speakers forever.

Polk Atriums sound real nice and are fairly compact.

Boston Acoustics Voyager series are the best, bar none, for the money. They sound amazing for an outdoor speaker, are bulletproof (literally: they submerge them in salt water and run them over with trucks to test the shells), and look nice.

S

[Nalod]

I wanted to do a Voyager system with the outdoor Subwoofer mounted below the deck or better yet the hot tub on my old house a few years back. Then I thought I might be over doing it. We have since moved and in the process of redoing our patio/porch and subseqent spa space.

I think the speakers from JBL, Polk, and Pardigm are all superior choices as they great speaker companies.

Outdoor speakers perhaps need not be of audiophile quality when you have a hot tub running. How one mounts them such as distance in height, distance apart, on a brick vs under a wooden eave, vs on a pole on a deck, vs on a fence all will change the dynamics of even the same speaker. Naturally quality of amplification is important.

My Screened in patio is a tongue and grove bead board ceiling partially vaulted. I chose not to put "in ceiling mounts" because I did not want cut outs in the ceiling. IN Ceilings would have been a nice clean instalation but it in a room 20 x17 outside it would require about 6-8 speakers ( to get my accomplished result). Besides I have 2 pair of 251's already not being used with almost $700 spent! They are set on 300 watt indvidual volume switches and provide a natural quality at low volumes. Good sound in restaurants used many speakers to get the proper coverage without overpowering conversation. Bose provides a solid construction and bass sound in this product model. The 151's are nice but don't go as low. The 5 inch woofer in the 251's is not even visable when the grill is off as they have it hidden using the wave type process to replicate that larger sound. Bose trickery is nice in some of its products and this one works great in this application. One might say JBL, Polk, etc are better companies, and inside I would agree but outside that superior componentry is lost a bit on the environment its put into. Inside I have a Miller and Kressel (M&K Sound) and would never use a near field type system in a large room, let alone outside. Companies that sell speakers want to sell more speakers and many who desire fine quality inside would naturally gravitate to them for outdoor applications. And those whom purchase them are happy with the product so its all good!!!!

LIke I said, I would not use bose home theatre products.

I think a quality sound for a hot tub would be to have four speakers at listening (or near) in the corners so the volume is lower (neighbor friendly) and fewer hotspots (when two treble sources collide the ears don't like it). Few tub installations can even get two this way! I am limited to two and would have put them at ear level except I think gettin in an out of the tub we might bang our heads. Boston Accustics are going in the tub area. The trick is to get quality and acceptable volume without it being broadcast thru the neighborhood. Naturally a set of waterproof headphones with a protected source is ideal but us humans naturally feel a bit volnerable when enclosed in water and closing off our ambient environment only adds to that anxiety. Of course, some want to get in the tub with a fat stogie, a few wine coolers and blast Aerosmith thru the neigborhood, while others want armotheropy candles waffing good smells while meditating to John Tesh while freebasing xanex!

I used the Bose in the patio also because they use two tweeters angled away so to crate a more open sound field. In no way are bose tweeters great audiophile quality but they are very condusive to what I am trying to accomplish. I would not use a bose speaker for a dedicated hot tub area because that tweeter array is going to broadcast over a much wider listening area. In this application you want a very narrow speaker character which usually goes against what out door speakers are trying to do. But some will do it better (worse) than others.

So in short, my applications are use bose speakers for largel areas or multiple pairs for greater saturation in lower volume, or in a near field situation one of the more traditional speakers with a good mid range character. Too bright and its annoying and too muddy you won't hear it over the tub.

All the recomendations are correct as they are all subjective to what your ears like and the level of obsession you wish to involve yourself into. The portable easy solution is a very good one also!

[Trigger]

With the pumps on, I doubt that any solution other than one that has speakers mounted right onto the tub will provide any worthwhile sound, and no where near the quality levels this has become

"what brand of speakers should I mount to my lanwmower?"

[Nalod]

With the pumps on, I doubt that any solution other than one that has speakers mounted right onto the tub will provide any worthwhile sound, and no where near the quality levels this has become

"what brand of speakers should I mount to my lanwmower?"

But the real fun is trying!

Close proximity to the tub is the solution. A small pop us speaker attaced to a boat stereo costing $1500 or a high quality speaker 12' further mounted on a post in a big planter with an evergreen in it.

If one is creative you can save a ton of money.

A small glass of red wine, some tasty snack and Pat Metheny on the speakers is pretty mellow!

[poptones]

I find it works well to just turn the techno to 11 in my bedroom and prop open the french doors. It even maintains stereo separation!

[RickJ]

I think a quality sound for a hot tub would be to have four speakers at listening (or near) in the corners so the volume is lower (neighbor friendly) and fewer hotspots (when two treble sources collide the ears don't like it). Few tub installations can even get two this way! I am limited to two and would have put them at ear level except I think gettin in an out of the tub we might bang our heads. Boston Accustics are going in the tub area. The trick is to get quality and acceptable volume without it being broadcast thru the neighborhood. Naturally a set of waterproof headphones with a protected source is ideal but us humans naturally feel a bit volnerable when enclosed in water and closing off our ambient environment only adds to that anxiety. Of course, some want to get in the tub with a fat stogie, a few wine coolers and blast Aerosmith thru the neigborhood, while others want armotheropy candles waffing good smells while meditating to John Tesh while freebasing xanex!

All the recomendations are correct as they are all subjective to what your ears like and the level of obsession you wish to involve yourself into. The portable easy solution is a very good one also!

One of the best things about the portable, cheapy, battery powered speakers that I have is that I can set them right behind my head. They are mono, so I don't have to worry about not hearing one channel or the other. I just place a speaker behind my head, and it gives me enough sound. Plus, if you had multiple speakers, each person could adjust their own volume on each speaker. They are not great speakers, maybe not even good speakers, but they are adequate for hot tub use.

[Peteyboy]

No one mentioned KLIPSCH. They make outdoor speakers also. Very efficient and great sound.

[Nalod]

THe speakers that make sound that makes one happy is a good one!!!!!

So many brands its hard to list them all!

[hottublady]

Can anyone reccommend some good outdoor speakers? Any good wireless ones or ones that can be hooked up to Sirius radio?

Okay I found it! This sound system sounds AMAZING! It is wireless, has a 12 hour battery life before it needs to be charged. Wirelessly connect to your home theater or IPOD. Water proof, can be up to 300ft away from the receiver has great base, lights... I think this might me the ticket??? Its called the Soundcast Outcast all-weather wireless speaker speaker system. What do you think?