The Best Outdoor and Backyard Speakers of 2024 (2024)

Updated on January 17, 2024

• Our Picks

• What to Look For

• FAQ

With a design fitting for the outdoors, music fans looking for a high-end experience should check out the Bose 251 Environmental Outdoor Speakers. They come as a pair with mounting hardware that lets you adjust the speakers on a vertical angle.

Built to withstand the elements, the Bose 251 speakers are made of a water-resistant composite tough enough to handle the heat (140 degrees Fahrenheit) and the cold (-22 degrees Fahrenheit). These speakers have been around for quite a while, and we've seen users report they still work well after five or more years in the elements.

The design offers an extra powerful sound loud enough to be heard thanks to the 2.5-inch full-range drivers and a 5.25-inch woofer. You can easily install the Bose on an overhang, wall, or even from a horizontal surface (think shelves or railings).

If you're trying to build a large setup, you may want to read up on some tips on how to experience home theater outdoors.

_{Number of Speakers Included: 2 | Bluetooth/Wireless: No | Weather Resistance: 140° F to -22° F, ok in snow, rain, and salt | Driver Size: 2.5-inch drivers, 5.25-inch woofer}

If you want great outdoor speakers but demand the best audio quality, you’ll want to buy a pair of Klipsch AW-650 speakers, which will play music loudly and accurately by the pool, patio, or anywhere else you feel like pumping the jams.

The Klipsch AW-650 speakers work well indoors and out, but they genuinely excel outdoors due to their UV-resistant ABS enclosure with a rust-proof aluminum grille. This means they can sit outside and stand up to the elements, including the sun, water, and wind. And they sound great, too, with detailed, clean highs and powerful lows. Klipsch claims that these are built to consume less power than the average outdoor speaker, so that’s a nice touch as well.

While the Kicker KB6s' design is a bit plain, we chose them as the best-value speakers because they offer a lot of power at a reasonable price. They come as a pair, with the included mounting hardware to install the KB6 on your porch, deck, or even indoors if you want to.

These Kicker speakers measure 17 x 10 x 16 inches and weigh around 14 pounds. We're confident the included mounts, which clamp around the back of the speaker, offer enough support. You can rotate the KB6s 180 degrees from side to side to direct the sound.

They have a 6.25-inch Kicker woofer and dual 5-inch compression-loaded horn tweeters. This is quite a lot of power for a set of speakers in this price range. Music will sound robust, with clear mids and highs and ample bass.

_{Number of Speakers Included: 2 | Bluetooth/Wireless: No | Weather Resistance: Waterproof and UV-treated enclosure | Driver Size: Dual 5-inch tweeter, 6.5-inch woofer}

It's fun when rock speakers blend into the background of your yard, but the speaker should still function well with good sound clarity and a durable design. That's why we chose the Klipsch AWR-650-SM.

Klipsch adds UV protection to the enclosure to help prevent damage from sitting out in the rays.

The rock speaker has a 6.5-inch dual voice coil polymer woofer and dual ¾-inch polymer dome tweeters, with a two-way design and two grille areas that produce quality sound. It has a frequency response of 66 to 20,000 Hz and a sensitivity of 94 dB. It could use a lower bass response, but the mids and lows should still sound clean.

Like some of the other outdoor speakers on the list, this model has been on the market for several years now, and many users report that it still functions well after a decade or more outside.

_{Number of Speakers Included: 1 | Bluetooth/Wireless: No | Weather Resistance: Outdoor rated, UV treated | Driver Size: 6.5-inch woofer, dual ¾-inch tweeters}

If you need outdoor speakers on a rock-bottom budget, look at the Dual Electronics LU43PB 100-watt speakers. The weather-proof speakers measure 8.25 x 5.25 x 5.25 inches, and each Polyelite PVA Surround is 4 inches.

They have a 1.6-inch midrange driver and a 0.78-inch dome tweeter. This leads to a frequency response between 100 and 20,000 Hz, which doesn't represent strong bass. This set can do the trick for background music for small gatherings but don't plan on feeling the bass.

_{Number of Speakers Included: 2 | Bluetooth/Wireless: No | Weather Resistance: Outdoor rated, UV treated | Driver Size: 0.78-inch tweeter, 1.6-inch midrange, 4-inch woofer}

If you’re not looking for built-in or permanent speakers but something you can take with you outside when you have a few guests, the ANERIMST lantern speaker serves as a Bluetooth speaker, a tabletop lantern, and a hanging lamp. While you won’t get the sound quality you could get out of most of the other speakers on this list, as it has only a 5W driver, you do get the benefits of not having to install speakers or connect wires.

The lantern speaker includes a 3600mAh battery and Bluetooth 4.2, so you can connect it to your phone and play from nearly anywhere. The battery is rated for about 18 hours of playtime, and the device takes about four to five hours to charge.

_{Number of Speakers Included: 1 | Bluetooth/Wireless: Yes | Weather Resistance: IP65 | Driver Size: N/A}

The S1 Pro is Bose’s take on a battery-powered backyard speaker, but the brand has built this one to work for many more applications, too. The battery-powered wedge speaker is a Bluetooth speaker, letting you pair your phone or music player, while the rechargeable battery offers up to 11 hours of playtime.

Bose has also added the incremental benefits of a two-channel mixer, letting you plug two microphones or line-in instruments into the device. It’s also compatible with the Bose Connect app for additional features. In terms of design, the chassis has plenty of flat edges to position it in any direction. It has built-in sensors that adjust the output equalizer to match the angle. It’s all pretty ingenious, and because it’s a rugged, battery-powered amp, it’ll go wherever you take your party.

_{Number of Speakers Included: 1 | Bluetooth/Wireless: Yes | Weather Resistance: Suitable for short-term outdoor use | Driver Size: N/A}

FAQ

• How do you choose outdoor speakers?

  The most important thing to consider is how you will use your outdoor speakers. Are you having large parties, or do you want background music for smaller gatherings? Do you want a built-in sound system that’s permanent, or do you want to be able to move the speakers around? If you want something portable, look for a Bluetooth speaker. If you want a permanent solution, look for speakers with high-quality sound that mount to your exterior walls and connect to a receiver or amplifier.
  

• Do outdoor speakers need a receiver?

  Unless you’re going with a Bluetooth or wireless speaker that connects to your mobile device, you’ll probably need a receiver or amplifier to set up a sound system in your backyard. If your speakers have red and black connections for speaker wire and don’t have wireless capabilities or built-in amplification, you’ll likely need a receiver or amp to make your speakers function.
  

• How are outdoor speakers powered?

  Most permanent outdoor speakers (that have black and red connection ports) draw power from an amplifier or receiver. Portable speakers usually run on a rechargeable lithium-ion battery.

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