Imagine this, you’re sitting outside on your patio with only a dull murmur of conversation from your friends surrounding you while your playlist plays away faintly in the background—sounds familiar? There is one surefire way of avoiding situations like this altogether. 

With a good outdoor speaker, you can turn your backyard into an extension of your living room where you can spend some quality time with your mates!

Now, you’ll want to get just the right outdoor speaker to transform your backyard into your very own outdoor party space. But don’t just go for any old speaker—be on the lookout for top-rated outdoor speakers.

Top-rated outdoor speakers may be the cream of the crop when it comes to satisfying the people who buy them but not all of them are quite the same. So let’s take a deep dive into what you need to look into when searching for the right top-of-the-line outdoor speaker.

Sound quality and resilience

Unlike traditional speakers, outdoor speakers, as their name suggests, should be able to function outdoors. Remember, using speakers indoors and outdoors will give you two different audio experiences and your speaker will need to be able to stand up to outdoor elements, like rain and dust.

Here are a few things to consider in terms of resilience and sound quality;

Dispersion and power

When you use a speaker outdoors, it will need a lot of wattage to project sound outdoors effectively. So look for outdoor speakers that can pump out at least 30 watts of power per channel for small outdoor spaces and a much higher wattage for larger, more expansive outdoor spaces.

Also, dispersion is very important. A speaker with narrow dispersion is good for small outdoor areas but speakers with wide dispersion are perfect for large outdoor spaces. Wide dispersion spreads the audio evenly so that everyone can enjoy the music!

Weatherproof capabilities

This is one of the most important features of an outdoor speaker—its ability to withstand what the outdoors can throw at it. Choose a speaker that has an Ingress Protection rating, also called an IP rating for short. 

Ideally, you should get a speaker that has an IP rating of at least IPX5. This rating means that your speaker is resistant to jets of water from all directions. Also, a speaker with an IP66 rating is resistant to dust in addition to being resistant to splashes of water, water jets and sprays.

When you’re outdoors, there’s always a chance that it could start raining or the wind could blow dust into your speakers, so having a good IP rating can ensure your speaker can survive many harsh outdoor conditions.

Wired vs. wireless

Now here’s a tough choice—should you pick a wired outdoor speaker or a wireless one? There are benefits to both so here’s what you need to know;

Wired speakers

The biggest benefit of wired speakers is that they can continue pumping out your favourite jams without you having to worry about them running out of battery. As long as you have a wall outlet nearby, you’re good to go. 

The problem is that wired speakers can be a bit cumbersome. You’ll need to struggle with wires when installing the speaker and you’ll need a good wall outlet to plug the speaker into. Unfortunately, you might not always find a decent outlet close to your backyard.

Wireless speakers

When you have a wireless speaker, you won’t need to worry about annoying wires and won’t need to hunt for an outlet. These speakers are battery-powered and can pump out music on their battery alone.

Now, you must be thinking, “What happens when the battery runs out?”. While it’s true that the battery’s charge won't last forever, top-rated outdoor speakers with wireless capabilities are designed to have exceptional battery life—we’re talking about speakers that can work on battery for over 20 hours! 

Between wired and wireless speakers, wireless speakers would be the best choice for the outdoors. Their long battery life promises hours upon hours of music and when it’s time to take them inside, you won’t need to fumble around with wires.

Additional features

Aside from audio quality and durability, there are a few other features that set top-rated outdoor speakers apart from the rest;

Bright LED lights: Many outdoor speakers come with vibrant RGB lights that can sync with your music! This creates a colourful visual spectacle that can make your listening experience so much more enjoyable, especially when you're out in your backyard at night.

Connectivity: Aside from having Bluetooth, a standard in modern speakers, you should also look for a speaker that can connect with other speakers. This way you can ask your mates to bring their speakers over, connect your speakers to theirs and create an incredible stereo experience for everyone to enjoy!

Smartphone compatibility: Most top-of-the-line outdoor speakers come with a companion app for your smartphone. This app lets you control various aspects of your speaker, like volume, the equaliser, the LED lights and other important features.

Make your backyard more fun with top-rated outdoor speakers

A good outdoor speaker can transform your outdoors into a party space for you and your mates to enjoy. By getting your hands on some of the best outdoor speakers out there, you can enjoy your playlist for hours on end, in your backyard, without worrying about Mother Nature taking her anger out on your speaker.

So get yourself good top-of-the-line extreme speakers today!

FAQs

Do I need to clean my outdoor speakers?

To keep your speakers working for a long time, you should give them a good cleanup every once in a while. Clean it using a wet cloth and use a soft toothbrush to remove any dirt and debris accumulated inside the speaker grills and other hard-to-reach places. Make sure that you don’t use any chemical cleaners.

Can I take my outdoor speaker on a boat?

Yes, you can. Modern outdoor speakers have waterproof capabilities making them resistant to water jets and splashes. But you should not allow the speaker to be submerged in water or be exposed to too much salt water.

Dropped my speaker, what do I do?

Outdoor speakers are durable enough to withstand impacts. If you accidentally dropped your speaker, try turning it on. If it turns on normally, play a song on your speaker to check if there are any oddities with the audio. Also, shake the speaker a bit. If you hear the sound of something loose moving around inside or notice any abnormalities in the audio, you should consider taking it to a professional for repairs.

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