Anyone have a rec on inexpensive outdoor speakers?

Jon · « **on:** 4 Mar 2006, 07:45 pm »

I have been eyeing the Yamaha NS-AW350 (I think Yamaha is usually a underrated brand).

I love listening to music on my deck but I just can't bring myself to buy expensive speakers only to expose them to the elements.

Anyone have any favorites or know any hidden gems?

Thanks in advance!

laserman · « **Reply #1 on:** 5 Mar 2006, 05:31 pm »

Hi Jon,

I was going to recommend a speaker I purchased about 5 years ago but when I googled for them, they no longer are made. So, if I were in the market for outdoor speakers and was going to spend between $100-200, I would look seriously at cambridgesoundwork.com in their outlet store for "B" stock. Also, serious conside Radio Shack's outdoor speakers. They have a very generous return policy and you can hook them up for a trial run.

Yamaha, Polk Audio, Advent are all great brands but I feel you can get a better bang for the buck by looking around.

Good luck,
L

bubba966 · « **Reply #2 on:** 5 Mar 2006, 06:04 pm »

These seem to be liked by virtually all that have got them.

http://www.av123.com/products_product.php?section=speakers&product=44.1

Though it looks like if you want a pair rather soon you'll have to find a used pair. But I'd bet there's someone on the AV123 forums that has a set that they'd sell...

Carlman · « **Reply #3 on:** 5 Mar 2006, 06:08 pm »

I have a pair of the AP650 HDII's from OSD: http://www.osdaudio.com/patio.html
To buy them, you have to go here...
http://www.outdoorspeakerdepot.com/apprspp.html

They can get really loud and clear, have great bass (at higher volumes) and actually image! My only complaint is they sound thin at low volume so, I recommend a receiver or amp that has bass and treble or 'loudness' on it to boost those areas a little for low-vol listening.

I think the quality exceeds the price.

-C

Jon · « **Reply #4 on:** 5 Mar 2006, 06:41 pm »

Thanks!

I was hoping for some help to look beyond the obvious and those are exactly the kind of recs I was hoping to get.

earlmarc · « **Reply #5 on:** 5 Mar 2006, 07:28 pm »

The Athena Technology AS-06s/Energy Tempest are an excellent outdoor speakers. www.athenaspeakers.com/modelAS06.htm

jermmd · « **Reply #6 on:** 5 Mar 2006, 09:17 pm »

I have JBL Outdoor speaker similar to these. I think mine are the next model up and I like them very much. They've been outside, over my deck, under the eaves of my roof for a few years now and they've held up very well.

Horizons · « **Reply #7 on:** 8 Mar 2006, 06:39 pm »

The issue with outdoor speakers that most people don't know about is that a 5-inch woofer in a huge outdoor space will sound incredibly THIN vs. what it would sound like indoors. For this reason, I use a 8-inch two way for a more full bodied sound by my pool. I tried little boxes and they sounded too thin and tinny.

I have two of these now surrounding my pool area and I am thrilled. They don't sound like my Maggies (DUH) but are great for casual listening.

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=302-125

bprice2 · « **Reply #8 on:** 8 Mar 2006, 07:55 pm »

Just bought a pair of outdoor speakers...Paradigm Stylus 350's. They sound great on my deck. Actually, they probably sound great on my neighbor's deck as well.

Picked'em up for $450...a little pricey, but they are fully weather-proof and have a 5 year warranty. Great sound with solid bass. They fill the entire deck and then some.

cbj · « **Reply #9 on:** 8 Mar 2006, 09:49 pm »

I'll second the Athena AS-O6. I picked up a pair NIB for about $45 off eBay. They aren't the last word in hi-fi especially when it comes to bass, but for listening to music while reading on the deck or grilling I think they were a good purchase.

ebag4 · « **Reply #10 on:** 8 Mar 2006, 11:11 pm »

I auditioned everything I could find locally and ended up with Sonance Mariner Jrs., listed for about $225. 4 years ago. They sound great, even have decent bass considering their size and the fact they are outdoors, many have commented on their sound. If you can find someone who reps them locally they are definitely worth an audition.

Good Luck!
Ed

Jon · « **Reply #11 on:** 11 Jun 2006, 04:45 am »

Follow up note: Thanks again for all the great responses and recs. I went with Carlmans suggestion and bought the AP650 from www.outdoorspeakerdepot.com . Finished running the wire to the patio(holy crap that was something) and hooking up the speakers.

Carlmans review was dead on. Great sound for the money (I paid $89 for the pair). I talked to a guy from the company for about 20 minutes on the phone. Electrical Engineer and a really nice guy.

These remind me A LOT of Infinty speakers. Carlmans comments regarding the speaker coming to life with a little bit of volume are spot on. The highs are there immediately but the Polypropylene woofers need a little push, but they respond with a nice rich, detailed sound.

I am impressed and might even add a second pair to our lower level walkout patio.

For $89 a pair, I guarantee you will laugh when you consider that you could Slap an Infinity or Bose label on the front and these go for $200-$350 easy.

Good call Carlman.

jermmd · « **Reply #12 on:** 11 Jun 2006, 01:36 pm »

Thanks for the follow up. Those speakers sound like just what you were looking for. At less than $100, you can't go wrong.

Carlman · « **Reply #13 on:** 11 Jun 2006, 11:21 pm »

Awesome! I'm glad you like them... I just washed mine today because they were covered with old pollen, dirt, etc... I'm still completely satisfied with these speakers.... I've had them now about a year and they sound as good or better than day 1. They cleaned up nicely as well

.

I think OSD may make these for other companies... So 'JBL' or 'Infiniti' badges may go on some they sell... I use my portable mp3 player (which actually plays .flac files) connected to a cheap 100w integrated and I'm completely satisfied. I too am thinking of putting another pair on the 2nd level of our deck. (our smoking section

)

Thanks for the followup, happy listening!

Bwanagreg · « **Reply #14 on:** 13 Jun 2006, 08:52 pm »

i just found this thread very helpful and bought the next largest model.

http://www.outdoorspeakerdepot.com/apmasepasp.html

My music server is controlled by a WiFi PDA running NetRemote, so I've got 35 days worth of music available. Let's see, evenings, weekends for 4 months... that's about right

ctviggen · « **Reply #15 on:** 13 Jun 2006, 09:04 pm »

Well, I saw Bose at BJ's (like Costco/Price Club/Sam's Club) and purchased them. The AP650s look nicer and are cheaper, too. Darn it! I knew better than to buy Bose (though Bose does have a 5 year warranty as compared to two for the AP650s, but then you could buy two sets of the AP650s for one set of Blows).