Sorry for this topic as it’s not dCS product related, but I trust this group of audiophiles more than most other forums.
I’m looking for outdoor active speakers that are Bluetooth equipped and plug into a normal 120 volt outlet. I’m looking for active speakers to avoid running long speaker cables and needing yet another amp and streamer in the house. I plan on using Qobuz from my mobile device as the source of music and pair with the speakers via Bluetooth.
I’m looking for sound quality equal to or better than Klipsh’s or Infinity’s higher end outdoor speakers. Budget is up to $1,000 for a pair.
Easily recommend Sonos S1 speakers….they show up on your network, can be bundled into a stereo pair, etc…if using Roon, they are a group.
Cheap but don’t let price deter you…some reasonable sonic cred
Not “outdoor” waterproof but easily portable to hide under the eave…stands are great
I can also recommend Sonos. A Sonos Five (not portable) is serving indoor duty in my house so I don’t get too bored cutting veggies in the kitchen. The sound is good enough for that use case. It’s even good enough for dedicated listening or dancing once in a while. Sonos has lots of software people and a large community. It works well. The size of the Sonos outdoor speaker tells you how much coverage you can expect. It’s not a PA system
Thanks Warren and Marco. I’d really like an outdoor weatherproof active speaker. I already have a Devialet Phantom that has incredible SQ that I can carry back & forth to the pool area.
I saw that Sonus has an outdoor speaker called Sonus Move. Anyone have experience with this as far as sound quality, ability to pair as a stereo pair, etc? I also find that the cabinet and speaker grill cover can’t be made of metal or cloth to hold up in South Florida’s humid climate.
That’s a tough call Brian. Speaker grilles are made of metal or fabric ! The one other type that I can think of is reticulated foam ( think JBL L100). But that disintegrates when exposed to enough UV so I wouldn’t hold out much hope for outdoor use in the Sunshine State. Of course some outdoor speakers that look like escapees from a boombox just have pierced plastic which may do the trick. Incidentally I also have a suspicion that many cone surrounds would fall victim to being fully exposed to your climate.
The word that always used to be used in regard to products to be used at your type of latitude is " tropicalised " - a word I saw a lot here back in the days of Empire ( not that there was much left even then). You could try using it in an email to manufacturers whose products you are interested in. Sonos do say that their Move speaker is weatherproof but what exactly do they mean by that? Can withstand a light shower of rain not exceeding 5 mins in duration?
It all depends too on the standards of sound that you are prepared to accept. Looking around the web there are many speakers that are both Bluetooth and “outdoor” but as most seem to be well under 100 gbp a pop I would not expect too much.
Thanks Pete, always enjoy reading your posts.
My brother has outdoor speakers that have held up extremely well and they’re 25 feet from the Florida Intercoastal waterway. I believe they’re Klipsch’s. The cabinet is a dense plastic material and the grills are either plastic or vinyl (PVC). I believe the speaker material is polypropylene commonly used for marine speakers. If the Klipsch’s were active and had Bluetooth, my search would be over.
I have been trying to be creative and to rethink what may meet your needs. I think that you may find more joy looking to the pro industry for what you want. This is really me thinking aloud rather then any sort of recommendation but I think some decent pro active PA speakers plus a bluetooth receiver may go most of the way to serve you.
So here is a pair of Electrovoice active speakers . I have very fond memories of using EV for PA use back in the seventies. The folded horns we were using ( Sentinels?) sounded great for that application. They have a whole range of speakers so this is just an example. There are less and more costly ones:
There is no weatherproof spec but if it doesn’t meet that requirement I would bet that EV make 'em .
To pick up your Bluetooth signal from your source there is , say :
It looks small enough to take indoors at the end of the day and/or easy enough to put in some plastic sheeting or other prophylactic against any rain. Only a small length of wire to the speaker is then needed.
As I say I am just thinking aloud and there are likely to be other products to do something similar.
Hello Brian, I looked through the Sonos Website with regards to the Move speaker. It says it is
“Weather resistant . With an IP56 rating, Move stands up to humidity, rain, snow, dust, salt spray, UV rays, and extreme heat and cold.”
As to stereo pairing, it appears that is possible on Wifi. So you would need Wifi coverage outdoors:
“Can I stereo pair Move? Yes. You can pair two Moves on WiFi for stereo sound.”
Move looks bigger than One. I had two One SL paired for Stereo over Wifi flawlessly. The sound is good for that size. Five is better, but also a lot bigger… I have not heard Move yet…
I’ve read great reviews about these JBL Charge 5 Bluetooth Active outdoor speakers. Seems that a pair not only improves the sound but the JBL app gives you the option of stereo or something called partyboost mode which I assume may be mono with an emphasis on bass reproduction. I’ve been thinking not to use stereo anyway as you’ll almost never be in the proper position to enjoy stereo separation.
