Wireless Speaker

[target2019]

I'm in the market for a wireless audio speaker that I can place in the backyard or other location(s) for occasional listening.

AC is available (if not rechargeable)
LAN signal is strong
Weather-resistant is not mandatory, but I'd consider it
Bluetooth is an option I'd consider
Spotify is primary playback option

First search suggests I'd be paying $100 to $300 and that would be fine.

 

[bloom2708]

We have several Bose SoundLink Mini speakers. Great sounds. Excellent bass.

https://www.bose.com/en_us/products...html#v=soundlink_mini_ii_special_triple_black

Bluetooth with long lasting rechargeable battery.

 

[Z3Dreamer]

I would be interested in some of the responses. Do you want directional or blanket kind of speakers? I am probably not using the right terms. What I mean is that typically speakers point in a specific direction, but some, like the Amazon Echo device send sound out in multiple directions. Which type do you want?

 

[COcheesehead]

Look at the JBL line of outdoor speakers. I have the Xtreme and it sounds good, holds a charge forever.
You can also pair them to have multiples in place for better sound.

 

[Rustic23]

I have an inexpensive DOSS Soundbox. It is bluetooth and works well. I find I don't like it very loud. I play music from an Amazon dot inside to outside speaker.

 

[finnski1]

We have several Bose SoundLink Mini speakers. Great sounds. Excellent bass.

https://www.bose.com/en_us/products...html#v=soundlink_mini_ii_special_triple_black

Bluetooth with long lasting rechargeable battery.

I have one of the soundlink mini II and it's a great little speaker,
unfortunately not stereo but the sound quality is really good.
If I were to get another I would probably go with the newer Soundlink Revolve for $20 more. 360 degree sound and water resistant

 

[Sunset]

I use a speaker that has an input, into which I plugged in the google chromecast Audio.

https://www.theverge.com/2019/1/11/18178751/google-chromecast-audio-discontinued-sale

These things are great as they turn any speaker into a wireless lan speaker. And I can group them so the livingroom and kitchen both act as one.

Once I turn spotify on via my phone and then tell it to play over the speakers, I can turn off my wifi on my phone as the Chromecast Audio is not reliant upon the phone being near (unlike blue tooth).

Had I known they would end these, I would have bought more, maybe they are still around somewhere ?

 

[Scrapr]

I have the Sonos One and like it a lot. Stereo if that matters. I play Spotify & Stitcher direct through the app. I am thinking about changing the TV sound system over to the Sonos. Easy enough to set up different rooms. Altough I just stretch the kitchen speaker to the patio door for the patio.

I'm sure there are cheaper options. I just wanted something easy to set up

 

[savory]

We have several Bose SoundLink Mini speakers. Great sounds. Excellent bass.

https://www.bose.com/en_us/products...html#v=soundlink_mini_ii_special_triple_black

Bluetooth with long lasting rechargeable battery.

This was our choice. Very happy with it.

 

[erkevin]

+1 for the Bose. Love it

 

[Franklin]

I have the Sonos One and like it a lot. Stereo if that matters. I play Spotify & Stitcher direct through the app. I am thinking about changing the TV sound system over to the Sonos. Easy enough to set up different rooms. Altough I just stretch the kitchen speaker to the patio door for the patio.

I'm sure there are cheaper options. I just wanted something easy to set up

+1 Ive tried them all and Sono's seems to be one of the best solutions for mobility, quality, ease of use. I just purchased 2 of the outdoor models "called sonos move" and I take them to the dock, living room, or boat as you can switch back and froth from Blue tooth to wireless internet. Weather proof and keeps a long charge. But, they aint cheaply priced.

 

[braumeister]

Not weather resistant, but if you just want to take it out with you and bring it back inside later, I can highly recommend the Apple HomePod. I've been using one for a few months and the sound is remarkable.

 

[Luck_Club]

Just switched back to playing CD's through the Marantz amp and Harmon Kardon speakers. Forgot how good the sound is supposed to be

 

[corn18]

Another vote for Sonos. Easy peasy is why I like them. And they sound great.

 

[Ready]

You did not mention specifically whether you care if it is a smart speaker, but you did say you have both a WIFI connection and electrical outlet, so that lends itself well to smart speaker options. If you are an Amazon Prime member there are some good Echo speakers to look at. If you are an Apple user I like the HomePod.

Smart speakers are nice because you don't have to connect your phone through Bluetooth to provide the music source. And in the case of the Amazon line it seems like they subsidize the cost of their speakers to get you into the Alexa ecosystem.

 

[NotYourAverageJones]

+1 for the Bose. Love it

+2 We bought a couple of the Bose Revolve + and they are able to be linked up to one another. Comes in handy to when you want to move around the yard during a party or wherever you are. We like that is has a small handle so we can hang it up on a hook if we wanted to. Can't go wrong with Bose quality.

 

[Ole Red 29]

+1 on the JBL speakers. We have had several over the years. The JBL CHARGE 4 is great. It's around $120, has great sound, is waterproof and you can link up to 100 of them to cover an area. Highly recommend.

 

[calmloki]

We are using in a number of locations sets of computer speakers - Boston Acoustic BA735 - they have two tiny but very heavy satellites and a light weight sub and deliver remarkable sound. We plug their jacks into a bunch of Apple airports. Happy enough that I spent some time buying sets of the Boston speakers - even bought an old Gateway computer because it had the original BA735 speakers it had been sold with. Not using the computer.

 

[zinger1457]

Have a Brilliant Soul speaker in my garage/workshop, very pleased with the sound. It does require an AC source and a bluetooth device (phone, tablet, etc.) to stream music from.

 

[Dash man]

+1 on the JBL speakers. We have had several over the years. The JBL CHARGE 4 is great. It's around $120, has great sound, is waterproof and you can link up to 100 of them to cover an area. Highly recommend.

I really enjoy the JBL speakers. We’re always using them on our patio!

 

[compounder]

I've bought the JBL Charge 4 as well as a UE Megaboom. Both are excellent choices with good sound, loud and long lasting charges.

 

[target2019]

Thanks for all comments. I'll look up each brand/model and try to summarize in a sheet.

 

[target2019]

Thanks for all comments. I'll look up each brand/model and try to summarize in a sheet.

This is what I have so far. some specs are not found, though.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZHA4kG5RADz6n88wpsHEVZMe-Zguzc0G7CWPFiwfrGM/edit?usp=sharing

I'll focus on the Wifi/Bluetooth models like JBL Link Music, at least for now. Pretty sure that weather resistant models are only Bluetooth.

 

[zinger1457]

One thing that I don't see on your list and should be near the top IMO is 'quality of sound'. Granted it is subjective but all the bells and whistles won't mean much if the sound sucks or if there isn't enough power to listen at a decent volume outside.

 

[calmloki]

One thing that I don't see on your list and should be near the top IMO is 'quality of sound'. Granted it is subjective but all the bells and whistles won't mean much if the sound sucks or if there isn't enough power to listen at a decent volume outside.

+1

We used one song that had highs and lows and punchy bits that we enjoyed and then set up different speaker sets in the same location and listened to the same song in the same location. It was amazing the difference listening to two different speakers sets. Thought they all sounded pretty ok, but when played back to back? it was easy to pick a favorite. Now how you do that with brand new speakers is a bit of a puzzle.