Outdoor Speakers Buyers Guide

What do you consider when searching for outdoor speakers? With the number of speakers on the market, how do you pick the perfect speaker for your outdoor activities?

We have listed some of the factors to consider before you buy your speaker for outdoor purposes.

What to Check When Buying Outdoor Speakers

The following are features to check before you buy your outdoor speakers:

Size and Portability

The size and portability of outdoor speakers are important. These two features should be put into consideration before you one of these speakers.

Since, the party or the use of the speaker is outdoors; you do not need a massive or cumbersome speaker you may find difficult to carry.

The portability of a speaker makes it easy to stash in backpack or luggage. When we talk about the portability, we do not mean that the speakers should be extremely small.

The speaker’s portability means that moving it around is fun and easy to do.  What about the size of the speakers?

The size of speakers is one of the factors that determine how much overall volume and bass response you will get.

You should not expect your pocket size speakers to have something extraordinary in audio performance. You may not even get any bass depth of these tiny speakers.

If you want something that comes with high frequency and powerful high-mids response, you should get a speaker with a bigger size.

The Audio Performance

Outdoor speakers that are Bluetooth enabled have come a long way in giving us what we need in terms of audio performance.

We have seen small outdoor speakers create impressive audio firepower.  Thanks to the passive radiators that come with these speakers.

The passive bass radiations are created from rubber-like surfaces. This feature helps it vibrate in a sympathetically manner with the output of a powered driver.

This creates vibrations when you place your speaker on a wooden table.  This vibration increases the speaker’s bass response.

How Outdoor Speakers Have Transformed Over the Years

WiFi/Bluetooth Enabled

Today, you can jam your music anywhere. You don’t have to struggle to carry powerful and massive sound speakers around to host parties.

With the outdoor speakers that come with Bluetooth, AirPlay 2, Chromecast, WiFi, and other connectivity, compatibility, you can blast your music from your smart device to the speaker.

The IP Ratings

You should know the ruggedness and waterproof strength of your outdoor speakers before you buy them.

Outdoor speakers come with what we called the IP rating that displays the strength of speakers in water and dust proof.

To understand how this works, you should know that the IP rating comes with two digit score, or an X, and a single digit.

The first digit you see talks about your speaker’s protection against solids like dust. The second digit talks about the protection against liquids or water.

The number range for the solid resistance starts from zero (no protection) to six (dustproof). For the liquid resistance, it comes from zero to eight.

For speakers with rating X, it means that the speakers were not officially test. You can make use of outdoor speakers with rating IP68 that are waterproof, dustproof, and are submersible.

For outdoor speakers with IPX8, it means that these speakers offer the highest level of protection against liquid and an unverified level of dust protection.

Most of the portable wireless speakers come with IP ratings from IPX5 to IPX7 range. How do you read this?

The low end of the IP rating spectrum tells us that a speaker is protected against the low-pressure water coming from any direction.

The IPX7 explains to the user can be submerged up to one meter and there will be no problem.  Some speakers have a time that they can be submerged.

Most outdoor speakers have greater protection and still come with a tested number rather than the X placeholder. You decide the type of IP rating you want for your speaker.

Battery Life

The battery life of outdoor speakers should not be neglected.  The typical battery life for some of the portable speakers, range between 10 to 20 hours.

This depends on features and size. However, know that when you blast your speakers at top volume, the battery drains faster.

You may buy a portable battery pack to help your speaker still blast when its battery life drains.