How to Choose the Right Outdoor Audio for Your At-Home Escape

When it comes to hooking up one’s outdoor audio haven, Pioneer has you covered. From romantic patio dinners to backyard bashes, our outdoor speaker options will help your customers set the right tone for every occasion.

1. Aesthetic

Because sometimes, it’s about looks. (Luckily, our speaker options offer much more beneath the surface–more on that later). When enjoying their own corner of the great outdoors, customers typically want to let the atmosphere speak for itself with equipment that blends in among the garden gnomes and expensive foliage.

For garden areas, our rock speakers from Proficient remain perfectly camouflaged while providing crystal clear sound, and come in a wide range of natural colors to find the perfect match.

For pool areas typically surrounded by hardscapes like stone or concrete, you might suggest a planter speaker. They can even be filled with soil and add some fancy plant life to the area. Alternatively, TruAudio’s landscape speakers can be mounted on stakes or directly to the hardscape to stay out of the way and provide a more streamlined, modern look with high quality outdoor sound.

Finally, for raised patios that take on a cozier living-room feel, these surface mounts from Focal would be ideal. Of course, we believe in “the more the merrier”–so mixing and matching a variety of different speakers to perfect their outdoor audio experience is music to our ears.

2. Size

We told you there’s more beneath the surface. We’re not talking about the size of the rock or planter, but the size of the actual cone inside the speaker—where all the magic happens. Outdoor speaker types are generally sold with 4, 6, or 8-inch speaker cones. However, choosing a cone size too small may result in tinny sound, lacking depth.

That’s not to say that the little guy doesn’t have his moment. Since smaller speakers are better at hitting mid-to-high frequencies, some outdoor speakers include them within the same device for a real high performance sound. The true audiophile may be interested in a two-way or three-way speaker for their outdoor audio system. For example, a “two-way” speaker is when a 6-inch speaker also includes a 1-inch tweeter. When an 8-inch speaker includes both 2-inch and one 1-inch tweeters, it’s a three-way.

Of course, if they’re going for a more hidden/discrete look–a bigger speaker will be more difficult to conceal. For the happiest medium, going as big as a 6-inch speaker will probably be their best bet.

3. Quality Check

Materials

Regardless of which outdoor speaker they choose, be sure their cones are made with aluminum or some other type of weather resistant material. Not only is aluminum extremely durable, but its lighter weight will ensure both longevity and sound quality. PVC is acceptable in terms of durability, although it is a somewhat heavier material which will reduce sound quality. Plastic cones also provide an affordable, lightweight/waterproof option to help you persuade your more value-minded customers.

Lifetime Warranty 

Don’t forget that we’re looking at speakers built to handle the great outdoors, wherever those outdoors may be. While that may seem too good to be true, it gets better: there are also brands that build them to last a lifetime of weather. Frankly, if lifetime warranty is an option, your customers shouldn’t be settling for anything less.

At Pioneer, you’ll never have to settle for less than perfect. Check out all our trusted brands’ offerings of reliable outdoor audio here, built to last for every backyard.

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