Outside speakers
Discussion
Can anyone recommend some sub £100 budget external speakers for the patio?
I realise I'm not going to get audiophile-pleasing quality sound from them but would like something half decent if possible.
I tried my Wharfedale Diamond 9s just to test and to be honest, was surprised how bad the sound was compared to how they sound inside. Do the speakers need to be 'different' to handle open space / outside?
(You may have guessed by now that I am not a speaker SME!)
I realise I'm not going to get audiophile-pleasing quality sound from them but would like something half decent if possible.
I tried my Wharfedale Diamond 9s just to test and to be honest, was surprised how bad the sound was compared to how they sound inside. Do the speakers need to be 'different' to handle open space / outside?
(You may have guessed by now that I am not a speaker SME!)
Whenever I feel like outdoor music I just move my old Mordaunt Short MS25i out of the conservatory onto the decking and they give a really nice sound the whole length of the garden and, weirdly, behind them too. They're powered by a NAD C320bee.
No need to turn them up to neighbour baiting volume as the sound is fuller than when they're indoors. I've had them about 20 years, they were in main use for around half of that and they still sound as good as they did from new.
There's a pair on ebay at the moment for £99 which look to be tidy but a bit steep to my mind, scruffier examples will go for less:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/Mordaunt-short-Ms25i-Floo...
They won't live outdoors through wet weather though but then I don't think your Wharfedales would either, there may well be more suitable options along in a moment from others.
No need to turn them up to neighbour baiting volume as the sound is fuller than when they're indoors. I've had them about 20 years, they were in main use for around half of that and they still sound as good as they did from new.
There's a pair on ebay at the moment for £99 which look to be tidy but a bit steep to my mind, scruffier examples will go for less:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/Mordaunt-short-Ms25i-Floo...
They won't live outdoors through wet weather though but then I don't think your Wharfedales would either, there may well be more suitable options along in a moment from others.
You'll lose any room gain by putting speakers outside rather than in; so with small speakers, the low end and part of the midrange will disappear and it'll probably sound awfully tinny.
You need a larger speaker or somethings smaller which has been EQ'd to give a weightier low end. Bose portables and the like are good at this. Perhaps augment a subwoofer with your current speakers, but this may be inconvenient.
You can get dedicated outdoor speakers from the likes of Yamaha and Bose; I particularly like the idea of a subterranean subwoofer!
You need a larger speaker or somethings smaller which has been EQ'd to give a weightier low end. Bose portables and the like are good at this. Perhaps augment a subwoofer with your current speakers, but this may be inconvenient.
You can get dedicated outdoor speakers from the likes of Yamaha and Bose; I particularly like the idea of a subterranean subwoofer!
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