How to Build the Ultimate Outdoor Sound System
You can win summer with an awesome outdoor sound system.
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Welcome to "Best Summer Ever," your guide to making the most of the sunny season. Whether your idea of a perfect summer is embarking on epic adventures or blissfully doing as little as possible (preferably somewhere with good air conditioning), we've got you covered, because the best summer doesn't just happen. You have to make it happen.
Picture this scene: It’s a summer backyard party. The weather's perfect and everyone showed up. Even Gary from IT made it, rocking a Hawaiian shirt. The blender’s full of rum and sugar water, tiki torches flicker in the breeze, and a full moon glows over the lawn. You cue up some old-school Chaka Khan, back when she was funky, but the music that oozes out of the Bluetooth speaker you got for free at a trade show is weak. Tinny. Wind-compromised. It sounds like a party dying. Do not let this happen to you.
Whether you're throwing a red cup bash, relaxing at the beach, or just hanging out with the kids by the pool, you need decent audio to have a decent life: A good outdoor sound system doesn’t just make music louder—it sets the vibe and saves the day. So here's a guide to building the perfect outdoor sound setup for summer.
How good can outdoor sound get?
Outdoors, even flawlessly reproduced audio loses quality with wind, landscape, and other hard-to-control acoustic challenges, so speaker placement, volume, and bass response matter more than expensive gear. Good outdoor sounds isn't about tube amps, turntables, and acoustic baffles hanging from the trees. Instead, think Bluetooth-based, battery-powered outdoor speakers you can control from your phone, then toss into the trunk and take to the beach.
What to consider when buying outdoor bluetooth speakers
Weather resistance and ruggedness: Can it handle an accidental splash or a surprise summer shower?
Sound quality: Balanced audio with clear highs, decent mids, and bass that kicks. At least a little.
Battery life: A speaker that dies before the second margarita doesn’t make the scene.
Portability: Can you carry it solo and put it in the trunk?
Output (volume): It is enough sound for your backyard?
Multi-speaker sync: We’re getting into the high end here, but some speakers can pair together to spread sound wider. It makes a difference.
Bluetooth range: You want to DJ from your phone without hanging around the speaker.
It’s a lot, but you can find something in just any price range that checks all these boxes (or most of them, anyway).
Best overall outdoor bluetooth speaker: JBL PartyBox Stage 320
Cutting to the chase, my pick for best Bluetooth speaker overall is the JBL PartyBox Stage 320. It offers 240 watts of output power outputting up to 100 decibels, a microphone support for karaoke, a guitar input, and a light show. It's a true party-in-a-box. Check out Lifehacker's full review for more details.
Below are some other options.
The best outdoor Bluetooth speakers for under $100
Anker Soundcore Motion+: This speaker is small but powerful enough for intimate outdoor gatherings; it's waterproof, dust-proof, and you can control the EQ from an app. Not too shabby for $80.
JBL Clip 4: This speaker is rugged. It fits in the palm of your hand, costs less than $40, and sounds great (if you don't mind a little lack of low end). Best of all, the Clip's built-in carabiner lets you attach it to bike handlebars, trees, or anything else.
Ultimate Ears Boom 3: This waterproof and dust-proof speaker sounds amazing given its small size, and it can be synced with another Boom 3 for stereo sound—or pair it with 148 more Booms if you want.
The best outdoor Bluetooth speakers for $100-300
it.innovative technology Outdoor Rock Speakers: If you really like rock music, these stereo bluetooth speakers are for you. Because they look like rocks. They're also solar powered and can be left outside all year.
Sonos Roam 2: For smaller speakers, Sonos Roam 2's sound great, and of course they're compatible with other Sonos equipment.
Marshall Middleton Portable Bluetooth Speaker: These might be the coolest looking Bluetooth speakers out there, and the sound lives up to the Marshall name.
The best outdoor Bluetooth speakers for $300–$1,000
Sonos Move 2: This Bluetooth speaker features dual tweeters for almost full-stereo sound in one speaker. Of course, it integrates with the rest of your Sonos system. PCMag rated the Sonos Move 2 "excellent."
Soundboks Go: With a maximum output of 121db and 10 hours of continuous-play battery life, Soundboks Go is a serious speaker. Check out Lifehacker's review to go more in-depth.
Brane X: If you like the low-end, this bass-heavy portable smart speaker will blow you away. It features the best bass of any wifi speaker. Check out our full review here.
Sony ULT Tower 10 Bluetooth Karaoke Party Speaker: It's not portable, but this tower-of-power will rattle your windows with its 1,000W output. It's got a karaoke mic, light show, and a guitar input.
Other outdoor music extras
Summer is not a competition, but the little details are how you win it, so consider going a little overboard with these tips:
Use a higher-quality streaming service: If you’re just vibing outdoors, paying a little extra to stream lossless FLACs from Tidal probably doesn’t matter, but it definitely won't hurt.
Multi-speaker pairing: All of the "more than $100" Bluetooth speakers above either are already a pair of speakers (Bose, it.innovations) or can be paired up with another speaker for true stereo. This makes a huge difference.
Take your playlist offline: To ensure the tunes don't end because of internet issues, save your playlist to your phone or laptop before the party.
Power tip: If things are going to go late, consider a portable power station like the Ecoflow 2 or the Jackery Explorer 300.
