Victrola is mostly known for its turntables, but the company is taking audio outside with its Rock Speaker Connect, a Bluetooth landscape speaker designed for the backyard, garden, or patio. What really sets it apart is that the speaker is solar-powered, so you don’t have to worry about running wires or plugging it in to keep it powered up.
Designed to blend in with all types of gardens via its Stone, Sand, or Granite finishes and realistic rock texture, the durable speaker is IP65 dust and water resistant. This rating means the outdoor speaker is protected against light water pressure jets, like your sprinkler or rain, as well as sprays and splashes.
While solar power is great, keep in mind that solar charging works very slowly. Even if the speaker will presumably be outdoors 24/7, if there isn’t enough sunlight to charge it, you might find that the battery dies before you’re done listening to it. When you’ve had a series of overcast, gloomy days, you can recharge the 4,400mAh battery via the included USB-C cable in about 3.5 hours. You’ll have to bring the rock speaker over to an outlet or run wires with an extension cord to do so, however.
Once fully charged, Victrola says the speaker can run for up to 22 hours at half volume, more than enough for a weekend of outdoor tunes. Even if battery life is only half that at full volume, it’s still enough for an entire day, plus extra time from the solar charge. Keep the speaker positioned such that the solar panel is exposed to the sun when it’s shining and you’ll hopefully have infinite battery power.
The inclusion of Bluetooth 5.3 means you can enjoy a more stable connection to your mobile devices over an up to 33-foot range, an important feature with outdoor speakers as you might not be as close to them as you would be indoors.
You can also pair up to 20 Victrola Rock Speaker Connects together to play the same source in an immersive setup with stereo or surround sound. This might be in a long backyard or to fill the patio or deck with enveloping music in every corner. Since they don’t need wires, you can easily move the speakers from one place to the next depending on where you might need them and how many you plan to have going at once.
As someone who has had rock speakers in her backyard for years, it’s a lot of fun to watch as guests look around confused, unable to figure out from where the music is coming. A good set of rock speakers is an inconspicuous way to enhance an outdoor space. While using wireless speakers like these might not allow for as stable and permanent a setup as wired ones, the trade-off in terms of convenience, price, and simplicity of setup might be well worth the sacrifice.
Victrola Rock Speaker Connects are $99 each and come with a USB-C charging cable.
