We’ve looked at numerous options for speakers designed for outdoor use, and the Ultimate Ears Megaboom 3 is our choice as the best all-around. With a winning trifecta of incredible sound, a diehard battery, and a rugged design that is ideal for crowd-pleasing, it’s the clear standout in a sea of speakers.
There are plenty of other good choices on our list, which we chose after hundreds of hours evaluating key criteria like sound quality, portability, water and dust resistance, ruggedness, battery life, ease of use, and, of course, value. We also considered scenarios like permanent wired installations and times when a portable speaker would be preferable. Follow below to find the best outdoor speakers for any situation.
Best outdoor speaker: Ultimate Ears Megaboom 3
Why you should buy it: You’re on the hunt for a speaker that offers the perfect blend of sound quality, battery life, and rugged durability.
Who’s it for: Those who don’t mind paying extra for a tough, go-anywhere speaker that also sounds fantastic.
Why we picked the Ultimate Ears Megaboom 3
If you want something to really pump up your next pool party, and you’ve got some cash to burn, the Ultimate Ears Megaboom 3 is the ticket. The speaker improves on its less “mega” little brother, the UE Boom 2, with boosted bass response, excellent battery life, and an exterior shell that can take a beating and keep the tunes bumping. Like most Bluetooth speakers, the Megaboom 3 has extras like an onboard speakerphone and a charging port for your smartphone, and it also has a class-leading wireless range of up to 100 feet. It’s a bit spendy for a rugged Bluetooth speaker, but its mixture of excellent sound and plenty of extras, including up to 20 hours of battery run time, makes this one of the best outdoor speakers around.
The most impressive aspect of the speaker is just how well it disperses sound. The Megaboom projected bold and vibrant sound in all directions, allowing us to constantly enjoy our favorite tunes while meandering around a large outdoor space.
When listening to more classic recordings with an acoustic guitar, we noticed a bit of mud in the midrange, but nothing like we typically experience on speakers this size. In fact, provided there wasn’t too much layering of instruments in the low mid-range, the Megaboom 3 did very well to showcase each individual instrument in a mix. We didn’t get the chance to pair two together in stereo mode, which is configurable via the app, but we imagine clarity would be significantly enhanced if we had done so.
Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed the sound of the Megaboom 3. It offered a solid amount of clarity in the low and high end, and it got loud enough to fuel a beachside dance party, all without us ever worrying about it being knocked over or running out of juice. As far as portable speakers go, that’s all we could possibly ask for.
Why we love it:
- Play tunes for up to 20-hours on a single charge
- Convenient and user-friendly one-button layout
- Will survive any thrashing with its durable construction
Best value outdoor speaker: JBL Flip 5
Why you should buy it: You want a small, powerful, waterproof speaker, and don’t want to pay through the nose.
Who’s it for? Everyone from outdoor adventurers to poolside loungers.
Why we picked the JBL Flip 5
Making an outdoor speaker both good, and affordable, is one thing. Making it robust enough to deal with the demands of outdoor activities, while not compromising the first two qualities? That’s impressive, which is why we picked the JBL Flip 5.
With a fun, (or possibly frustrating) ability to be linked to two phones simultaneously, the Flip 5 is waterproofed with an IPX7 rating, so it’s guaranteed pool-worthy. Battery life, while not massive at 12 hours, is still plenty for an entire day’s worth of tunes. It may not be the best speaker for intimate listening sessions, but it’s fantastic for powering a small pool party.
The Flip holds up surprisingly well on the performance side, sounding good no matter how you use it — indoors or out. The Flip’s dual 40mm drivers pump out legitimately powerful sound, with a bass response that manages to avoid sounding boomy or drowning out the treble. You can see the external passive (i.e., unpowered) at either side of the speaker buzz in bass-heavy arrangements, and you’ll want to lay the speaker on its side (or, better yet, hang it up) to avoid muffling its boom.
The Flip sounds best when you’re playing dance-ready electronic songs or hip-hop tracks to make the most of its beefy low-end response. Progressive, synth-laden house tracks sound awesome, and pronounced boom-bap beats pop satisfyingly. Even more subdued, atmospheric songs are evocatively eerie, making for awesome campfire accompaniment.
Its sound won’t compete with the higher-end speakers, but considering its much cheaper price point, that’s not surprising. The key is that — despite its low price — it doesn’t sound like an inexpensive speaker, as it can get plenty loud, and manages to do so without overpowering either the low or high ends.
Why we love it:
- The compact body makes for easy handling
- It comes with a handy hardshell case
- Lots of fun and vibrant color options
Best outdoor speaker for parties and events: Soundcore Trance Outdoor Bluetooth Speaker
Why you should buy it: You want a potent and portable speaker for your karaoke night, dance party, or backyard barbecue.
Who’s it for: Those who like to have some fun under the sun
Why we picked the Soundcore Trance Outdoor Bluetooth Speaker:
What’s a party without some noise? Soundcore’s Trance produces booming music even if you’re partying it up in wide-open spaces with its strong 101-decibel sound output. The 5.25-inch woofer and 2-inch tweeter work together to deliver some ground-thumping music to keep your party going.
This advanced speaker even tunes itself to give you the best music quality even in a chaotic environment. The BassUp feature makes use of a special algorithm to analyze the area. Once it deems that bass is lacking, get ready to feel the music go through you as the speaker instantly pumps up its bass levels for some solid beats. This happens whether the speaker is indoors or outdoors, ensuring great sounds anytime, anywhere.
This speaker makes for great outdoor entertainment thanks to its durable design. The IPX7 exterior blocks any potentially damaging water from seeping into the delicate electronics. When the sun dips down, get ready for an awesome light show with the speaker’s bright and vivid LEDs. You only need to download the Soundcore app to prime it up for your songs. The lighting goes well with anything from high bpm techno to low-and-slow hip-hop.
A long-lasting battery keeps you partying through the night. With a single charge, Soundcore’s Trance can pump out your tunes for up to 18 hours! Plus, you can even plug your phone into it to get a quick charge-in before going back to the dance floor.
Why we love it:
- Convenient, built-in handle
- Integrated party games through the app
- Fully waterproof construction
Best smart outdoor speaker: Bose Portable Home Speaker
Why you should buy it: You’re eager to incorporate Alexa or Google Assistant into your portable listening experience.
Who’s it for: Those who want impressive sound, reliable performance, and smart capabilities.
Why we picked the Bose Portable Home Speaker:
Bose continues its tradition of powerful sound and cutting-edge features with this IPX4-rated speaker. The Portable Home Speaker is a solid contender for any patio lunch, a round of backyard croquet, or ambient tunes for those days when you just want to lounge around.
The rechargeable battery lasts for up to 12 hours, so you can blast tunes all day and charge all night. Assuming you’re within Wi-Fi range, you can also link and control the speaker with both Alexa and Google Assistant, allowing you to quickly stream your favorite playlist, set a timer, or tap into your local weather report, among other things. The Portable Home Speaker is a part of Bose’s larger smart-home family, too, which means you can pair and group the device with other Bose SoundLink products, including both stand-alone speakers and home theater soundbars.
And for how this speaker sounds? You will not be disappointed.
Bose has repeated its formula of extracting every ounce of acoustic performance from a very small package. The Portable Home Speaker can easily fill a room with detailed music, especially in the high and low frequencies. Bass is present in a way that makes you look twice at the speaker that’s producing it, but it never overwhelms. It offers warmth and depth without getting boom-y.
The highs are crystal clear. When indoors, they tend to make themselves felt a bit more than you’d expect, but this is actually beneficial when you take the speaker outside where it has to compete with a variety of other sounds.
Regardless of location, the speaker’s 360-degree sound dispersion kept audio quality remarkably even. You can’t get stereo out of it, but the expansive mono performance is so good you might not miss it. It’s not perfect — it lacks definition in the mid-ranges making it less than ideal for critical listening of certain genres of music (classical and jazz come to mind) but this isn’t surprising given its tiny footprint. It’s also not a deal-breaker in our opinion, given its many other strengths.
Impressively, audio quality hardly suffers at all when connected over Bluetooth. That’s good news for both frequent travelers and Android users.
Why we love it:
- Built for portability
- Durable and water-resistant construction
- Enables hands-free phone calls with Alexa
Best decorative outdoor speaker: OSD Audio RX550
Why you should buy them: You’ve just finished landscaping your backyard paradise, but you’re missing the music.
Who they’re for: Those who want to jam out in their yard, but don’t want unsightly speakers getting in the way of the natural aesthetic.
Why we picked the OSD Audio RX550
If you’re looking for high-quality sound that doesn’t obstruct your view, there’s perhaps no better choice in the outdoor market than the cleverly disguised RX550 from OSD Audio. Yard-ready audio devices designed to look like garden rocks, the RX550 comes in three different colors: brown, gray, and slate. Each speaker features sonically matched dual aluminum stamped tweeters and 5.25-inch woofers capable of delivering dynamic audio to every corner of your yard. And of course, OSD Audio claims each speaker is weather-resistant to keep the tunes going no matter the weather.
Those looking to set up a pair for long-term listening may want to hire a professional contractor to properly install them. OSD even recommends covering or burying the waterproof cables and connectors to ensure longevity. Still, if you’re looking for robust sounds that appear to come from nowhere — and you don’t need to take your favorite tunes with you on the go — these hi-tech rocks are a fantastic choice.
Why we love it:
- Convincing appearance to match your rock garden
- Withstands any weather condition for those determined BBQs even in the rain
- Clear and optimized sound that will last the whole party
Research and buying tips
How can you improve speaker quality?
There are a number of things you can do to bolster the sound quality of your speakers. For starters, take a look at your listening space. Would moving a couch or chair benefit your experience? What about the speakers themselves? Typically, you’ll want to try and triangulate your seating to place you in the center of the listening space, with your speaker drivers aimed towards you.
There are also a number of EQ options you can probably play with on your A/V receiver or stereo amplifier. Open these menus up and tweak things like speaker size, decibel output, and sound formats to see if it makes a difference in the final sound.
How can you tell speaker quality?
Everything from size, cabinet/driver design, power handling, and frequency response goes into what makes a top-tier speaker top-tier. Typically, offerings from dedicated audio companies will be the better choices, but there’s a host of incredible speakers produced by TV companies and other electronics umbrellas. Ultimately, the final word comes down to what you think. Wire up, sit back, and soak in the sound.
Do speakers support Wi-Fi? Bluetooth?
Yes, many powered speakers support Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Just make sure that you check the specs and consider device compatibility before you purchase.
Can I buy good speakers with Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri support?
Yes, absolutely. Google Assistant and Alexa are supported by a growing collection of smart speakers, portable speakers, soundbars, and receivers. The only speaker that supports Siri that we know of is the Apple HomePod.
Will speakers accept USB input?
Some powered speakers do have USB inputs — just make sure to check the spec list if this is desired.
Will speakers accept a 3.5mm input?
Most powered speakers do offer a 3.5mm input. Most amplifiers and receivers offer an RCA input, but you can use an adapter to easily connect a 3.5mm source.
How we test
We test speakers the way normal people live.
We run every speaker through a rigorous process over the course of several days or weeks. That includes playing them in all sorts of scenarios, be it in the listening room, computer room, or at the office, and playing back from our device library, CDs, vinyl, and streaming services like Spotify.
For wireless speakers, we also test range, connection stability, and interference in areas with a lot of radio frequency interference (i.e. the Digital Trends offices). For non-powered speaker models, we listen via a variety of amplifiers, ensuring we have a good idea of what each model is doing given different power and sources.
Finally, we compare each speaker to some of our go-to models, both in their class and price point, as well as a level or two above to find out if they can punch above their weight. This ensures that we are putting them in perspective with the larger industry, and also cements the way that we think about the price-to-performance ratio of each speaker we test.
About the Author
Rusty Davis has been a tech lover for as long as he can remember. From the early days of gaming consoles to the introduction of the smartphone, portable computers, and more, he’s always wanted to get his hands on the latest and greatest. He has years upon years of experience reviewing and testing everything from phone cases to smartwatches, the latest phones and tablets to gaming computers, and even desks. If it’s a piece of tech or tech-adjacent, he’s interested in how it works and who it works best for. He’s now here sharing all of his knowledge with you to help you make the best decision for yourself.
Trust Statement
The Digital Trends team prides itself in offering expert product recommendations in ways that everyone can understand. Our team of experts is constantly using and reviewing the latest and greatest consumer tech, smart home gadgets, televisions, and so much more to offer insights to help guide your purchasing decision. We have vigorously tested thousands of different products across these categories, and we’ve distilled our lists to bring you the best of the best. If we feel a product does not live up to our expectations, it doesn’t make the list. We are humans though, and realize that not every recommended product will be perfect for everyone, so we do our best to call out important features that may impact your choices. Below our top picks we’ve included additional product information to ensure that you are making the right choice for your unique needs. The products in this guide have been carefully curated by our team of experts and enthusiasts who understand the value and quality needed for the best options.
