Rich, immersive audio is often associated with indoor sound systems, but a premium listening experience doesn’t have to be confined by the walls of your home. Thanks to outdoor speakers, you can expand the footprint of your sound system to cover your back garden, patio, or poolside hangout. These speakers are designed to withstand the elements and fill your outdoor spaces with music from morning to night, all year round.

If the phrase “outdoor speakers” sounds a bit broad and imprecise, well, it is. There are various subcategories of outdoor speakers, which distinguish between different capabilities and scenarios. For example, surface-mount outdoor speakers are designed to be installed directly onto an external surface, such as a wood beam or stone wall bordering your back garden or patio. Other types of outdoor speakers include landscape speakers, which blend into your yard’s natural scenery, and portable speakers, which you can take to the farthest reaches of your garden or to places far beyond.

In this guide, we’ll focus on surface-mount Outdoor Speakers by Sonos and Sonance. But we’ll also touch on portable and architectural options from Sonos to give you a better sense of how you can fill all that fresh air with sound.

Are outdoor speakers worth it?

If you’re set on extending your home sound system beyond the interiors of your home, outdoor speakers can be a worthwhile investment.

What are your other options? Well, you could just leave your patio door open and blast the volume from your living room setup, but that won’t get you anywhere close to a full, detailed sound experience. And, yes, you could try to mount indoor speakers on your patio, but those speakers aren’t designed to withstand the elements, so you’d be playing with fire (or water or wind, more likely).

Outdoor speakers don’t only solve the practical challenges of creating a high-quality audio experience al fresco. They do so with style, seamlessly integrating into your home and back garden. Pairing Sonos Outdoor Speakers with a Sonos Amp offers versatile options: create a seamless multi-room audio system that extends from your house to your garden, or set up a standalone powered outdoor sound system. The choice is yours.

Do surface-mount outdoor speakers require special installation?

When weighing whether outdoor speakers are worth it, be aware that most people prefer their surface-mount outdoor speakers to be professionally installed. The brackets included with the speakers can be installed on wood, brick or even stone, giving you a number of positioning options. But since these speakers are passive and must be connected to an amplifier for power (more on that below), you’ll likely need installation help from a Sonos professional.

If you’re renting and know that you’ll one day need to uninstal the speakers and take them with you to your next place, the cost and effort involved with surface-mount outdoor speakers may not be worth it. On the other hand, if you’re a homeowner and ultimately decide to sell your home, you may choose to leave the outdoor speakers installed and include them in the sale, as they can increase your home’s value and attractiveness to potential buyers.

What are my options if I don’t want to instal outdoor speakers?

If surface-mount outdoor speakers aren’t right for you but you still want access to sound outdoors, you have a few options:

• Portable speakers. Portable speakers don’t require any drilling or complex wiring, which makes them ideal for those who aren’t ready to commit to a surface-mount system. Sonos options such as the ultra-portable Roam 2 and the full-range Move 2 sound great in outdoor spaces and offer streaming over Bluetooth, so you can take music with you wherever you go.
• Architectural speakers. If you prefer your speakers to blend into your outdoor space or patio, in-ceiling speakers could be a great option, but we recommend consulting with a professional to ensure they’ll work in your space. Like surface-mount speakers, architectural speakers typically require professional installation and are passive, meaning you’ll need an amplifier like Sonos Amp to provide power. You’ll also want to make sure any architectural speakers you choose are IP-rated and suitable for outdoor use.
• Landscape speakers. Other brands may offer landscape systems with speakers that plant into the ground or otherwise blend in with the natural landscape of your yard or garden. These may require extensive installation and may be more vulnerable to long term wear and tear depending on where they’re placed, but they’re worth considering if you want to cover a larger outdoor space. If you find a set of passive landscape speakers that you like, you can connect them to Sonos Amp for power.

Are outdoor speakers waterproof and weatherproof?

Most outdoor and portable speakers are outfitted with some degree of protection from the elements. But they are not all equally impermeable to dust, humidity, water, and other unwelcome intrusions from the physical world.

When evaluating the weatherproof or waterproof qualities of an outdoor speaker, look for its IP rating. IP stands for Ingress Protection, and this rating system offers an easy way to evaluate how much protection a speaker provides.

There are two numbers in a typical IP code (e.g. IP56, IP66, and so on):

• Solid protection (0–6): The first number indicates protection from dust and other solid particles, with a higher number indicating more protection. For example, a 5 means that the speaker is dust-protected, while a 6 indicates that it is dust-tight.
• Liquid protection (0–9): The second number indicates the level of protection against water, with numbers 7 and up indicating that the speaker is fully waterproof (i.e. you can literally drop it in water).

Sonos Outdoor Speakers are rated IP66, which qualifies as highly weather-resistant. Sonos portable speakers, which tend to see a lot of action out in the world, also feature impressive weatherproofing. Move 2 is rated IP56, which is rugged enough to stand up to prolonged use in back gardens, parks, campsites, or wherever you may take it. And if you need a portable speaker that can survive a rainstorm or even a dunk in the pool, the super-robust and waterproof Roam 2 (IP67) is likely your best choice.

How do you power outdoor speakers?

In terms of power, speakers can be divided into two groups: active and passive. Active speakers have a built-in amplifier that actively powers the speaker, so they don’t need anything else. Passive speakers lack this built-in amp and thus require an external speaker amplifier or AV receiver as a source of power.

Sonos Outdoor Speakers are passive (as are all Sonos Architectural speakers). Sonos portable speakers are active and don’t require an external amp (which makes sense, as they are meant to be taken anywhere).

Don’t let the question of power steer you away from passive speakers, as you can easily power any Sonos passive speakers with Sonos Amp.

Amp also gives you access to sound-enhancing features such as digital signal processing (DSP), which optimises the EQ to provide a more robust sound, and the ‘Detect Architectural Speaker’ function, which protects against overdrive and helps your speakers come alive. And if you want to add additional speakers as your sonic ambitions grow, you’ll be glad to know that Sonos Amp can reliably power up to three pairs of outdoor speakers (six total).

How many outdoor speakers do I need?

The exact number of outdoor speakers you need depends on the listening area you want to cover and how you intend to use them.

Sonos Outdoor Speakers are sold in pairs, and it’s a good bet that you’ll need at least two surface-mount speakers to achieve rich sound in most outdoor spaces. But the specifics of outdoor spaces tend to vary even more than indoor spaces. Is it mostly enclosed? Are there traffic or other ambient noises nearby? The answers to these questions may help to determine how many speakers you need, and a professional installer is the best person to provide them.

Where should I place my outdoor speakers?

You’ll get the best performance out of your surface-mount outdoor speakers by directing them toward your desired listening area. If you want to position the speakers overhead, you can simply pivot them downward to ensure that they’re pointed at the listening area.

You can orient the speakers horizontally or vertically depending on your aesthetic preferences; rest assured, your choice won’t affect the sound quality. If you opt for a vertical orientation, be sure the tweeter is in the upright position with the Sonos logo toward the bottom.

You can read more about correct speaker placement in the Outdoor Speakers by Sonos and Sonance installation manual.

Can outdoor speakers be painted?

Sonos Outdoor Speakers are housed in a tough polypropylene enclosure that can be painted to match your preferred aesthetic. Given their exposure to the elements, we recommend using only weather-resistant outdoor paint. Both speaker and grille can be painted, but you should remove the grille from the speaker prior to painting and reinstal it later, after the paint has thoroughly dried.

You find detailed painting instructions in the installation manual. If you ever need a replacement grille, you can order a pair of outdoor speaker grilles in black or white.

How do I control my outdoor speakers?

If your outdoor speakers are connected to Amp, you can control them directly via the Sonos app.

Of course, you may wish to use a home controller that isn’t on your smartphone, or one that also controls your back garden lighting, hot tub temperature, etc. To which we say: No problem. Just look for the ‘Works with Sonos’ badge to ensure that any third-party controller or hardware components you buy will seamlessly connect with your Sonos outdoor sound system.

A Sonos sound system, inside and out

The full, immersive experience of a Sonos sound system doesn’t have to stop when you step outside the walls of your home.

Especially in the warmer months, when most of your social activities migrate to the patio or garden, outdoor speakers let you keep the music going. And they’re built to withstand all the elements, so there’s no stopping you from finding your groove even in wet conditions or freezing temperatures.

They also sync up with other speakers from Sonos. Combine them with other wireless speakers to create a whole-home audio system that amplifies every experience, from watching films on the couch to hosting guests in the dining room and back patio.

For help installing and designing your Sonos outdoor speaker system, find an installer near you.