Outdoor speakers come in various shapes, sizes, and colors, and choosing the right one for your backyard is more of an adventure than simple shopping. You can go four different ways about this, speaking in general terms – get a wall-mounted patio speaker, disguised types like rock speakers or flower pot speakers, decorative stake speakers, or go for the classical in-ground variety.
In terms of power, impedance, connectivity, sound quality, and all other things an audiophile might find important, there’s not much difference between these four categories. The main distinction is what and where they are meant for. For example, if your backyard is fairly barren and without much decoration, getting speakers disguised as rocks or flower pots would feel a bit out of place.
Outdoor in-ground speakers provide a discreet yet powerful solution if you want high-quality sound without visible, bulky equipment. Unlike traditional outdoor speakers, mounted on walls or placed on surfaces, in-ground speakers blend seamlessly into your garden and can deliver an immersive sound.
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It Is All About Outdoor Acoustic Design and Sound Dispersion
Filling a backyard with good quality sound is not as easy as it sounds (pun intended!) Anyone who has ever listened to music outdoors will know that all kinds of challenges come with trying to create clear, high-quality sound outdoors. Whether your outdoor in-ground outdoor speaker system is successful or feels like a waste of money, hinges almost entirely on your ability to design a system that effectively disperses the sound through your garden.
- 360-degree vs. Directional Sound: Some in-ground speakers offer omnidirectional sound dispersion, which can cover large areas evenly, while others are more directional. Unless you plan to place a speaker near a boundary where you do not want to disturb the neighbors, going with omnidirectional speakers is almost always a better option. All the speakers on our list of recommendations below offer 360-degree sound.
- Speaker Cone Positioning: The angle and height at which the sound emerges impact how well the audio spreads across a lawn, patio, or through the shrubbery. Most backyards have a variety of objects that impact sound dispersion and quality. Walls may reflect and amplify sound, or black it. Water reflects bushes and shrubs absorb sound, and the list goes on. Consider all these factors when you plan the layout and placement of your in-ground speakers.
A Curated Selection of The Best In-Ground Speakers
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Before you Buy Outdoor In-Ground Speakers, Keep this in Mind
In-ground speakers offer a unique blend of aesthetics, performance, and durability for outdoor audio setups. When selecting and buying in-ground speakers, several specific considerations go beyond generic factors like build quality, brand reputation, and budget. We’ve covered acoustic design and sound dispersion above but here are a few other key aspects to focus on:
Resistance to Harsh Environmental Conditions
It goes without saying that your in-ground speakers need to be tough. They will be buried in the ground, and left outside, exposed to the elements for years.
- Moisture and Flooding Resistance: Unlike patio speakers, in-ground speakers must withstand water exposure from irrigation, rain, or even flooding. There is a fair chance that your speaker may be submerged in water on occasion so we’d recommend buying a speaker with at least an IPX7 waterproof rating.
- Temperature Tolerance: If you live in an area with extreme heat or cold, your speaker will need to be able to survive that as well. Make sure you check the minimum and maximum operating temperature ratings for your specific unit before you buy.
Burial Depth and Installation Considerations
Since in-ground speakers need to go, well, in the ground you need to assess the area where you’re planning to install them and consider a few things:
- Soil Type and Drainage: Areas with heavy rainfall or poor drainage may require special precautions. You may have to add drainage gravel or consider a raised installation if an array in your garden is water-logged for long periods.
- Ease of Installation: Some in-ground models require deep burial, while others are designed for shallow installation, impacting labor and placement flexibility. If your backyard is very rocky and hard, then either get ready to put in some work or consider alternative options like rock speakers.
Integration with Landscaping and Aesthetics
In the majority of cases, the whole point of getting in-ground speakers (or at least one of the major considerations) is the desire to have a garden speaker system that is discreet and that blends into the environment. Two points to consider:
- Camouflage and Design: In-ground speakers are meant to blend in with the environment. Some resemble natural elements (rocks, planters) or disappear entirely underground, but most are simply buried with only a small part of the speaker protruding above ground level. These can easily be obscured with plants or other garden elements.
- Interference with Lawn Care: Consider whether the speaker’s placement might obstruct mowing, edging, or other landscape maintenance.
Connectivity and Powering Options
When it comes to installing your outdoor in-ground speakers, you may decide to DIY it, but if you’re not comfortable working with electric wiring, get a speaker installation expert to help you. It’s a sizable enough investment to do so and it only needs to be done once. Keep in mind:
- Wired vs. Wireless: In-ground speakers are mostly passive speakers and need to be wired, but some newer models, though few and far between and costly, offer wireless connectivity to avoid long cable runs.
- Amplification Requirements: Many in-ground speakers need external amplifiers to be able to deliver sound enough power to sound good outdoors in a large open area. Ask for advice and make sure you select the right amp-power ratio to ensure optimal performance.
Pro Tip: get a Bluetooth-enabled amplifier as this is your gateway to easily streaming music from your phone or other devices into your backyard over your new speaker system.
Expandability and Multi-Speaker Systems
Depending on your budget, you may want to start with just a pair of speakers and see whether it works for you, or you can find out over time that you need to add a few more speakers to your backyard as your lifestyle changes or evolves. Either way, you may need to expand and grow your original configuration. So bear in mind:
- Scalability: Some systems are designed to work in arrays for even coverage, which is crucial for larger yards. Adding a subwoofer to that setup and an amplifier with some redundancy for future expansion can save you a lot of money and hassle in the future
- Zoning Capability: If you want different audio in different parts of your yard (pool area vs. patio), choose speakers and an amplifier that supports multiple zones. You may need to call in a professional to help you set this up and configure it.
Bass Performance and Subwoofer Options
Yes, it is all about the bass. The easiest way to ensure sound from your outdoor speaker system doesn’t blow away the moment it leaves the speaker is to anchor it with sufficient bass that can cut through the wind. This is why dedicated outdoor Bluetooth speakers like the Turtlebox are loud, and bass-heavy. To get that bass up, consider:
- Dedicated Burial Subwoofer: Unlike surface speakers, in-ground models often rely on dedicated buried subwoofers for deep bass. These subwoofers work best when paired with additional in-ground speakers to fill in the mid and high frequencies as they will spend most of their energy delivering bass.
- Low-Frequency Response: Check whether the speaker provides sufficient bass on its own or if a separate subwoofer is necessary. Remember, sub-bass is in the 16 to 60 Hz frequency range, and bass is at 60 to 250 Hz. Check whether your speaker can deliver sound in the 16 to 250 Hz range and if not, get a subwoofer.
Longevity and Maintenance
And finally, you’ve paid for it, you’ve installed it, you love it, now make sure it lasts. As I said above, in-ground speakers need to be tough, but they are of course not indestructible so before and after you buy your set, keep this in mind:
- Replaceability of Parts: Some high-end models allow for easy driver replacement, while others require a full replacement if damaged. Not all in-ground speakers are prohibitively expensive, so it’s often easier just to replace a defective speaker altogether.
- Cleaning and Upkeep: Speakers with above-ground components might need periodic cleaning from dirt, grass, or water stains. These speakers are designed to function without you having to babysit them through every challenge. That being said, inspect them from time to time and if you see excessive dirt, grime, or even damage from rodents or critters, do some common-sense maintenance.
Final Word
Outdoor in-ground speakers can offer a premium outdoor audio experience with a clean and unobtrusive design. However, selecting the right model requires careful consideration of installation logistics, environmental resistance, and sound performance. By factoring in these unique aspects, you can create an immersive soundscape tailored to your outdoor space, ensuring durability and high-quality audio for years to come.
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