For those about to rock outside, we wholeheartedly, full-throatedly and indiscriminately salute you. As I write this, sunshine has begun beaming promisingly over my shoulder and, no doubt, into my back garden – where in no time at all I hope to be blasting Pile, Thank and Greet Death at anyone and everyone who dares to come to my barbecue.
If you are similarly looking forward to soaking in some summer rays to the tune of your saddest noise-rock bops – or if you’re reading this in winter, and want some black metal to serenade your snow-dampened patio coffee breaks – you’re going to need a speaker for that. If you’ve not been paying attention, wireless speakers have come a long way over the past few years, evolving into powerful sound machines that can be play pretty much anywhere and for hours at a time. But some are better at braving the great outdoors than others.
This is why I’ve compiled the following paragraphs, in which a number of high-profile and high-quality outdoor-capable speakers are put through their paces. You’ll find an option for every occasion, from pocket-friendly public picnic fodder to massive, propulsive party-speaker fare.
For my top pick, I've gone with the JBL Flip 7 - a loud, easy to operate outdoor friendly speaker that ticks all the boxes.
If you want a little more guidance before learning about the best outdoor speakers, jog down to my FAQ section for some handy advice.
Quick list
The JBL Flip 7 is the latest in a long line of Flips, and one which brings with it some excellent quality-of-life improvements – including an extended battery life and some smart, optional algorithmic tone-shaping. This is small, loud, outdoor friendly and very accessible indeed.
I particularly liked the Bose Soundlink Flex because of its audio delivery which sparkles - even when playing rock and metal classics. It's very portable thanks to its fabric loop, there's a variety of colour options available, it carries a IP67 rating with a battery life of 12 hours.
The Marshall Emberton III is a stone-cold killer in the battery department. This small outdoor speaker has over 32 hours of juice in it, and a handy top-mounted juice-bar to tell you how much power you’ve left. With this speaker, you never have to worry about going without sound during your outdoor hijinks.
Flashing disco lights, wheels to move it around, and karaoke functions, the JBL Partybox Ultimate is positioned as a one-stop shop for outdoor parties. It has an astonishing 1100W of amplification but is mains powered only - no surprise given its power. One to go for for serious sound.
This portable Bang & Olufsen speaker positively reeks of chic and it sounds just as good thanks to its 9cm woofer and 2cm tweeter combo. Bass is a little on the light side, but with 18 hours of battery life, various colour schemes and IP67 rating, it's an excellent outdoor speaker option.
Here's a neat option if you want a good outdoor speaker without having to break the bank. It's portable, has 2 x 20W amps and can punch out some decent grunt. Like many other speakers in this list, the We Hear 1 is splash and dust-proof and you'll get 14 hours of music from a full charge.
The Louder choice
✅ Buy if you want a robust speaker that delivers awesome audio: The JBL Flip 7 is robust, can be dropped into a bag, sounds beautiful and can be paired for stereo shenanigans.
❌ Avoid if you want better battery life: A full charge lasts 16 hours - not bad, but for extended playing, look elsewhere.
JBL is a household name as far as portable speakers are concerned, and has been for a very long time (at least, on a technological time-scale). The JBL Flip 7 is yet another example of why this is the case, combining portability with power in a way that seems almost proprietary.
The JBL Flip 7 is, as it sounds, the seventh in a long-running series of outdoor-friendly speakers. This one improves on Flip the Sixth by adding up to four hours of playback time, bringing the total to 16 hours. The Flip 7 is also slightly more waterproof, with an IP68 rating that all-but guarantees it’ll keep doing what it does best even when half-submerged in a wet-summer puddle.
And what does the Flip 7 do best? Big, boomy sound from a counterintuitively small canister is what it does best – sound that’s been graced with JBL’s own AI Sound Boost technology. The boomy low end might be designed to suit electronic music over all else, but rocky stuff does remarkably well in this pint-size outdoor speaker; well enough to see this highly-accessible unit take our top spot for its portability and sound quality.
Best for clarity
✅ Buy if you want a speaker with detailed audio: Bose is always a sign of quality and the Soundlink Flex is another neat choice. It sounds magic and although the battery could be better, I can't complain when it sounds this good.
❌ Avoid if you're after a bit of style: The Soundlink Flex looks a little underwhelming, so if you want a more snazzy outdoor speaker, this might not be for you.
When the going gets tough you might not want to go with the Bose Soundlink Flex - it’s far too refined for the circle pit - but if good sounding portable audio is your goal, then this go-anywhere speaker certainly scores.
The Soundlink Flex is light at 600g, and comes with a fabric loop for ease of useand the speaker features a tactile silicon finish and mesh grille, and comes in a variety of cool colours (black, white, blue and red). It also has an IP67 water and dust proof rating, to protect it when out and about. Battery life is good for 12 hours.
The speaker offers standard on-body controls, for volume, power and pairing. Clever proprietary PositionIQ technology uses built-in sensors to detect the orientation of the speaker (be it flat or vertical), and adjusts its sonic output accordingly. Audio comes via a custom driver and a pair of passive radiators.
Despite its diminutive size, the Soundlink Flex certainly knows how to throw its weight around. Linkin Park's Lost rolls in with the weight of a Panzer division, with the late Chester Bennington’s astonishing vocal crystal clear and emotionally charged.
Overall, the Bose Soundlink Flex is a great outdoor speaker that’s undeniably musical.
Best battery
✅ Buy if you want a lightweight speaker with great battery life: Marshall make top notch audio gear and the 3rd generation Emberton is perfect for dropping into your backpack for festival weekends - especially with 32+ hours of battery.
❌ Avoid if you want high treble performance: The Middleton isn't totally balanced for me, and errs on the side of bass. Fine for some, but not for others.
Marshall’s consumer-facing line of Bluetooth speakers has won over a fair few hearts and minds – including a fair few here at Louder. The Emberton III is one of Marshall’s recent exports, and a powerful little speaker to boot.
The Emberton III’s biggest USP is its battery life, which straight-up trounces a great many of its contemporaries both bigger and smaller. This pint-sized speaker can go for over 32 hours in the right conditions, practically eliminating the need to charge mid-function.
The Emberton III improves on previous Emberton generations by adding a microphone, so you can use it as an extension of your smartphone when connected via Bluetooth (whether for phone calls or voice-assistant shenanigans).
The Marshall Emberton III may be small, but it isn’t easily overlooked in the sound department. It’s loud, it's surprisingly bassy, and it's naturally tuned for all things guitar. This is an easy pick for extended listening sessions out and about.
"Gorgeous, gutsy and geared-up for long listening sessions, the third-generation Emberton speaker has a lot going for it. If only its output were a little more detailed, especially at the bottom end, it would be a formidable offering at this price range."
Read more: Marshall Emberton III review
Best for big sound
✅ Buy if you want the ultimate party speaker: This is a big, powerful speaker that's guaranteed to get the party started - and it has disco lights galore.
❌ Avoid if you want something portable: The JBL Partybox Ultimate is for indoor use only, which is probably just as well as the noise and bright flashing lights would attract a crowd.
The King Kong in JBL’s play anywhere Partybox range, this monstrous sound system boasts 1100W of amplification, which is one very good reason to use it outdoors.
You’ll need a power point, but the thing is splash proof and comes with its own flashing light show; pyrotechnic presets include a starry night effect, light trails, and dynamic strobes, all synced to the music. Imagine Rammstein live, but in a box.
The PartyBox Ultimate features two mid-range drivers, dual tweeters, plus a pair of 9-inch subwoofers. On-board Dolby Atmos decoding can even be used with Dolby Atmos music streams.
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.3 enabled, the JBL PartyBox Ultimate is be controlled by an interactive PartyPad on the top panel. Tap, hold and slide controls to deliver DJ-style sound effects. The speaker even sports guitar and dual mic inputs, for karaoke.
Helpfully, it comes with an easy-to-grip handle and has wheels to move it around. Absolutely ridiculous, but in a good way.
Best design
✅ Buy if you want a speaker with a touch of class: This is a beautifully crafted portable speaker that sounds as good as it looks - and you'll get 18 hours from a full charge.
❌ Avoid if you want something LOUD: A bit more oomph in the audio delivery would have been welcome.
There’s no doubt about it. Bang & Olufsen’s pill-shaped Bluetooth A1 (2nd gen) is a beautiful thing, with its pearl-blasted aluminium chassis and premium leather strap. The A1 is water and dust-proof rated to IP67, and is available in four colourways. It feels well built enough to withstand the rigours of everyday outdoor use.
Battery life is a formidable 18 hours. It connects using Bluetooth 5.1, with aptX Adaptive. There’s support for Alexa Alexa, but this is a bit token, because the A1 doesn’t have Wi-Fi. Instead, it requires your Bluetooth connection to converse.
Two Beosound A1 (2nd Gen) speakers can be paired to create stereo, via the B&O app.
Out and about we found the A1 isn’t the loudest in its class, but it's a decent listen nonetheless. The flat-patty form factor sounds fairly monophonic, but it punches hard when asked. Ronnie James Dio’s vocal on Black Sabbath’s Heaven And Hell sounds Haribo sweet, while Tony Iommi’s riffing is given room to roar, thanks to an artful 9cm woofer, and 2cm tweeter combo.
This speaker doesn’t handle bass too well though - listening to Sabaton’s Primo Victoria, the propulsive the bass line tends to honk, but you'll still end up singing along.
Best budget option
✅ Buy if you want a top speaker on a budget: It's not available for a bargain-bucket price, but what you get for your cash is a lot of lovely speaker.
❌ Avoid if you want something robust: This one is a wee bit lightweight for us, but given the competitive price, we can easily look past aesthetics.
For a designer portable speaker, the We Hear 1, is bafflingly inexpensive. This Teutonic tubular belle for German Hi-Fi and AV brand Loewe is priced at less than a ton, yet looks gorgeous and is well specified.
Built around Bluetooth 5.0, the Hear 1 also employs a prodigious 2x20W amplifier, so it’s not short on grunt either.
The faux fabric sleeve is available in a choice of four colours, blue red, dark grey and light grey. IPX6 rated, the speaker is splash and dust proof, so no worries when you having a day on the beach. Buy two and you’ll be able to pair them for stereo.
Audio performance is good. The Loewe delivers ample treble detail, and does a great job of cutting vocals from background chaos; it’s one of the cleanest sounding Bluetooth portables we’ve heard, and is absolutely perfect for podcasts.
If it does have a flaw, it’s that it lacks weight, and if you’re into heavy rock that could be a deal breaker.
Despite the use of twin radiators, we found it consistently polite. Babymetal’s anthemic Metali!! shines with Su-metal’s rhythmic lead and spiralling ‘washoii!’ chants, but the crunching Morello riff is neutered. Still, when it comes to value for money, we reckon Loewe’s We Hear 1 remains something of a steal.
Best for the garden
✅ Buy if you want a neat speaker option for the patio: The Motion x600 is perfectly suited for gatherings in the garden thanks to it's powerful audio and decent battery life.
❌ Avoid if you'd prefer a more lightweight speaker: While the Motion x600 has a carry handle, it's definitely not the lightest thing to cart around.
Soundcore is the music-centred arm of Anker, a brand you’ll know better for probably having made your charging cable. Anker’s tech-y nous has led them to some interesting places via the Soundcore name, and the Motion x600 is an excellent example of one such place.
The Soundcore Motion x600 is a large, handled boombox available in an array of fetching colours. This system is just as easy to use as Soundcore’s smaller Motion-series speakers, but with added oomph by way of its 50W innards. It’s a spatial-audio whizz, with a wide soundstage and a clever top-mounted tweeter for real three-dimensionality.
This is a high-fidelity powerhouse of a speaker, and one which lends itself especially well to garden-borne listening parties. It doesn’t have the longest battery life, but for the power you get from this thing, 12 hours is more than acceptable.
Ultimately, the Soundcore Motion x600 is a phenomenal choice for soundtracking your upcoming soirees (with Pile, Thank and Greet Death, of course).
Best with radio
✅ Buy if you want a speaker with additional radio: This battery operated unit won't win awards for sonic majesty, but with DAB radio built-in and great price, it's definitely worth a closer look
❌ Avoid if you want a speaker with grunt and hate a retro look: It looks more kitchen-top than party box, so the Sharp Tokyo DR-P420 won't be to everyone's tastes.
Bluetooth speakers don’t get much cheaper than the Sharp Tokyo DR-P420, but this snazzy portable isn’t short on features. It supports Bluetooth 5.0 and has both FM and DAB + radio tuners. This means you don’t have to use your smartphone to listen to music, because you can also tune into digital stations. A retro-style display confirms track playback info.
This cheapo radio comes in four colours: black, blue, pink, and white. It can play via a tethered USB connection, or using four old school AA batteries.
You can save stations to 40 radio presets (20 DAB+/DAB and 20 FM) for speedy retrieval, and it’s a doddle to use, with a single source selection knob (DAB, FM and Bluetooth). Sound quality is pretty much what you’d expect from a transistor radio, which is to say, not great. Its monophonic sound is thin and plasticky, but you can take this little Tokyo anywhere and it’s dirt cheap.
FAQ
What makes a speaker suitable for the outdoors?
Ultimately, a set of speakers is suitable for the outdoors if it has a reasonable degree of weatherproofing. If you’re taking a set of speakers outside, it needs to be able to put up a decent fight against rain and dust – and ideally survive a dunking, at that. Your key metric for this is a device’s given IP (or ‘ingress protection’) rating.
IP ratings are standardised scores that demonstrate a product’s ability to withstand dust and water respectively. Let’s use the capable Marshall Emberton III as an example. It has an IP67 rating. the first digit refers to its dustproofing, and is about as dustproof as you can get; the second is its waterproof rating, and is nearly as waterproof as you can get.
You don’t need to worry so much about the dust rating (unless you’re taking your outdoor speaker to Burning Man or some such desert-fest), but the waterproof rating is key. IPX5 would mean a speaker wasn’t dustproof, but that it was protected from jets of water approaching at any angle; I wouldn’t go for any outdoor speaker that wasn’t rated at least IPX5 or higher.
What should I look for in an outdoor speaker?
Dust – and waterproofing is what makes a speaker suitable for the outdoors, but these factors alone don’t make a speaker excellent for outdoor usage. For instance, listening outside is a very different experience to listening inside – where room dimensions and reflections have a great deal to do with how far sound carries. Outdoor speakers may benefit from a little more ‘oomph’ – and may use directional speaker placement to clever effect.
Also, ‘outside’ isn’t known for having prodigious access to plug sockets. Most of the outdoor speakers recommended above are battery-powered and chargeable, so you can feel the noise wherever you end up. Some speakers, like the JBL Partybox Ultimate, need mains power to service their frankly ridiculous power output – but if you’re using something like this, you’re probably doing more than an impromptu park picnic anyway.
Some outdoor speakers can also be controlled with voice assistants, like Siri or Alexa. This isn’t a deal-maker or deal-breaker by any means, but if you feel strongly about hands-free and highly-convenient operation, make sure to look for a speaker with an integrated microphone.
How many watts should a good outdoor speaker have?
Wattage is the power output of a given speaker, and is somewhat proportional to the volume you can expect from speakers too – but this isn’t the whole story. To fill you in on the basics, loudness is measured in decibels, a logarithmic unit of measurement; more power means more loudness, but to get a linear increase in loudness, the power output of a given speaker system needs to increase exponentially. Essentially, that 100W speaker you’re looking at isn’t twice as loud as the 50W speaker in your hand.
So how many watts should a good outdoor speaker have? Well, that’s in the eye of the beholder. The smallest outdoor speakers on my list has up to 30W of power, which is more than enough to service a small group in the garden or your festival camp. Larger speakers get up to 50W, which gives you a little more headroom for pumping the volume without your music suffering from compression and distortion. The loudest on the list is over 1000W, and more than enough to carry the party on its own back!
There are so many variables beyond “more equals louder”, though; the JBL Partybox Ultimate is a solid choice for packed outdoor shindigs, because bodies are excellent at soaking up sound energy. Meanwhile, a small Marshall speaker could be too loud for a small group of you, by virtue of having nothing to compete with.
Speaking as a pragmatist with versatility firmly in mind, aim for the 40-60W mid-range and most situations are covered – else, you’ve got a specific purpose in mind for your outdoor speaker.
How we test
When testing speakers, there are several steps that myself and the wider Louder team always take to ensure it makes the cut for one of our guides. We're all music lovers first and foremost here at Louder, so we've got loads of experience playing music through a variety of different systems, leaving us in an excellent position to be the judge of truly great sound.
Of course, the first port of call is to test the sound of the speaker itself. To do that, we'll run a series of our favourite reference tunes through it to see how it reacts. These are songs we know incredibly well, professionally mixed and mastered for the best sound quality possible. Whether it's pumping bass from a hip-hop track or jangly guitars from an indie anthem, these mixes will be personal to the reviewer and used to test a multitude of sound systems.
We'll then look at the features the speaker has beyond the sound itself. Does the Bluetooth connectivity operate quickly and efficiently? Are there enough methods to control it on the unit itself? We'll test each of these to ensure they work properly.
Next, we'll look at the durability of the unit. We want to know that it's capable of putting up with a bit of rough and tumble, as inevitably an outdoor speaker will find itself to be the heart of the party, and wireless ones might well be taken on holidays too. We'll examine the speaker to see that it's well put together, with no blemishes on the finish or out-of-place components.
Finally, we have to think of the battery life of any Bluetooth speaker. We'll test a speaker from full charge to no charge, no matter how many albums it takes. This allows us to get a realistic view of the battery life, which may well be less than the manufacturer specifies.
Why you can trust us
⚡ Louder was established in 2017 and founded on long-running brands including Metal Hammer, Classic Rock and Prog (launched in 1986, 1998 and 2009 respectively)
⚡ Over 80,000 products reviewed on site, from music listening tech to albums and box sets
⚡ Our reviewers are all passionate music fans who draw on decades of testing experience
When putting together buyer's guides or when we're reviewing products, myself and the Louder team always test speakers in various rooms in our homes and, where applicable, in the garden or outdoor space. We feel this gives the best representation of how a speaker actually performs in the real world, rather than blasting out tunes in a comfortable, sound-proofed studio.
Like you, we've spent more years than we can list listening to and enjoying music and we'll always gives pros and cons to each product we put under the spotlight.
For this guide, we tested speakers using a variety of streaming services and skipped through a number of genres to really see how the units coped. If there's a flaw or wrinkle in the performance, we'll let you know - and you can rest assured that we'll always point you in the direction of reputable online retailers.
At Louder, we live and breathe music and with the support from Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog, along with our sister music sites at Future, you can always trust us to give it to you straight.
Meet the experts
Steve is a home entertainment technology specialist who contributes to a variety of UK websites and mags, including Louder Sound, Yahoo UK, Trusted Reviews, T3, The Luxe Review and Home Cinema Choice. Steve began his career as a music journo, writing for legendary rock weekly Sounds, under the nom de plume Steve Keaton. His coverage of post punk music was cited in the 2015 British Library exhibition Terror and Wonder: The Gothic Imagination, as a seminal influence on the Goth music scene.
James Grimshaw is a freelance writer and music obsessive with over a decade in music and audio writing. They’ve lent their audio-tech opinions (amongst others) to the likes of Guitar World, MusicRadar and the London Evening Standard – before which, they covered everything music and Leeds through their section-editorship of national e-magazine The State Of The Arts. When they aren’t blasting esoteric noise-rock around the house, they’re playing out with esoteric noise-rock bands in DIY venues across the country; James will evangelise to you about Tera Melos until the sun comes up.
Latest updates
29/05/25: The guide has been updated to include three new outdoor speakers: The JBL Flip 7, Marshall Emberton III, and Soundcore Motion x600. Expert verdict boxes have been added where applicable, and each product features "At a glance" panels detailing pros and cons. The FAQ section has been expanded, and a new "meet our experts" section has been added, along with details about why you can trust the Louder team's choices.
Read more
You can trust Louder Our experienced team has worked for some of the biggest brands in music. From testing headphones to reviewing albums, our experts aim to create reviews you can trust. Find out more about how we review.
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