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[Gatobrit]

Hi - I am going to run my receiver outdoors so I need a recommendation for some outdoor weather-proof speakers. Reasonable quality, my budget is $400 for the pair.

Suggestions and recommendations are welcome!

[Cotton-Eyed Loo]

Anything by Niles. My parent-in-laws-to-be gave me a pair as a house warming gift. The manual says "use it anywhere.... on your boat..." - salt water proof and sun proof! They sound really good. I expected not much out of these bookshelf size speakers (6"x4"x10") but they sound really good. I would buy them if I didn't have a pair already.

[bobj]

We just bought a pair of Bose 251 outdoor speakers for the deck.  I think we paid $360 for the pair.  They sounded the best in the store and I was quite surprised at how well they sounded on our deck.  They really fill an area with sound and the bass was fairly good, considering that you're out in the open.  If I had to do it over again, I'd buy the same ones.
bj

[bobj]

oh, and one other thing.  I picked up a learning remote and also purchased an RF transmitter that fits on the front of the remote.  I can control the volume of my amp and change CD's from out on the deck.  I was a little disappointed that the RF transmitter didn't work with our cable box.  My wife likes the streaming audio from the cable box.  I however, want to get a wireless network with a laptop and you know what to supply the music.  Some day soon!
bj

[maleman]

I agree with Cotton-Eyed Lou; anything by Niles would be fine.
They can be pricey.
Check on eBay, as I've found good deals on new (or near new, whatever that means) at reasonable prices.
Good luck
Mike

[Scronch]

We have invested in 6 pair of outdoor speakers.  I've done a lot of research on this.  IMO, the Klipsch and Niles outdoor speakers are too bright.  I don't like my music messed with that much.  The best outdoor speaker by far was the Boston Acoustics Voyager 3 or Voyager Pro ( http://www.bostonacoustics.com/SeriesPage.asp?ID=32&SpecID=1 ).  An audio expert who helped us choose our speaker control (Russound SDB6.1) pushed very hard for us to go with Sonance speakers.  I've heard Sonance in stores, but wanted to compare them side-by-side with the Voyagers--and I couldn't find a dealer locally who carried both.  So we went with the BA Voyagers.  We are extremely pleased with them.  I have Voyager 3's in my back yard, and they sound awesome with the woods we have back there.  We have multiple pairs in a large room with stone walls and a ceramic tile floor.  This is a more difficult environment, but the DSP capabilities of MJ allow us to get excellent results.  In any case, with whatever you buy, make sure your dealer has a reasonable return policy, in case you decide you don't like them.  Finally, think long and hard before buying an outdoor speaker with a bass port.  Sure, the company will say they've "weatherproofed" all the inside connections, but do you really want water flying around inside your speakers?  The BA Voyagers produce impressive bass for such a small speaker, with no port.

Scronch

[JNKH]

Hi,

I would recommend BOSS.  They are nice, and sound really good.

[JNKH]

Hi,

Sorry, I mean BOSE.