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Question: I need some help on outdoor wireless landscape speakers. In my back yard I’m landscaping with natural stone, and want to add sound.

I’ve looked at some outdoor wireless speakers but want to incorporate sound in the landscape and not blasting away on the patio. Are the landscaping speakers which look like rocks any good? Jason, Kentucky

Answer: Jason, just like you, I enjoy music when working outside or relaxing on the patio.

Why not experience high quality outdoor sound from a speaker system which looks like a rock? It may not be the old “rock” we listened to in the 60’s or 70’s but it’s your music.

There are a couple of things to keep in mind.

Most wireless outdoor speakers will be placed outdoors on the patio area, Bose outdoor speakers and Niles are top picks.

The rock-like speakers you’re asking about are different.

Being wireless they can be placed directly outdoors in the landscape where the speakers combine relatively good sound quality, and inconspicuous appearance.

You mentioned that you’re landscaping with natural stone. Make sure you take into account that the look of these artificial rock speakers – they may not match or have the same look as the natural stone in the landscape.

You may want to add some stones, rocks or boulders which hold similar looks and size to the outdoor rock speakers you’re considering.

Landscape Speaker Selection

When selecting any speaker for use in the landscape try to find one that blends in and is natural looking – this makes rock type speakers a perfect choice.

Make sure the speaker is sealed and the components are weather resistant to keep out water and protect them from any outdoor environmental conditions. This should insure years of trouble free performance.

The engineering built into outside speakers should protect them against rain, freezing, and the sun’s heat.

Most rock speakers are constructed of hi-impact polyurethane resin materials to look like granite rock with a slate gray finish blending with a garden or landscaped background.

They are reliable enough for home and commercial installations or any one requiring reliable, quality outdoor sound.

Installations Where Landscape Speakers Are Used

In fact, here are just a few places you’ll find outdoor speaker used extensively: theme parks, zoos, amusement centers, civic centers, hotels, golf courses, parks, campgrounds, patio, backyards/front yards, pools, landscape gardens, porches, decks, outdoors/indoors, background music, public address and leisure areas.

To pump out the sound and make your audio more enjoyable in the garden, patio, water feature or backyard throughout the year, most rock speakers can handle simple back ground music or a full rock performance since they can handle 100-watts of power.

They should be acoustically matched to provide clear vibrant sound with good bass characteristics and come with a 2 year warranty. Stay away from any landscape speaker only offering a 1 year warranty, generally the speakers don’t last very long.

Easy Installation

Installation is easy and straight forward. Just like the audio system in your home you’ll need to determine the area and where you plan to install the speaker and run wires.

Place the rock speaker firmly on the ground or bury the speaker base a little.

The worst part is digging a trench to the audio source.

Dig a trench approximately 5 inches deep and place the audio cable in the trench and cover it back up with soil. Now connect the speaker wire to the audio source.

Use speaker cable that complies with the national electrical code for outdoor and in-wall installation

Keep in mind future landscape projects! Make sure you dig the trench where you do not plan on digging holes for plants later on. You may want to consider running PVC to hold the speaker cables in also.