Recommended Third party Outdoor speaker via connect amp

I have used a Bose 251 pair since 2003 and I am very happy with them; they are not all the way out of doors, but under the eaves with some shelter. Sound quality is excellent if installed as Bose recommends, and worth the premium charged. The fact that Bose still sells this model unchanged says something I suppose.

But there are many good examples out there, others will have their recommendations as well.

I have and am very happy with Polk Atrium8 SDI. I believe they are on sale right now. Like $60 off. It's a good deal.

Kris:)

Hey Kris,

May i ask how is it connected to the connect amp excatly

Does the connect amp also power the speakers as well as connects it to the sonos ecosystem

I seek advice on an outdoor wireless speaker
I just noticed the above; note that all speakers that can be used with Sonos will need wires running from that kit placed indoors all the way to the terminals at the back of the speakers out of doors; they will not be wireless.

Hey Kris,

May i ask how is it connected to the connect amp excatly

Does the connect amp also power the speakers as well as connects it to the sonos ecosystem

I have the connect amp inside the house and run outdoor rated speaker wire out (had to drill through the wall and caulk it) to connect it to the terminals on the back of the speaker. You plug in the connect amp (to power it)and yes it drives the speakers as well as is the connection to the Sonos system. The connect amp should be connected to your router or I use a Sonos boost. Works mint! The sound is awesome. - Kris 🙂

Hi Kris,

Did you connect it to 2 Polk Atrium8 SDI speakers,how is the quality of those speakers

The connect amp can handle up to 4 speakers. I have 6 (speakers) in my yard. The quality is awesome. It's a composite housing so it's maintenance free. Does not need to be painted. It has a strong mounting bracket with presets so you can pivot the speaker left or right easily to get the perfect direction. One person can mount them no problem. It is high quality. You won't be disappointed. - Kris 🙂

[quote=Kumar]I have used a Bose 251 pair since 2003 and I am very happy with them; they are not all the way out of doors, but under the eaves with some shelter. Sound quality is excellent if installed as Bose recommends, and worth the premium charged. The fact that Bose still sells this model unchanged says something I suppose.

But there are many good examples out there, others will have their recommendations as well.[/quote

Hi Kumar, I have three Connect AMPs driving a pair of Bose 301s inside and two pair of 251s outside in covered verandahs. I am not impressed with the sound levels of any of them. At 50% of volume slider the sound is hardly discernible and at full slider the sound level is comparable to between 1 and 2 volume control on prior 100w stereo amp. The Connect AMPs are rated 55 watts, but don't pump sound like that rating at all!

I agree that at 50% the volume levels may not be adequate, and this is also influenced by speaker design, location and distance to listener.

Many modern amps sound louder than Connect Amp at 50%, at their 20% position. But will not do more than their 50% without distortion while the Connect Amp will keep getting louder without distorting all the way to 100%. The volume control architecture of the Connect Amp is different, that is all - more honest; modern amps are designed to fool people into thinking they are more powerful than one like the Connect Amp.

A 100 watt amp, other things being equal, will always sound about 20% louder than a 50 watt amp like the Connect Amp.

In your case, I would not hesitate to run the Connect Amp close to 100% if that is what it takes. Just make sure it is in a well ventilated place.

If that does not meet your needs, you do need a more powerful amp; but a 100 watts one, giving 20% more sound may not be enough. If your speakers can take the power, a 150 watter may be needed.

Does the Connect amp at 55W have enough power for 2 klipsch aw-650?
Is the connect amp under powered to get the best of these speakers?

Take a look at the Dayton Audio IO655 speakers. They are available in white or black and very well priced at abbot $85/pair from Parts Express.

I've had them for about 3 years now and they are really a good choice for the job. When purchasing, I compared them to some others at 2-3x the cost, including Yamaha, Boston Acoustics, and JBL, and they were better. Not better for the price. Just better.

I did not compare to other often recommended outdoor speakers like Polk or Definitive Tech.

The connect amp can handle up to 4 speakers. :)

How are you driving 4 speakers with one Connect:Amp?

@airforceteacher - here's the official doc from Sonos: https://sonos.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/269?_ga=2.265719439.146602637.1515602239-743925170.1514920593

I currently carry a play 5 outside which gets old and I cant leave it outside. I would like to put in a connected amp and find speakers that have that same sound and volume levels. Has anyone connected a Yamaha NS-AW992 to the connected amp?

The Connect Amp sounds exactly like any stereo amp of similar power delivery - 55 wpc into 8 and 110 wpc into 4 ohms. The speakers in question will not sound any different from what they would do via any other such stereo amp.

I have used three brands of outdoor speakers with my Connect:Amps; Bose 151s, Definitive Technology AW6500s, and Niles RS6SI Pro rock speakers. The AW6500s are by far the best of the three. Will go louder and produce quality sound at all volume levels. They have a main speaker and a bass radiator on the back side. They make a smaller 5500 version. The Bose were very clear, but lacking mids and lows. The RS6SI Rock Speakers are a great sounding speaker and fine for background music, but couldn't play loud as I wanted at times. Don't get me wrong, standing 10-15' away you couldn't have a conversation with the volume most of the way up. With those, I just got to a point where I wanted more sound and bass by my pool, so I upgraded to 8" Niles rock speakers and went with a 150 X 2 channel amp with Sonos Connect. Very happy with that set up. I bought a third RS8SI, and used my connect to wire it in single speaker stereo mode, and its good since both channels on the connect:amp are going to that one speaker. Read reviews for outdoor speakers. That is what sold me 5 years ago on the Definitive Technology AW6500s.