Moving Sonos outside

Hi andygoldby

I think Option "A" is your best path of least resistance and frustration. :)

Options B, C, and D while they would work all require purchasing additional equipment (unless you have all that lying around already :8). You would also be moving additional equipment as the Amps and all but the flowerbed speakers would have to moved indoors during less than desirable weather conditions (excessive heat, rain , snow etc.).

If you go with any option other than "A" the choice of speakers is personal based upon sound and aesthetics.

If just for a change in appearance and slight upgrade, you might consider the Sonos One's which also offer Alexa voice assist; and later Google assistant (but most likely not at the same time). The Sonos One's are also Airplay2 compatible. They're moisture resistant as well (not weather resistant).

If you want better sound there are the Play 5's. They're moisture resistant as well (not weather resistant) and are Airplay2 compatible. Size wise they would be no different than the Sonance and much heavier to move around vs. the Play 3's and Sonos One's.

Now, I'm going to commit a mortal sin and give you an option "E" (for Evil). You might consider the Apple HomePod x 2 that would allow you to use Bluetooth (BT) although you'd be limited to Apple's ecosystem for music. You'd also be limited to an iOS device (no Android allowed). Some music services like Spotify will allow streaming over BT. The HomePod x 2 will provide a sound experience equal to the Play 3's with a bit more low-end. That's all I'm going to say on that subject as I've said too much already. :P

Now that I've lost my good standing in the this community I hope you have enough information to make an informed decision. Maybe you can take your wife on a dream vacation and get her to come around to the mounted weather resistant Sonance speakers 😉 Good Luck!

Cheers!

So, do you want the audio to cover the deck and the garden space? When using the play:3s, were you happy with the audio?

It really comes down to opinion, so I'll just tell you what I've done, and what I'd probably do for your space. My yard is not that deep, but rather wide, so a bit different than yours. I didn't want to put speakers on the house either because I didn't want the audio spilling into the neighbors yard and/or drowning out conversation. So I put 4 polk atrium 6 speakers mounted on posts along the back fence pointing in towards the house. I do cover the speakers when not in use, especially when rain is in the forecast. They'll be fine without it, but I want to extend the life. All this powered by a single Sonos Amp. I do have a tv on a cart I role out and connect to the amp from time to time.

As a general rule, I'd say the atrium 6 are about equal to the play:3s. So I would look for something in the $300 a pair range for speakers. If you go with 8 ohm speakers, you can connect 2 pair without adding a speaker switch. A single pair should cover your deck. If you want to cover the garden area as well, then look at getting a 2nd pair. I don't have much experience with garden/rock speakers, or the smaller satellite speakers so can't really speaker to those.

I wouldn't get the old connect:amp, although it will be ok for a single pair, or two if you stretch it a bit. The new amp is a significant improvement, plus the ability to add an outdoor TV is rather nice.

thanks Guys
The audio needs to cover the deck well and then can die off in the garden
It would be good to have limited impact on the neighbours as we like them so if I go with mounted speakers they would go under the eves to ensure the sound is directed away from the house (and the neighbours)
It really has to be Sonos rather than option 'e' as that way the outside sound would sync with the sound through the ground floor of the house

I guess I was hoping that someone could comment on sound quality of 2x Play3 vs 2x any of
BOSE 251
Yamaha AW592
Dayton Audio IO655
Monitor Audio Climate 50
Polk Satellite 30's
TIC GS5
Niles GS4