Question

What Sonos speakers for outdoors?


A discussion of Sonos speakers for outdoors listening.

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You would have to use a connect amp and third party outdoor speakers.

Make sure you adhere to local electrical regulations, you may need a qualified electrician to install.
Would an electrician be needed to install speaker cables for passive speakers? It is still a task that needs some doing and some care in terminations and shielding these from water, but does not involve the kind of hazard that mains power cable laying would. Well made external speakers are also designed to allow the speaker end terminals to remain free from water, so this is very much a DIY kind of job.
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I am not sure of the local regulations, but in the UK as the wires would be connected to an amp that WOULD be connected to to mains... I would want to ensure that there was some sort of Isolation / protection.

A local electrician would be able to advise,
The net is probably a good research resource for this for anyone that needs it; I suspect the amp would be isolation enough.

For instance I know a UK maker of passive speakers that does not want to go into making amps or powered speakers in a hurry because that would significantly increase his regulatory compliance hassles from what he has today as just a passive speaker maker.
Apparently the choice is to use a connect amp and speakers or to have a speaker one can take in and out when needed. If I go the later route, what are the pros and cons of a Sonos 5 vs. two Sonos 1 speakers?
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Play 5 has a line in and would require one power connection.

2 Play 1's could spread further out without needing to be louder and relaying the sonos net, but would require 2 power connections
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I have struggled with the outdoor speaker solution for quite some time. Last year I finally broke down and purchased an a Connect Amp and two 3rd party outdoor speakers. Works great. So much so that I got another Connect Amp this year. The only problem is that I wanted to put two speakers a bit farther from my home. I've been playing around with various waterproof/vented enclosures that I could use, but am still working on it. Any ideas in that respect would be great.
For more recent relevant information, see: https://en.community.sonos.com/wireless-speakers-228992/outdoor-wirelessac-powered-speakers--6787491/index1.html
The only problem is that I wanted to put two speakers a bit farther from my home. I've been playing around with various waterproof/vented enclosures that I could use, but am still working on it. Any ideas in that respect would be great.
Can't you run speaker cables of adequate core thickness to the location and use one of the many external speakers there?
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The only problem is that I wanted to put two speakers a bit farther from my home. I've been playing around with various waterproof/vented enclosures that I could use, but am still working on it. Any ideas in that respect would be great.
Can't you run speaker cables of adequate core thickness to the location and use one of the many external speakers there?
I absolutely can, although it is a pretty long run - ~150 feet from my basement out to where I want the speakers. That's what I will likely wind up doing this weekend. Was just looking for something different to make the job a little easier. Like this: http://dealer.coastalsource.com/products/self-contained-audio-systems-sas/sas110-ready-for-sonos-connect-amp.aspx Although this thing does not appear to be vented or have a fan, so not sure it will work that great.
I think you're asking for trouble when trying to put a AMP in an enclosure outdoors. Besides risking damage to an expensive piece of hardware, you probably won't get as good of a signal.

This is the approach I took. My yard is not very deep, but very wide. For that reason, I needed 2 pairs of speakers and I didn't want to mount them on the house, pointing a the neighbors. I wanted them along the fence line pointing in.

First question: where to locate the CONNECT:AMP? I wanted in the house out of the way, yet easy access to the backyard. My master closet was ideal since it is located in the back corner. There is no power there, but I cut a whole between the closet and master bedroom to bring in power with an extension cord. Wall plates kept It looking neat. Then I went I cut hole in the closet ceiling to the attic, and then attic through the eaves to the outdoors for the speaker wires. Really was easier than it sounds.

I had 4 runs of speaker wire the longest being around 100 ft, so I had a ton of that to buy. 12 gauge I believe. The wiring had to come down the side of the house, and then along the ground a long. Because I didn't want to really see the wiring on the house, or risk getting cut wires, I used conduit to shield it. It didn't use conduit for all the bends and such, just enough to greatly reduce the risk. Also kept me from having to bury the wire very deep. I even painted the conduit to match the house color, so it's hardly noticeable. I mounted my speakers on wood posts. I used wood treated for direct burial, so didn't even need to concrete the base. Done. It was a lot of work, but nothing that requires much skill. If you plan on using it a lot, it's well worth the effort.

I was concerned about fully exposing the speakers, but they have held up without issue. To help protect from sun and rain, I bought some cheap drawstring backpacks that I throw over the speakers when I'm not using them. You can still hear the speakers with the bags on pretty good, so I don't have to take them off all the time. But if we're spending the afternoon outside, easy to take the bags off.
Remember also that hardware store bought commodity speaker cable of adequate core thickness is perfectly adequate, there is no need to spend more. Hard labour still required though!
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I think you're asking for trouble when trying to put a AMP in an enclosure outdoors. Besides risking damage to an expensive piece of hardware, you probably won't get as good of a signal.
I tend to agree with you. I guess I was just hoping something was out there. I've looked at vented/fan outdoor electronic enclosures, but I still think you are right that I'll have issues with connectivity.

Thanks for your detailed summary. I think I'm going to have to do something similar. Currently I have two speakers on the patio against my house. The connect amp is located in my basement, and I can run the wire right outside -- it's very short run. I likely will have to put the 2nd amp in the same spot, and just run a lot of wire. The 2 new speakers will be basically facing the house from the other side of the yard/patio/pool. Definitely will be using conduit as you suggest. I'd rather only do this once. Stinks I had to pony up for two amps, but separate zones and volume control was very important.
Just FYI, I've been using a Play 1 outdoors for about 4 years, and it has just now started buzzing on the bass. 4 years of all kinds of weather; extreme heat, violent storms, snow, etc. It sat on my deck, under a bit of an overhang so it was slightly protected but rain blew in on it all the time and it just kept on trucking. Your mileage may vary, of course. I just ordered another Play 1 to replace it. I would love to have some nice Klipsch speakers and a Connect Amp for $957.00, but I'm content to spend $149 and hope for another 4 years.
Anna, good for you! Just make sure that the mains power connections at the other end are protected from water entry.
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I have had a Play-5 GenII outdoors for three years now with no problems to date. But, I did take a few precautions to insure integrity and safety. Also, I am located in Southern California where we do not experience extremes in weather conditions.

1) The +120V is protected via a GFI located indoors. And, the 120V outlet is mounted inside a water tight, 2-gang enclosure, face down to insure no water enters the outlet. Plus, the 120V outlet is located under a wood deck surface.
2) The speaker is mounted under wood deck. And, to prevent the speaker from being subjected to water running down between the decking during rains, I have the speaker under a protective aluminum cover with drip rails around the perimeter so no rain will drip/run onto the speaker. Plus, water can not hit the speaker from the sides during windy rains as the speaker is mounted between the deck joists.
3) I have a swag in the power cord leading to the 120V outlet so any water which condenses on the power cord drips off rather than runs on/into to the speaker.

Hope this helps.....
I have had a Play-5 GenII outdoors for three years now with no problems to date. But, I did take a few precautions to insure integrity and safety. Also, I am located in Southern California where we do not experience extremes in weather conditions.

1) The +120V is protected via a GFI located indoors. And, the 120V outlet is mounted inside a water tight, 2-gang enclosure, face down to insure no water enters the outlet. Plus, the 120V outlet is located under a wood deck surface.
2) The speaker is mounted under wood deck. And, to prevent the speaker from being subjected to water running down between the decking during rains, I have the speaker under a protective aluminum cover with drip rails around the perimeter so no rain will drip/run onto the speaker. Plus, water can not hit the speaker from the sides during windy rains as the speaker is mounted between the deck joists.
3) I have a swag in the power cord leading to the 120V outlet so any water which condenses on the power cord drips off rather than runs on/into to the speaker.

Hope this helps.....


Wow that sounds like a really good design. Is there any possibility for you to provide us with a picture of that said setup? That would be amazing! Thank you for reading.