Outdoor projectors are a wonderful way of mixing things up during the warmer months, taking your movie nights to the backyard for cozy family time or gatherings with friends. Still, the experience isn't quite complete without the addition of great sound. It's no use getting a 4K projector when the audio is muddy, and the dialogue is inaudible, after all.
The best speakers for an outdoor projector make all the difference, and there are a few different options that make getting set up achievable for everyone. There are hardwired speaker systems, but also Bluetooth options that can be fired up whenever you want to take your viewing up a level.
See which speakers we chose below, and head over to our ranking of the best outdoor projectors for more inspiration.
As rugged as you need an outdoor speaker to be but as stylish as you would expect from Bang & Olufsen, the Explore got almost full marks for us on review, and you can pair it with a second speaker to get a stereo sound effect.
JBL is well-known for its outdoor speakers, and Flip 6 gets our vote for one of the best budget speakers for your outdoor projector. It's not the chicest device in the world, but it comes in various colors and gets you a lot of (literal) bang for your buck.
As outdoor speakers that blend into the landscape, these rock speakers from Innovative Technology add convenience with solar charging capabilities. This means you have more freedom about where you place them, and you can simply connect to them via Bluetooth.
This list wouldn't be complete without an entry from Sonos, and this Outdoor Set is one of our favorite solutions for boosting sound for your outdoor projector. Mount the two waterproof speakers in the yard and connect them to your Amp for outdoor surround sound.
Soundbars are also an option for outdoors, with Samsung's The Terrace soundbar offering a permanent audio solution for your outdoor movie nights. Adaptive sound means you'll be getting the best audio for your environment, and you can just as easily wirelessly connect an outdoor TV as you can an outdoor projector.
An excellent smart speaker that can be picked up and taken outside, the Sonos Move is perfect for taking to the yard when you need an outdoor speaker. Pair it with another for stereo sound, or simply use it as a dual-purpose speaker with Google Assistant and Alexa built-in.
Another great more affordable option from Ultimate Ears, the Wonderboom SE 2-Pack is perhaps the easiest solution on this list to take with your on trips. The speakers are small enough to fit into your hand, but pair to create great sound for your movies and entertainment.
Something a little more extreme, the Sonance MAG Series outdoor surround sound system uses Sonos tech to allow for a complete home theater system in your backyard. It might not be great if you have noise-phobic neighbors, but it will certainly give your movie nights a boost.
A speaker much larger than you might expect from a Bluetooth option, the LG XBOOM 360 is a striking lantern-shaped device complete with a color-changing light and excellent 360° sound. It has an amazing 24-hours of battery life, is dust and water-resistant, and can connect with another speaker for stereo sound.
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Many outdoor projectors come with their own built-in speakers, but most leave a lot to be desired. Playing audio outside is very different from playing it indoors due to the acoustics of open space, and so outdoor speakers need to be good enough to be able to cope with these challenges.
In short, you can absolutely use an outdoor projector with its own in-built speakers without extra investment, but for the best experience, we recommend adding an audio device. Bluetooth speakers are absolutely fine in most cases, but true audiophiles or movie buffs might want to look at a more expansive speaker system for their outdoor space.
For more about making the experience the best it can be, take a look at our backyard movie night ideas.
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