Are you looking for a pumpin’ set of speakers to rock up your garage?
Deciding which one to put in your garage surely isn’t the kind of cakewalk that buying a stereo system for your living room is, especially because the installation process is extremely time-consuming.
But regardless of that qualm, choosing the right speaker set will pump up your game and your adrenaline, without destroying your eardrums from distortion or clipping, something that’s common amongst inferior brands.
In the following article, we will show you a few of the best garage speakers out there in the market as of now. We prepared a group review that talks about some of the most common things that you will need a litmus test of, before deciding on your garage speakers.
Listed below are the 5 best garage speakers from our list:
- Polk Audio Atrium 4 Outdoor Speakers: These speakers stand out for their easy and hassle-free installation due to the speed-lock system and their ability to deliver quality sound at all amplitudes, although they're not as aesthetically pleasing.
- Klipsch AW-650 Speaker: Notably powerful with excellent sound clarity and range, these speakers cater specifically to bass lovers and their robust design can withstand various weather conditions, but sound nuances may be overshadowed by the strong bass.
- BOSS Audio MR4.3W Marine Speakers: These speakers offer an optimum balance of range and clarity, and have a light, compact, and adjustable design, though they might lack longevity when used beyond personal scope.
- Yamaha NS-AW350B Speakers: These high-potential speakers offer a great range with sound clarity, and good mid-range capabilities ideal for both indoor and outdoor use, only beware of possible susceptibility to high heat damaging the grill.
- Dual Electronics LU43PB: With its selection of different power outputs, these versatile speakers provide an amplified sound output, are weatherproof, and can be adjusted in any direction, though their appearance may seem outdated.
Here is the list of the 6 best garage speakers that will make your next garage party a hit!
1. Polk Audio Atrium 4 Outdoor Speakers for Garage - Best for Hassle-Free Installation
Polk Audio is one of the forerunners in terms of brand popularity. The Atrium series is amazing for outdoor usage like workshops, rooftops, and yes, open garages. On top of all that, they come with a great build. While the last part is true, it doesn’t look that attractive. But nonetheless, it’s something you must consider.
Experience
The best part of our experience with this product was its hassle-free installation, something we don’t see clearly in a lot of similar products. The pair of speakers was, in our experience, very easy to wall-mount, utilizing a speed-lock system.
The baffle design of the speakers helps cover a wide area in the outdoor place. This is where it wins brownie points. It gives you a higher power handling with a more smooth response. This we believe is because of its aluminum body with a rubber coating on it.
It’s small in design but is bang-on with its fidelity for the quality of the sound. You will see the real sound output in extremely high or low volume levels, as it can sustain the sound quality at all amplitudes. And yes, it comes in different colors and five different styles. All for your choosing.
What We Like
- Environment-friendly because of its industrial and military standard specifications
- Designed for a stellar performance in all weather conditions
- Perfect for long-term outdoor usage
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What We Don't Like
- We would’ve preferred this product even more if it were portable
2. Klipsch AW-650 Speaker – Best for Bass Lovers
Large, intimidating, heavy. These words best describe the Klipsch, but don’t let that put you off, because they’re wall mounts, which means when you’re done with the cumbersome installation, all you have to do is sit back and enjoy!
We believe these to be the best garage speakers for range. Along with that, you’re guaranteed excellent clarity of sound from these, even from afar. So much that they wake your neighbors (buy them definitely if that’s something you’d want to do).
Simply put, this is the pick for bass lovers, Low frequencies aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, so if you prefer speakers where you need other sounds to be heard clearly as well, you might want to look somewhere else.
We find its range and clarity to be simply beautiful. This is true even more at low volumes. As for high volumes and decibels, you could be as far as 100 feet and you’d still know what’s playing. But true, the bass is so strong with this one that sort of becomes deafening when turned up too much.
Another of its major plus points is its resilience to heat and moisture and dirt and everything under the sun. These are made to last long, something we could figure out from a simple look at the thing. The wires are impervious to heat damage, perfect for someone who lives in a region that receives sweltering temperatures in summer.
What We Like
- Amazing range and clarity
- A strong, resilient built
What We Don't Like
- The emphasis on bass may muffle the highs and mids and may rob music of its nuance
3. BOSS Audio MR4.3W Marine Speakers – Best for Range-Clarity Balance
Boss it is. We’ll talk about Bose sometime else, though.
Boss designed this speaker pair to give the optimum range-clarity balance for your output in the garage or workshop. The speakers don’t have too solid a build but they’re designed in a compact way to prevent damage by external material.
The unique selling point, it’s light, the compact has a great design, and looks kind of pretty too. The installation process isn’t much of a hassle either, you could simply have them mounted on your wall. Although, remember to leave out some gaps between the speakers and the wall. This is because you might want to use the swivel brackets that come with it, which would allow you to move the direction of the speakers. That’s quite fantastic.
In terms of sound quality and range, we’d say it’s a decent balance of both. It has an 85dB sound sensitivity, 80 Hz to 18 kHz frequency, and a 4 Ohms impedance. That’s all the science we know about it, but what we do know is that’s great enough for your personal garage.
You can find it in various styles and colors, and a 3-year warranty.
What We Like
- Light, compact, and perfect for personal use
- You can adjust the direction of the speakers as you’d like
- Range-Clarity balance
What We Don't Like
- Don’t feel like the ones that will make the long-term thing work
- Can’t use it much for more than a strictly personal use
4. Yamaha NS-AW350B Speakers
The Yamaha NS-AW350B set consists of a pair of huge black speakers. They are able to deliver a competitive volume output, thanks to the high power rating and the industry-leading 6 Ohm impedance.
It’s that type that serves all the needs you have. It’s got a great range, amazing clarity in sound, and decent bass too. You don’t need to look for amplifiers to get the thing working - it’s enough in itself.
Our garage was resonating with an almost deafening decibel count. But, despite the high volume, the sound didn’t crack and sounded natural. The negligible break-in time is something both amateurs and enthusiasts will enjoy.
Yamaha delivers with this one for sure. Rated at 120W, the mid-range is nothing short of aural pleasure, provided you don’t overblow it. However, that is highly unlikely, The 40-watt beginning point should be sufficient for your garage, and will it have to thump at a decibel level that’s similar to being, guess what, a movie theater?
Obviously, since they are perfect for use in both indoor and outdoor settings, we guarantee that you will be so impressed by the quality of these, that you might wonder whether your living room fancies one of these or not.
Although, you might want to keep these out of direct sunlight. Outdoors, factors like moisture and heat won’t really damage this product, but we felt that the grill of the speakers seems susceptible to even being damaged due to the adhesive material melting. Well, if you don’t make your garage an oven, we believe you’ll be just fine. Be sure to not let the internal temperature exceed, say, 90 degrees.
What We Like
- Resistant to moderate weather conditions
- Good mid-range
- Great for both indoor and outdoor usage
What We Don't Like
- metal grill may be susceptible to severe damage as the adhesive may loosen up in excessive heat
5. Dual Electronics LU43PB
These are great 3-way high-performance monitor speakers. The LU43PB from Dual Electronics is also great for indoor cum outdoor use. You won’t be disappointed in using them both in your open garage and your closed workshop.
This one is available in 100-watt, 125-watt, and 60-watt output styles to choose from. So you can have your choice according to your tailored needs, and that’s where this product stands out. It has a 4-inch woofer, 1-inch cone, and 3/4-inch tweeter, and promises to give you an amplified sound output whenever you play music through it.
The ABS enclosure inside the exterior grill and the UV-resistant coating outside it make it supremely resistant to weather-related damage. That way, you’re good to go too.
It has swivel brackets attached at the back of it, so you can mount it wherever you want, without worrying whether you might want to change its position later or not. The brackets allow you to change the direction of the speaker as you’d like.
On top of all that, you get a one-year warranty on the product from the manufacturer. It’s pretty cool, except we believe you could get a better deal with other products.
What We Like
- Weatherproof, plus any damage is covered by warranty
- Great range of power outputs you can choose from
What We Don't Like
- Has a simplistic, vintage sort of look to it
6. Aiwa Exos-9 Portable Bluetooth Speaker
We wanted to close our review session with this one, because yes, it’s portable. That’s a big plus to it not just in terms of feasibility to install, but you can use it literally wherever you want to. This is the speaker that belongs to this generation, and it has out money already.
The output quality is so amazing and stellar, that you wouldn’t need any other speaker under your roof. This is what you use in your garage, your workshop, your house parties, your rooftop, and wherever else. You can also connect multiple speakers to increase the range of sound.
To talk of the sound quality, it has 200 W power, five drivers, and a dual subwoofer and we couldn’t have asked for more. It has a great battery life too and will deliver continuous performance for up to 9 hours.
Now, this is something that you get with all smart speakers these days, it has a five-band graphic equalizer that will help you to control the music by setting the bass and treble according to your surroundings and taste.
But its portability is what its USP is. Plus, it supports Windows PC, Mac, iPhone, iOS, iPad, and Android devices. You can simply use an audio cable to connect your phone to the system.
And lastly, you get a 60-day money-back guarantee and a 1-year warranty from the manufacturer. This is not a bad deal. Like, at all.
What We Like
- Portability
- Solid power output, and great bass too
- Great battery life
What We Don't Like
- The price might be a setback for some
What is the Best Speaker for your Garage?
This section presents an overview of top-performing speakers tailored for garage environments. The following table meticulously assesses essential attributes, including dimensions, weight, wattage, frequency response, impedance, sensitivity, resistance, and warranty.
Product | Dimensions | Weight | Wattage | Frequency Response | Impedance | Sensitivity | Resistance | Warranty |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Polk Audio Atrium Outdoor Speakers | 7.5" x 6.3" x 9.5" | 3.6 lbs | 80W | 75 Hz to 25 kHz | 8 Ohms | 89 dB | Rustproof, Withstands Extreme Temperatures, & Heavy Rains | 2 Years |
Klipsch AW-650 Speaker | 11" x 9.5" x 15" | 9 lbs | 85W | 70 Hz to 20 kHz | 8 Ohms | 95 dB | UV-Resistant & Rustproof | 5 Years |
BOSS Audio MR4.3W | 5.3" x 5.3" x 8.8" | 5.9 lbs | 200W | 80 Hz to 18 kHz | 4 Ohms | 85 dB | Waterproof, UV-Resistant | 3 Years |
Yamaha NS-AW350B Speakers | 6.75" x 10.75" x 5.37" | 4 lbs | 40W to 120W | 60 Hz to 25 kHz | 6 Ohms | 86 dB | Resists Water, UV, & High/Low Temperatures | 2 Years |
Dual Electronics LU43PB | 5.3" x 5.3" x 8.3" | 2.8 lbs | 100W | 100 Hz to 20 kHz | 4 Ohms | 80 dB | UV & Weather-Resistant | 1 Year |
Aiwa Exos-9 | 7.5" x 11.7" x 19.4" | 13 lbs | 200W | N/A | N/A | 200 dB | N/A | 1 Year |
Buying Guide for the Best Garage Speaker
Hitting those perfect notes is not an easy task, however, this guide should be a great starting point before you ring up the pros. While professional set-ups are something we can’t really help you with, here are some of the things that we can do.
Watts
Obviously enough, electric current control speakers. Wattage is the energy that helps them create the decibel. Ideally, all speaker brands give out their wattage in RMS and peak wattage. RMS is the usual output (in decibels) that the speaker normally operates at, whereas peak wattage is the maximum it can deliver over a short period.
Hertz
The frequency range in which the sound is delivered is measured in Hertz. 20 hertz to 20,000 kilohertz is the average for most speakers. Higher frequency, shriller sound, and vice-versa.
Drums, for instance, have a low frequency, hence, the sound they produce is deep. Usually, speakers with a lower frequency are better, especially when looking for lower decibel-rated ones.
Impedance
The lower the ohm count, the better the speaker.
For science freaks out there, impedance is measured in ohms, the measurement of resistance to the power that’s transmitted to the speaker. Speakers with a lower ohm rating (lower resistance to electricity), than others, will expend more electricity than those with a higher number. The average for most garage and outdoor speakers is eight and the better ones have it at as low as 4.
Do I need an amplifier for garage speakers?
While it's not compulsory to have an amplifier for garage speakers, having one could significantly enhance the sound power and enhance the overall audio quality of your speakers.
How do I get the best sound from my garage speakers?
Achieving the best possible sound from your garage speakers largely involves utilizing a quality source such as a CD or a well-regarded music streaming service, together with an amplifier. Precise speaker placement and, if needed, suitable acoustic adjustments are important considerations as well.
How far apart should I place my garage speakers?
For optimal sound distribution, the recommended practice when installing speakers in a garage is to space them a minimum of 3 to 6 feet apart.
Are wireless speakers a good option for a garage?
While wireless speakers offer benefits such as portability and a simplified installation process which can be helpful in a garage setting, wired speakers generally provide superior sound quality in comparison.
Are ceiling or wall-mounted speakers better for a garage?
Primarily, ceiling-mounted speakers tend to be a more favorable option for a garage setting, due to their superior sound coverage and a lower probability of getting damaged by moisture or dust.
What are the differences between powered and passive speakers?
The distinction between powered and passive speakers lies in the inclusion or absence of an amplifier. Powered speakers integrate an amplifier which aids in augmenting sound quality and volume, whilst passive speakers lack this in-built feature and thus require connection to an external amplifier.