Once again.. Loud great sounding speaker for pool parties question

Ever consider something like a Lepai 2020a T-amp or Dayton Audio (similar offering that runs on batteries or AC adapter. Each around $20-40) + something like either Monoprice or Theatre Solution's outdoor rock speakers (or any other weatherproof, non-permanent speaker. These paid mentioned are around $80). Toss in a little Bluetooth dongle for the amp ($15, maybe), and now you're the length of cable you want away from having sound on both sides of the pool. And don't be fooled by the power rating on T amps. Yes, they'll clip if you turn them up, but they can get fairly loud before you do (especially with a speaker that's easier to drive). It's a semi-permanent setup and way less portable than something like an Ion, but I don't think you get better than that class of portables without adding an AC plug.


If this is a pool you travel to, you really could still take it with you, but it's much more of a handful than the devices you're interested in. It would definitely require a person making an extra trip to the car for just it, which may or may not be in the cards.



Just a thought.

I don't know your setup at all, but those amps aren't weatherproof. Setting it up very near a door to the outside that is near a power outlet + a cable isn't necessarily the worst option, though, if your pool is a practical distance away from your house. I used the Monoprice speakers (8" woofer with ferro fluid I believe) hooked to a speaker selector running off the main L/R outputs on my receiver (could easily just do your zone 2 out, because if I'm not mistaken, you're in love with an Onkyo Bluetooth-enabled receiver that I assume you also own). In terms of volume from that, it easily put out enough to be ~10ft away from a hot tub and be louder than the jets. I don't doubt it would be a good pool party option, but I admittedly didn't blast it, because it was fairly tight quarters in my backyard. I also never tested them on the above t-amp, but can faithfully attest to its decent sound + decent volume. Outdoor speakers can get power hungry, so you may be slightly underpowered still, but with the Amazon return policy, you'd be pretty safe to give it a try, I would believe (connecting amp + speakers with their ~3ft wire, not adding any decent length of cabling because I'd imagine used speaker wire is tough to return)

But if you've got a zone 2 pre-out on a receiver with Bluetooth, you could run it over to that little amp and save yourself the Bluetooth dongle, assuming the cabling required for that run is cheaper than using it as a standalone system.


Personally, I brought the speakers in after each use, but I left them in a little un-air conditioned utility room. They held up great for 2 years before I moved and didn't really find a new place to set them up. Point being, I can't speak to how they stand up in the rain on a permanent basis, but I do know that carrying them to their places during and after each use wasn't a pain. Given that they're spring-clamps, bringing the amp outside each use isn't exactly practical (maybe I'm spring clamp retarded, but they're not exactly a "quick connect" or "repetitive connect"-designed system).

Klipsch KMC 3...$199.00

Premium 2.1 home/portable wireless music system with built-in subwoofer
Quick, easy Bluetooth streaming from smartphones, portable music players and computers. Apt technology allows for audiophile quality streaming. Advanced DSP equalization for accurate reproduction of all music types.
130 watts of digital system power. Features dual 2" full range drivers for incredibly detailed sound and a 5.25" subwoofer combined with a unique, dual port system for truly deep bass
3.5mm input plays music from nearly any non-Bluetooth music source. USB input charges all smartphones and most portable music devices (cable not included). Portable long-life DC operation with 8 "D" cell batteries (not included)
Remote control conveniently controls volume/mute and streaming music sources while being charged.

If you really want quality and loud in an outdoor (pool) setting then traditional amps and wired speakers are the way to go. Other methods are going to offer serious compromise on volume and/or sound quality.

There is a ton of noise around a pool particularly when there is a pool party and kids are involved or it's just a rowdy party atmosphere.

Search Mr dj on amazon. I bought one for around $270 I think. I use it for tailgating. It's extremely loud and crisp. I hated the ion I had. It distorts after 1/2 volume.

I'm not sure your budget and I know there are anti Bose people out there, but I have the Soundlink III and I love it. Loud and clear. We use it for backyard BBQs and it sounds great. The mini Soundlink II is good too for $100 less.

I put a Sonarray system in around a pool for a client a couple of weeks ago. It doesn't sent play to eat splitting levels but I was surprised at the volume it outputs and it sounded good. It's cost effective as it only takes an amp channel (L+R) and a single four conductor speaker wire gets daisy chained to all locations so the install is a breeze.

KMC 3

8 frikkin D batteries?

if you get this one, get these;

LINK

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I'm not sure your budget and I know there are anti Bose people out there, but I have the Soundlink III and I love it. Loud and clear. We use it for backyard BBQs and it sounds great. The mini Soundlink II is good too for $100 less.

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I can vouch for the Soundlink as well. Got it free with airline miles so I enjoy it that much more.