Pyle Audio Waterproof Bluetooth Speakers
As you may have read, my hobby when I’m not pounding away at the keyboard creating some of the best content on the internet (or practicing my humility), is updating my old house. My domicile is approaching 70 years old, and while there haven’t been any major issues that have come along, there are quite a few little updates that need to be done to bring her into the 21st century. I have that original post linked to above, and the latest where I talk about solar panels that were installed last fall.
From March until October-ish, we love to entertain. We skip the cold months because the interior of the house is a wee bit tight; not small, just tight. That means when we can’t get outdoors, the parties turn off (or at least reduce in size). In order to entertain outdoors properly, you need some music. Blasting beats out of the built-in speaker on the iPhone just won’t cut it; I needed something with a little more oomph.
Searching for the Right Bluetooth Speaker Set
Since I rebuilt the awning over the back patio (almost 2 years ago), I still haven’t covered the underside. There are a variety of reasons it’s taking so long, a big one is that I can’t do anything simply and I opted for natural cedar soffit instead of throwing some aluminum on there.
Since it was torn down, I searched for the right speakers. This is where I ran into a bunch of issues. There just didn’t seem to be the right speaker set out there.
My first inclination was to find a wi-fi based speaker. Bluetooth just doesn’t have the range, nor the dependability that I truly wanted. I searched all over, and finally after talking to the good folks at Comtech, I was referred to the Paradigm speakers. They’re fantastically well built, some of the best quality, and unfortunately about $600 each. Plus, you still need a receiver; it’s not an all inclusive device.
Paradigm being out of my budget, and still not quite what I wanted, I continued the search. Finally I located the Pyle Audio wall speakers. My goal was to have something in-ceiling, but I had to lower my expectations to what actually existed on the market today.
Pyle Audio PDWR52BTBK Review
These particular speakers come in both a 5.25 inch and a 6.5 inch variety. I opted for the smaller (mostly because they’re a bit cheaper). You can pick them up on Amazon, but I got mine through Walmart. They’re basically the same price on either site, Walmart, however, had faster shipping. For about $80 I got what I hoped would be speakers that performed how I wanted them to perform (it looks like the price has gone up, Amazon carries the white version for $80 still).
Install was simple. I had to connect the two speakers together with speaker wire, and then plug in the power cord, but that was all. Pairing the speakers to my phone went without a hitch, and now as soon as I plug them in they automatically pair. No messing around.
I click on Pandora, and the music flows through the speaker set on the back patio. As long as I have straight line of site, I can get about 40 feet from the speaker without the music cutting out. I adjust the volume right from my phone, and when I’m on the patio I only have to set it about half power. When I head to the back of the yard, I crank it all the way to 75%.
The speakers have metal brackets that they easily attach to. These brackets hook onto 2 screws that I have set into the trim around the windows. To take them down, all I do is lift them up and pull forward. I can then disconnect the speaker wire and take the units inside for the winter. Since they’re waterproof (I’m pretty sure they have used the wrong term, I doubt you can actually submerge these), I haven’t touched them since I put them up almost 3 months ago.
The only complaint was that they came with a mere 15 feet of speaker wire. For this location, I needed 18 feet and I had to go out and purchase longer wire. I have the wires tucked behind the cedar soffit, and the excess wrapped around the speaker in case I change my mind down the road and want to move it. I don’t foresee that happening.
I Recommend the Pyle Hydra Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker Set
There are so many names and modifiers on the package, I’m not really sure what to call these things. But if you need to find them, click the links to Amazon or Walmart up above (they’re not affiliate links, don’t be scared that I might make $.11 off the referral. Or if you want to shop around, Google the model number PDWR52BTBK to see if you can snag them cheaper somewhere else.
In the meantime, I’ll be putting off working on the cedar soffit while I listen to tunes through my Bluetooth speaker set that can be heard from anywhere in the yard.