Backyard Bliss: How to Create the Perfect Outdoor Entertaining Space

If you want to enjoy your favorite album or TV show once the weather starts getting nice, there’s no need to stay cooped up in your house — ListenUp can help you take it outside and create a backyard theater! With today’s all-weather TVs and speakers, you can turn your deck, patio, gazebo or pool house into an entertainment oasis complete with motorized shades from Screen Innovations (some of which even feature zipping, bug-resistant side panels), practical and spectacular automated lighting control, outdoor Wi-Fi and more. Now is the perfect time to get started, so take a look at these ideas…

Magical Outdoor TVs

Outdoor TVs are made to handle the bright light and reflection of the sun (though they should always be placed in shaded areas), and are rated at much, much higher nits, which is a unit used to measure brightness. And with wireless cable or satellite boxes, you can access all the programming available in your indoor system. Here are a couple of recommended outdoor sets:

The Terrace by Samsung
Watch all your TV programs, movies and sports outdoors with Samsung’s The Terrace LST7T Class 4K Smart Outdoor QLED TV. Available in screen sizes of 55, 65 and 75 inches, The Terrace’s high brightness output and advanced anti-reflection technology help improve visibility during daylight hours. Designed for areas with partial sunlight or full shade, it supports advanced HDR10 & HDR10+ 4K UHD video for the ultimate picture and features an IP55-rated weather-resistant design to protect its internal components from most weather conditions and temperatures ranging from -22 to 122°F. 

Séura Shade Series 2™
With its sleek design, brightest-in-class screen, 4K UHD and HDR picture quality, 50W outdoor soundbar (included) and 2-year warranty, the Séura Shade Series 2™ Outdoor TV is an awesome solution for shaded outdoor areas. It’s fully weatherproof TV for outdoor use and made to withstand extreme outdoor temperatures and adverse climates. Comes in screen sizes of 43, 55, 65 and 75 inches, all available with or without covers. If you're interested in learning more about the Seura Shade Series, call, chat or reach out to your local ListenUp showroom.

Best Outdoor Speakers for 2022

Whether in tandem with an outdoor TV or just by themselves, wired all-weather speakers have larger drivers for bigger, better sound than a portable Bluetooth model and can be easily controlled as part of your whole-house sound system. Check out some of our favorites…

Revel Traditional and In-Ground
The 2-way, 5.25-inch Revel M55XC Extreme Climate outdoor loudspeaker delivers audiophile-caliber sound while withstanding harsh environments that are hot, cold, damp, humid or wet. It’s also resistant to corrosion from salt water and can be used in marine applications such as on docks or beachfront property. The included InvisiBall ® mounting system provides flexible positioning options while the stainless steel speaker terminals with weather-protection cover ensure long-lasting performance.

The supremely versatile Revel L41XC compact satellite outdoor speaker comes with a sliding collar for mounting on an outside wall, pool house or gazebo, plus a ground spike if you want to use it in a garden bed, around the pool or other outdoor areas. A 3/4-inch aluminum dome tweeter provides crystal-clear, high-resolution detail, while a low-distortion 4-inch aluminum cone woofer delivers a powerful and deep bass response.

The Revel L42XC bollard speaker combines pristine audio with the added safety and security of illumination for your entertainment space, as it features an integrated LED 360° down light with independent control. And when you want to add a little more oomph to your garden system, check out the Revel L12XC direct burial subwoofer. Designed with extreme stealth in mind (only the bass vent canopy is visible), it employs a 12-inch underground enclosure, and its separate transformer is disguised as a garden rock for seamless integration into any landscape environment.

Bowers & Wilkins AM-1
Flexible, durable and great-sounding, the Bowers & Wilkins AM-1 Architectural Monitor offers a unique combination of high-quality sound and supreme flexibility. Thanks to being weather resistant it's perfect for use around the pool or mounted outdoors year-round, and the combination of a slender wall-bracket, a clever one-plug mounting system and 220-degree rotation means it can deliver your music wherever you want it – indoors or out.

Polk Atrium® Series
Polk All-Weather Certification means Atrium Speakers can withstand the worst mother nature can dish out, including extreme temperatures and heavy rains. With aluminum grilles and bracket and stainless steel and brass hardware, there’s no rust—ever. The compact, easy-to-mount Atrium 4 Outdoor Loudspeaker is ideal for tight, out-of-way installations by the pool or next to the deck or patio. The slightly larger Atrium 5 boasts a 5-inch long-throw mid/bass driver for authoritative, full-range sound. And the Atrium 8 SDI features a 6.5-inch woofer, single/dual input switch and dual tweeter array that lets you use it as a single high-performance stereo loudspeaker, or L/R speaker in a high-performance stereo pair.

Definitive Technology All-Weather
Definitive Technology AW5500 and AW6500 models are widely lauded as two of the best outdoor speakers ever. With a fully sealed design, they bring indoor speaker quality outside, and their rugged PolyStone™ enclosures protect the delicate electronics inside and ensure a great performance no matter what the weather’s doing. A low bass radiator works with the active drivers to double the bass output.

Monitor Audio Climate Series
Monitor Audio Climate Series speakers incorporate IP55-rated, solid sealed high-density polypropylene enclosures with aluminum grilles that prevent rust. An ABR (Auxiliary Bass Radiator) provides added low frequency punch, and there’s full installation flexibility with 175º rotational bracket. The Climate 50 features 5-inch C-CAM bass driver and a 1-inch C-CAM Gold Dome tweeter, while the Climate 60 bumps up to a 6.5-inch bass driver. The Climate 80 boasts an 8-inch bass-driver for sound to rival that of an indoor system.

Portable Speakers for Home and Away

If you’re looking for the easiest method of getting outdoor sound or you want a way to access your tunes when you’re staying away from home, a Bluetooth speaker is the way to go. 

Sonos Roam
The Sonos Roam is a lightweight, outdoor-ready portable smart speaker that lets you experience size-defying sound at home and on the go. Roam automatically connects to your Wi-Fi network at home and pairs with your device via Bluetooth when you're away, so the only thing you have to think about is what to play. With shock-absorbent materials and an IP67 dust and water resistance rating, Roam is primed for every type of weather and terrain.

Sony's Party Speakers
Enjoy deep, punchy sound wherever you like with Sony's portable party speakers. These speakers are dustproof, waterproof and salt-water-resistant, so you can take them to the mountains, the pool, the beach, or anywhere else you want. The small, but mighty, Sony SRS-XE300 portable bluetooth speaker has a battery life of up to 24 hours. Looking for more power? Check out Sony's SRS-XP700 X-Series portable bluetooth speaker. The XP700 has a comforable handle for easy carrying and a microphone input for quick karaoke. Front and reach speakers mean that no one will miss a beat.

We Make It Happen
Call or visit the ListenUp nearest you and one of our knowledgeable career sales consultants will help you plan out your path to backyard bliss!