3 rd64 T 3 JUNE 2022
State of the art1 st2 ndTHINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSINGA GARDEN SPEAKER
WE’RE IMPRESSEDExcellent
sound; great water resistance;
supports many streaming
services; various smart assistants.
WE’D IMPROVEHefty for a
‘portable’speaker; pricey; audio
takes a bit of a hit on Bluetooth.
THE LAST WORD More
expensive than many outdoor
speakers but also better than
most of them.WE’RE IMPRESSEDPowerful
sound; wireless charger built-in;
premium design and build.
WE’D IMPROVE Not officially
waterproof; battery life could be
better; lacks advancedfeatures.
THE LAST WORD The sound is
absolutely huge and you can use
it anywhere, although you will
have to be careful outside
because it’snot waterproof.SONOS MOVE
£399,sonos.com
BANG & OLUFSEN BEOLIT 20
£499,bang-olufsen.comYOUR CURRENT SETUP
The speakers you already own
at home area good place to
start your search – if you’ve
already got a network of
wireless speakers,chances are
there’sa model available that
will work outdoors andstill
communicatewith what you’ve
already got. Even better, you can
carry on using the same app to
control everything.
SPEAKERBATTERY LIFE
Battery life is of coursekey too:
whether you’re heading to the
garden patio orthe local beach,
you don’t want your speaker to
be running out of juice mid-
playlist. Some outdoor speakers
can also be plugged into the
mains, which is an option tolook
for if you’re not going too far
from home.WATERPROOFING AND
WEATHERPROOFING
Waterproofing and
weatherproofing isn’t always a
given, but that’salso something
else to look out for if you want
your speaker to be abletosurvivethe elements. Full
waterproofing isn’t all that
common, but you’ll want splash
resistance at least– otherwise
you needto keep a waryeye out
for rain showers, which might
not aid relaxation.SPEAKER CONNECTION
OPTIONS
A lot of speakers come with
both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
options, so consider which one
is best for you – andmaybe
check how far down your
garden your Wi-Fi reaches.A good old 3. 5 mm audio jack is
always handyif all else fails and
you need to connect your phone
or tablet directly to the speaker.SIZE AND PORTABILITY
There’s thetrade-off between
audio andportabilityto think
about as well. Bigger speakers
can obviously fit in better
componentsand create a fuller
sound, but they’re also going to
be harder tolug around (and
they’ll likelybe moreexpensive
too).It’sa question of what you
want to prioritise.AUDIO PRO A15
£350, richersounds.com
THE OVERALL
WINNER IS...
VERDICT:
WE’RE IMPRESSEDThe Audio
Pro A15 boasts a battery life of
up to 11hours,has a stylish,
modern design, andIPX2water
resistance protects it from light
splashes of rain.Thereare six
preset buttons.
WE’D IMPROVEQuite a big
device that is a bit bulkyto easily
carryaround;no smartassistant
to help youalong.
THE LAST WORD If you’re after
a portable multiroom speaker
that soundsjust as good as it
looks, the AudioPro A15 isa
fantasticchoice. Therearen’t
tons of extra features but there
are a few different ways to
connect to it,including both
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.