In this guide: The short answer · IP ratings in two minutes · 100V or low impedance · Comparison table · Which type where · Covers and brackets · Keeping it in the garden · Checklist · Popular picks · FAQ

The short answer

For a beer garden, terrace or clubhouse patio, choose a speaker the manufacturer rates for outdoor use, check what that rating depends on, and run it on 100V line if you have more than a handful of speakers or long cable runs.

• Under a canopy or eaves: IP54 to IP64 surface speakers such as the Biamp Apart MASK6CT (IP64), Optimal Audio Cuboid 5TX (IP54 with its terminal cover) or Martin Audio CDD6TX-WR (IP54) are the usual choice.
• More exposed walls, pool surrounds and salty air: look for IP65 or IP66 and a stated corrosion or UV treatment, such as the Ecler eMOTUS5OD (IP65), the Biamp Desono COLW41 column (IP66) or the Apart CMAR5-W marine speaker (IP65, chlorine and salt water proof).
• Pitch-side announcements: an IP65 horn such as the TOA SC-630M is built for speech, not music.
• Read the small print. Several ratings only apply with a connector cover fitted, and Martin Audio specifies its weatherised CDD-WR models for outdoor use sheltered from direct exposure to the elements.

Installation, fixings and the mains side of the amplifier rack are for a competent installer. This guide is about choosing the speaker. How many you need and where they go is covered in install speakers: how many you need, and the wider pub setup in our pub and bar AV guide.

IP ratings in two minutes

An IP code comes from IEC 60529. The first digit is protection against solid objects and dust, the second against water. An X in place of a digit, as in IPX4, means that digit was not specified, not that it scored zero. The digits that matter for outdoor speakers:

A higher number is a pass in a harsher test, not a guarantee against everything weather does. UV, salt air, chlorine and temperature are not part of the IP code, so look for those separately in the manufacturer’s data. The full digit tables and the connector side of the story are in our outdoor IP ratings guide.

100V line or low impedance outdoors

Beer gardens tend to sit a long way from the bar’s amplifier rack, and need several speakers spread along a fence or canopy. That favours 100V line: you can run many speakers on one amplifier channel and set the level of each with its tap. Two or four speakers close to the amplifier can run at low impedance instead. The full explanation, including why an 8 ohm speaker must never go on a 100V output, is in the commercial and background audio guide.

Check which version you are buying, because many ranges come in both. The MASK6C is an 8 ohm speaker only, while the MASK6CT adds a 100V transformer. The CMAR8-W is 8 ohm; the CMAR8T-W comes with Biamp’s T20iP waterproof 70V/100V transformer. The Cuboid 5 is low impedance, the Cuboid 5TX switches between 8 ohm and 70/100V. The NEXO ePS8 is an 8 ohm speaker; NEXO lists no 100V transformer for it.

Weatherproof speakers we stock, compared

All figures are from the manufacturers’ datasheets and product pages. Coverage is the manufacturer’s nominal figure, horizontal by vertical. Taps are at 100V; most also offer 70V taps.

Which type where

Under a canopy, pergola or smoking shelter

This is where most beer garden speakers live, and where IP54 to IP64 surface speakers are designed to work. Biamp describes the MASK range as IP64 rated for outdoor applications such as patios, with waterproof connector sealing. The 6.5in MASK6CT gives you taps from 6W to 60W, or 16 ohm operation, so the same speaker suits a long 100V run along a canopy or a pair on a small amplifier.

Martin Audio’s weatherised CDD range is the step up for music. Its coaxial differential dispersion design is described as projecting relatively more output to the rear of the audience while staying wide close up. Martin Audio is clear that the WR models are for outdoor operation when sheltered from direct exposure to the elements, so treat them as canopy speakers, not open-wall speakers. The CDD5TX-WR and CDD6TX-WR have 100V transformers; the CDD8-WR and CDD12-WR are 8 ohm only.

The Cuboid 5TX and Cuboid 6TX do the same job once fitted with Optimal Audio’s terminal cover. Optimal Audio says only the ABS-cabinet Cuboid 3, 5 and 6 are suitable outdoors; the wooden Cuboid 8 to 15 are indoor only.

Open walls and more exposed positions

Where rain can drive straight at the speaker, choose a higher water rating. Ecler rates its eMOTUS OD range at IP65, with an aluminium grille and UV protection treatment on the eMOTUS3OD and eMOTUS8OD, and an operating range of -20 to 70°C. The eMOTUS5OD has 100V taps from 3.75W to 30W, and Ecler also makes a 16 ohm low-impedance version, which we sell as the eMOTUS 5OD 16 ohm.

Biamp’s Desono EX-S6 is specified to exceed IP54, and Biamp also specifies it to withstand IEC 60068 testing for solar radiation, salt mist, sulphur dioxide and chlorine with no effect on acoustic performance. That makes it a candidate for coastal clubhouses and pool terraces where corrosion, not rain, is the bigger threat. It comes with either a ClickMount pan-tilt bracket or a U-bracket.

JBL’s Control 25-1 is IP-44 as standard and IP-55 with its optional WeatherMax grille and panel cover, and JBL states it exceeds MIL-STD-810 for humidity, salt spray, temperature and UV.

Long terraces and spectator areas: columns

A column puts sound out wide and keeps it narrow vertically. Biamp quotes 100° x 15° for the Desono COLW41 and 100° x 10° for the COLW81, with an IP66 rating, 100V taps and IP66 cable gland nuts in the box. A narrow vertical pattern puts less sound into the sky and over the fence than a wide box, which helps on a long terrace or a clubhouse balcony.

Soffits, decking and pool surrounds: built-in marine speakers

The Apart CMAR range fits flush into a panel. Biamp describes the CMAR5-W and its larger siblings as chlorine and salt water proof, with a plastic housing and stainless steel grille rated IP65. Two points from the manual matter: the supplied rubber gasket must be fitted to seal the back of the speaker to the panel, or the warranty is void, and the speaker is not intended to be submerged. For 100V systems choose the CMAR5T-W, CMAR6T-W or CMAR8T-W, which come with the T20iP transformer.

Bigger outdoor spaces and bass

For a large terrace or function marquee site where a few high-output boxes make more sense, the NEXO ePS8 is rated IP55 with an included IP cover for its connectors and an asymmetrical horn that can be rotated. NEXO also make ePS Outdoor EN54 versions with UV-protected cloth, A4 stainless screws, 800 hours of salt spray testing (ISO 9227) and 600 hours of UV testing. For bass, Electro-Voice lists patios among the applications for its EVID-S12.1 surface subwoofer, an 8 ohm per channel design with crossed-over outputs for up to four satellites.

Sports clubs: horns for announcements

Horns are efficient and focused, which suits team sheets, results and safety announcements across a pitch, but their frequency range is built for speech. TOA lists 315 Hz to 12.5 kHz for the SC-610M and 250 Hz to 10 kHz for the SC-630M, both IP65 with stainless steel brackets. For announcements plus some background music, the TOA CS-304 wide-range horn reaches 120 Hz to 15 kHz, also IP65. If you need voice alarm for evacuation, that is a separate, certified system; see the BS 5839-8 point in our background audio guide.

Covers and brackets: what each model needs

Several ratings in the table only apply with an accessory fitted. Order these with the speakers.

• Optimal Audio Cuboid 3, 5 and 6 (and TX versions): IP54 only with the outdoor terminal cover, sold separately. Wall bracket included.
• Martin Audio ADORN A40 and A55 (and T versions): IP54 only with the AIPKIT weatherised connector cover (black or white). The CDD5TX-WR comes with this cover as part of its IP54 rating.
• Martin Audio ADORN A80T: IP54 only with the ASF09007 cover kit.
• Martin Audio CDD-WR ceiling brackets: the CDDCB5 fits the CDD5; the CDDCB6/8 fits the CDD6 and CDD8. A pan and tilt bracket is supplied with the CDD5TX-WR.
• Apart MASK4C and MASK6C (and T versions): the ClickMount bracket and safety cable are included. Options are the MASKCL 90° bracket and MASKCV two-speaker cluster bracket.
• Ecler eMOTUS3OD and 5OD: wall bracket and steel safety cable included; the CEILY is Ecler’s optional ceiling mount for the 3in and 5in eMOTUS.
• Biamp Desono COLW: tilting L-brackets included; the COLWBRA is the optional pan/tilt bracket.

Keeping the sound in the garden

Outdoor sound has no walls to stop it, so speaker choice and layout do a lot of the work of keeping neighbours onside.

• More speakers, less level. Several small speakers close to the tables, each on a low tap, cover a garden more evenly than two loud ones on the back wall. Spacing is covered in install speakers: how many you need.
• Aim at the tables and away from boundaries. Pan-tilt brackets such as ClickMount make this easy. Narrow-vertical columns put less sound where nobody is sitting.
• Give the garden its own zone. A separate zone lets staff turn the garden down or off at closing without touching the bar. See zone mixers compared.
• If you have noise conditions, a limiter on the garden zone is the usual tool. How they work is in our noise limiters guide. What level you are allowed is a matter for your licence and local authority, not for this guide.

Choosing checklist

• Note how exposed each position is: under cover, open wall, pool or coastal.
• Pick the IP rating from the manufacturer’s data, and check whether it needs a cover or gland.
• Look for stated UV, salt or chlorine testing where those apply.
• Choose 100V or low impedance per zone, and buy the matching version of the speaker.
• Write down the tap for each speaker and size the amplifier channel from the total.
• Order the brackets and covers listed for that model.
• Put the garden on its own zone, with a limiter if you have noise conditions.
• Leave the fixing and the electrical work to a competent installer.

Popular picks from the shop

Frequently asked questions

What IP rating do outdoor speakers need for a beer garden?

Under a canopy or eaves, a speaker the manufacturer rates IP54 or IP64 for outdoor use is the norm. For open walls, pool surrounds and anywhere that gets hosed down, look at IP65 or IP66. Always check whether the rating depends on a connector cover, and whether the manufacturer limits it to sheltered positions.

Can I use indoor speakers outside under a gazebo?

Not unless the manufacturer rates them for outdoor use. A cover keeps off direct rain but not humidity, condensation or wind-blown spray. Several ranges, such as the Cuboid 3, 5 and 6 and the ADORN A40 and A55, become outdoor-rated with a connector cover, so that is usually the better route.

Should beer garden speakers be 100V or 8 ohm?

If you have more than a few speakers or the garden is a long cable run from the amplifier, 100V line is simpler and lets you set each speaker’s level with its tap. A pair close to the amplifier can run at low impedance. Many outdoor models switch between the two; some, like the MASK6C and CDD8-WR, are low impedance only.

Are outdoor speakers OK near the sea or a swimming pool?

Choose one the manufacturer has tested for it. Biamp describes the Apart CMAR range as chlorine and salt water proof and tests the Desono EX-S6 for salt mist and chlorine; JBL states the Control 25-1 exceeds MIL-STD-810 for salt spray; NEXO salt-spray tests its ePS Outdoor models. An IP rating alone says nothing about corrosion.

Do I need horns for a sports club?

For announcements across a pitch, yes: horns such as the TOA SC-630M are efficient and IP65. They are built for speech, so for music on the clubhouse terrace use full-range outdoor speakers on a separate zone.

How do I stop beer garden music bothering the neighbours?

Use more speakers at lower level, aimed at the tables and away from boundaries, put the garden on its own zone so it can be turned down or off, and fit a limiter if your premises have noise conditions. Our noise limiters guide explains how they work.