Are Wired Speakers Drastically Better Than Bluetooth Sound Systems? I Heard The Difference

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• The Polk Audio Atrium 5 speakers are disposable for $325 a pair, offering a sleek and weatherproof design.
• These speakers person a crisp, detailed, and amazingly heavy sound profile.
• You'll request an amplifier for these speakers, making them little convenient than utilizing a Bluetooth speaker.

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While plentifulness of folks usage portable Bluetooth speakers for their outdoor listening needs, they're not nan astir applicable prime if you're mounting up an outdoor situation astatine your location and want thing much permanent. 

With nan upwind getting warmer, now is nan clip to put successful an outdoor speaker system. If you're consenting to spell pinch a imperishable solution, nan Polk Audio Atrium 5 speakers are worthy considering.

Also: The champion Bluetooth speakers of 2025: Sonos, JBL, Bose, and more

The speakers are designed for those building a system alternatively than those who want thing speedy and easy. They require an amplifier to work, and link to that amplifier done bully ol' fashioned speaker ligament -- for illustration astir audiophile speakers. No wireless setup, and nary powerfulness cables. 

As personification who considers themselves an audiophile, though, I don't mind nan other activity astatine all. Here's why my finance was worthy it.

Sleek and understated design

I'm a large instrumentality of colorful, vibrantly-colored tech, but if there's 1 spot I want thing a small much subtle, it's outside. I want speakers that blend into nan environment. After all, outdoor speakers should beryllium heard, not seen.

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OK, possibly I'm taking things a small excessively far. You tin still spot nan Polk Audio Atrium 5 speakers, obviously, but pinch their understated design, there's little attraction connected looks. The speakers travel successful either each achromatic aliases each white, and they should look awesome successful immoderate environment. On nan front, there's a mesh speaker grille that covers nan 5-inch woofer and three-quarter-inch tweeter. It's interrupted only by a mini Polk Audio logo toward nan top.

The speakers travel pinch mounting brackets already installed, allowing you to equine them vertically aliases horizontally to a wall aliases different surface. The mounting brackets are rather bully and link very easy to nan speakers themselves, ensuring a unafraid installation. Polk Audio calls its mounting strategy nan "Speed-Lock Mounting System," and it makes it easy to unafraid nan speakers to nan mounts, moreover pinch 1 hand.

The only different point connected nan backmost of nan speakers is nan binding posts for nan speaker wire, which you'll request to proviso yourself. If you've ne'er utilized speakers for illustration this before, statement that you'll request an amplifier for them, too. 

Also: Why I prime this JBL speaker complete competing models for outdoor listening

Again, I really for illustration nan look. It's understated, but nan speakers still look premium and durable. Polk Audio says that they're "All-Weather Certified," which successful this case, intends that they've gone done a bid of military-grade certification processes for h2o and corrosion. They should beryllium capable to withstand moreover comparatively utmost upwind conditions, wrong reason. 

Powerful, crisp audio

The Polk Audio Atrium 5 is only 1 exemplary successful a lineup of Atrium speakers. It conscionable truthful happens that nan Atrium 5 has a five-inch driver, but nan others successful nan lineup don't return their exemplary sanction rather arsenic literally. There's besides a smaller Atrium 4 (with a 4.5-inch driver), an Atrium 6 (5.25-inch driver), and an Atrium 8 SDI (with a 6.5-inch driver). 

Put simply, nan larger nan driver, nan deeper nan bass consequence -- that's conscionable physics. Despite being nan second-smallest speaker successful nan Atrium lineup, nan bass consequence connected nan Atrium 5 isn't bad astatine all.

Christian de Looper/ZDNET

To beryllium clear, if you really want a full-range audio experience, you should still get nan Atrium Sub100, which tin beryllium utilized alongside nan Atrium 5 speakers, extending nan bass. That said, I wasn't capable to trial nan speakers pinch that subwoofer and still recovered nan audio to sound powerful and rich. Kick drums were decently impactful, and while you whitethorn not get immoderate of those ultra-deep sub-bass frequencies pinch these speakers alone, you will get bully bass successful general.

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Perhaps nan champion point astir nan speakers, though, is really they performed successful nan high-end. Again, astir will want to usage nan Atrium 5 speakers pinch a subwoofer, but you won't bargain further speakers to heighten nan high-end consequence for illustration you would nan debased frequencies. Thankfully, you'll get plentifulness of item and clarity successful nan high-end, helping make euphony sound crisp and exciting. 

The speakers besides get rather loud, which is much important pinch outdoor speakers than pinch indoor speakers. Audio can't bounce disconnected walls and resonate outdoors for illustration indoors, but nan Atrium 5 speakers are still capable to capable a decent-sized backyard pinch audio. 

ZDNET's buying advice

If you're looking for outdoor speakers, you can't do overmuch amended than nan Polk Audio Atrium 5 speakers astatine this value range. They're crisp and full-sounding, and while it's a bully thought to bargain a subwoofer for them if you want other depth, astir group tin do conscionable good without one. 

If you don't scheme connected buying a subwoofer and don't mind spending a small other cash, you could spell for 1 of nan larger Atrium models. If you're sold connected a Bluetooth speaker pinch plentifulness of bass and measurement for mini outdoor spaces, see nan Bose SoundLink Plus.