If there’s anything better than having a nice big garage, workshop, or studio to do your work in, it’s that same workspace filled with great-sounding music. Not only is it so nice to hear your favorite tunes when you’re working, but it also seems to make the work itself go better, faster, and easier.
But not all speakers are suitable for workshops and garages – in fact, lots of them wouldn’t last a week in some of the garages I hang out in – and a lot of suitable garage speakers don’t really sound that great, so I wrote this article to take a closer look at the best garage speakers on the market today at all price points.
If you’re in a hurry, and just want to see the picks, here are my top choices:
- Best Speakers for a Garage Overall – Bluetooth Portable – JBL Boombox 2 Waterproof Bluetooth Portable Speaker
- Best Speakers for a Garage Overall – Wall-Mount – Klipsch AW-650 Indoor/Outdoor Speakers, Black, Pair
- Best Value Garage Speakers Overall – Bluetooth Portable – JBL Flip 5 Waterproof Bluetooth Portable Speaker
- Best Value Garage Speakers Overall – Wall Mount – OSD Audio AP850 8” Indoor/Outdoor Stereo Speakers, Black
What to Look For in a Good Speaker for Garages
Selecting the best speakers for a garage, workshop or other workspace isn’t exactly rocket surgery, but there are a couple of basic but really important things to keep in mind:
- Good garage speakers should be able to handle the elements – dust and dirt, heat and cold, and – especially in some spaces – dampness or even water.
- The best garage speakers should be tough, and able to handle some rough treatment.
I don’t know about you, but I can get pretty well in the zone when I’m working, and may sometimes – without realizing it, of course – knock something off the workbench, kick something across the floor, spill the occasional soda, throw the occasional uncooperative tool, and so on and so forth… So, if you are also even a little that way, you should strongly consider either:
- Wall mount speakers, which will stay out of your way, keep your work area as open, uncluttered, and available as possible, and minimize accidental damage and abuse. Wall mount speakers also tend to project the sound very nicely into your work area, and are a great choice for larger garages.
- Tough, abuse-proof speakers. Well, no speakers are really completely abuse-proof, but some companies (like JBL and DemerBox) make very tough and durable speakers that can handle some splashing, jostling and neglect – even (especially in the case of DemerBox) dropping, kicking, or even drop-kicking (don’t do it – you’ll definitely hurt your foot way more than the DemerBox!).
- Finally, the best workshop speakers, for whatever kind of workshop you have, should sound fantastic, with that kind of loud, clear, and dynamic sound that rises above the sounds of engines, pneumatics, and power tools and still sounds great, but can be equally nice when turned way down – if, for instance, you need a little peace and quiet to try and figure out why the KIA’s ignition still won’t fire (here’s a hint – it’s because it’s a KIA).
Who Makes the Best Speakers for Garages, Workshops, and Studios?
Like I said earlier, a lot of speakers wouldn’t last a few days in a busy garage or workshop and are definitely not meant for exposure to grease, dirt, dust, heat, and humidity. I know a few quite refined high-end audiophile speakers that wouldn’t even like to be exposed to the colorful language one hears in, well, more than a few garages!
That’s a joke, of course, but it does lead to an important point. Some of the best audio manufacturers, who make incredible sounding speakers, can’t help us here. Their speakers are as good as it gets – in a dedicated listening room, a family room, or an office – but, as good as they sound, are definitely not the right fit to become garage speakers.
The good news is that you can still get a fantastic sounding speaker system, with deep and powerful bass, clear and detailed sound, no distortion or strain – even playing loud – and a lot of energy and volume, but in a package that is tough, durable and just right for your workspace.
Companies like Polk Audio and Klipsch offer rich and musical speakers engineered for less than optimal conditions, and again, JBL and DemerBox make especially tough and durable portable Bluetooth speakers that can hold up in most environments.
And if you’re an audio nut like me, and have to have sound in your garage that’s pretty much as good as the sound in your home, the legendary audiophile company Bowers and Wilkins make a weatherproof wall-mount speaker that will blow you away.
These and a few other companies make speakers of various types and sizes, and at various price points, which would make really ideal choices for your workshop, studio, garage, or greenhouse, where you get your work.
The Best Speakers for Garages and Workshops in 2024
The Best Super-Cheap Speakers for Garages
Dual Electronics 3-Way High Performance Outdoor Indoor Speakers
- Connection: Wired – Require an Amplifier
- Placement: Wall Mount, with Included Brackets
- Speaker Complement: 0.78” Piezo Dome Tweeter, 1.6” Polypropylene Cone Midrange & 5 1/4″ Polyelite Woofer
- Outdoor / Weatherproof / Waterproof Rated: Yes
The least expensive garage speakers on our list, we might well wonder if the Dual 3-way outdoor speakers can possibly sound good, or for that matter hold up to a fairly demanding environment like a garage or workshop.
And, well, yeah, actually they get a strong yes on both counts.
The Dual LU43PB actually has pretty good sound for the money, and I would be happy to have them in my garage (and I am a bit of a hi-fi snob…). . I mean, they aren’t as loud or rich as the similar Yamaha speakers just below, but they are less than half the price, but the sound is amazing for how little they cost.
These wall mount speakers have surprisingly deep and well-defined bass, and plenty of it, but not so much that it dominates everything else. In fact, everything, from deep bass to their nicely extended highs, projects just beautifully out into the room’s space, and detail and dynamic energy are fantastic.
This is a wired speaker system, so you need to run speaker wires from a stereo system to them – there’s no Bluetooth, no smart speaker functionality, not really any tech at all, save for three surprisingly high-quality speaker drivers housed in a very tough and weatherproof enclosure.
As you move up this list (or is it down this list?) the speakers do get more expensive and are of course better sounding and better built, but for the money, these Dual 3-way walls mount weatherproof speakers are really something and highly recommended.
Pros:
- Really inexpensive
- Quite tough for the money
- Clear, clean sound
- Easy to mount
- An amazing value
Cons:
- Others on my list have markedly better sound
Brilliant Sound at a Very Low Price
Yamaha NS-AW194BL High-Performance All-Weather Speakers
- Connection: Wired – Require an Amplifier
- Placement: Wall Mount, with Included Brackets
- Speaker Complement: 1″ Fluid-Cooled Balanced Dome Tweeter & 4″ Waterproof Woofer
- Outdoor / Weatherproof / Waterproof Rated: Yes
These Yamaha Natural Sound all-weather speakers are among the most highly rated of their type, and to me, they are among the most accurate and musical speakers – of any type – you can get for this low of a price.
They are also very well made and durable and can handle heat, dust, extended heavy use, and even a bit of water exposure with no problem.
A very well-finished garage speaker, the Yamaha NS-AW194 two-ways have a bit of style and are actually really nice looking, but they also easily blend into the background, and people might not even notice they’re there – until they hear them at least, at which point they will start looking around frantically and asking you what they are, where they are and where you got them.
Even the least expensive Yamaha Natural Sound speakers really do have an easy and natural sound to them, with very low distortion and very flat, neutral frequency response. This second bit means that they aren’t going to have quite the pounding bass that most inexpensive speakers these days do, but in fact, they go remarkably deep on the low end, with speed and detail other speakers at this level can’t match.
And, if you’ve gotta have the bass, you can equalize the heck out of them – they’re so tough, they can easily handle it! In fact, toughness is one of the main reasons – along with that clear, open Yamaha sound – that I’ve chosen the NS-AW194, which is built well enough to really stand up to heavy use, as well as some harsh conditions.
So, if you want a really beautiful sounding speaker system, with an honest, open, and musical sound that will never become annoying or fatiguing, and you’re not into continuously pounding bass (or you don’t mind playing around with your equalizer a bit to get it), the Yamaha NS-AW194 two way ported wall mount speaker is the best – and the best sounding – a choice I know at this low of a price.
Pros:
- Next level sound
- Amazing clarity and low distortion
- Beautiful style
- Very well made
- Another amazing value
Cons:
- Not as much bass – though it can be boosted
Small and Ultra-Tough, but with a Big, Big Sound
JBL Flip 5 Waterproof Bluetooth Portable Speaker
- Connection: Bluetooth Wireless / Wired
- Placement: Portable
- Speaker Complement: Single 44 mm Driver
- Outdoor / Weatherproof / Waterproof Rated: Yes – IXP7
Unlike my first two choices in this list of best garage speakers, the JBL Flip 5 is not meant to be mounted to the wall, but is instead a single portable Bluetooth wireless speaker, with both the toughness and that brilliant, energetic sound JBL has become so well known for.
In fact, I have to say that this is one of my favorite Bluetooth speakers on the market – durable enough for a garage, but a fantastic choice for anybody, with big, exciting sound and amazing tech.
There are tougher portable Bluetooth speakers out there – the DemnerBox below (which, to be clear, is about three times the price) is the toughest I’ve found, so if you work with a bunch of gorillas… – but the JBL is amazingly strong, durable and reliable, and fully IPX7 waterproof rated.
There are also better sounding – the JBL Boombox 2, also below, has sound that is nearly stunning, so much so that it might be a bit distracting when you’re trying to work. But again I should clearly point out that the Boombox 2 is nearly four times as expensive as this Flip 5, and for this small money I’ve never found any Bluetooth speaker with this much musical energy, excitement, clarity, or real musicality.
It seems silly to even mention or recommend JBL products since I could almost assume everybody already knows all about them – they are, after all, maybe the most popular and highly rated portable waterproof Bluetooth speakers out there, and consistently the ones with the very best sound at their respective levels.
But in this context – good speakers for workshops, garages, and the like – the JBL Flip 5 seems perfect. Just over a hundred dollars, it is affordable and an amazing value, and its sound, its toughness, its tech and user interface – and its cool factor – are all as good as it gets at this level.
Pros:
- Incredibly fun sound
- Undeniable cool factor
- Super tough
- Technologically advanced but very easy to use
- Supreme value
Cons:
- Less deep bass – though tons of bass overall
Beautiful Sounding Bookshelf Best Garage Speakers
Edifier R1700BTs Active Bluetooth Bookshelf Speakers 66w RMS
- Connection: Bluetooth Wireless / Wired
- Placement: Bookshelf
- Speaker Complement: .75″ Silk Dome Tweeters & 4″ Woofers
- Outdoor / Weatherproof / Waterproof Rated: No
A different approach to the wall-mount variety of garage speakers – like my first two recommendations – or the portable Bluetooth type – like the JBL just above – the Edifier R1700BT is designed to be placed on a shelf, and to project beautiful sound with room-filling volume and amazing detail and musicality into even larger spaces.
And yes, I have to be honest here. The sound of the Edifier-powered bookshelf speakers is the main reason I’m including them here. They are, for bookshelf speakers, remarkably well made, and will definitely last and last, but they aren’t especially tough, nor are they rated to be waterproof or weatherproof. Still, as high quality as they are, if you have a place to put them that’s a bit up and out of the way they should hold up beautifully for years.
For well under 200 dollars a pair, the Edifier R700BT are incredibly exciting sounding speakers, with deep, powerful bass that supports any kind of music with real impact and intensity, smooth, extended highs with tons of detail and not a drop of harshness or distortion, and dark, warm mids with almost uncanny presence. And with the latest-gen Bluetooth 5.0 (including, remarkably, AptX codec for true audiophile sound) even wireless music from your phone will sound amazing.
They also play really, really loud, with a true 66 watts of clean, dynamic power per speaker and very low distortion. The right speaker has volume control and very useful bass and treble level knobs – though, of course, you can do that all on your phone or PC if you like – and the Edifiers also come with a nice full-function remote. The unique slant to the cabinet, and the “Near Field” imaging, allows them to really project sound throughout even the largest workspaces.
Again, these are not water or weather-rated speakers, and some shops might prove to be a bit too much for them over the long haul, but they are quite possibly the best-built Bluetooth wireless speakers I’ve found for this still quite a low price, and definitely the best sounding.
Pros:
- Incredible sound
- Well play very loud
- Very well made
- Project beautifully into the room
- Excellent and useful technology
Cons:
- Not as tough as others on the list
Superior Sound in an Affordable Wall-Mount Speaker
Polk Audio Atrium 4 Outdoor Speakers with Powerful Bass
- Connection: Wired – Require an Amplifier
- Placement: Wall Mount, with Included Brackets
- Speaker Complement: 3/4″ Dynamic Balance Anodized Aluminum Dome Tweeter & 4 1/2″ Dynamic Balance Polypropylene Woofer
- Outdoor / Weatherproof / Waterproof Rated: Yes
Back to wall-mounted wired speakers for my next recommendation – this time the Polk Audio Atrium 4 outdoor speaker, which even compared to the excellent Dual and Yamaha speakers above definitely takes us to a whole new level in terms of sound.
The beauty of Polk speakers is their remarkable balance between a popular sound signature and a clean, honest overall sound. That is, while they have lots of deep, strong bass, bright and detailed highs, and tons of energy, and sound great with all kinds of popular music – rock, pop, country, electronica, rap, and hip hop – these (and any) Polk speakers are also exceptionally natural and low distortion and can be listened to for hours and hours without any fatigue or stress.
Even really loud – and the Atrium 4 will play plenty loud. Keep in mind, though, that these are wired passive speakers, which means they have to be connected to an amplifier – from a basic bookshelf or desktop (workbench top?) stereo to a full-fledged hi-fi system – but they can handle lots of power, and you can really crank them up without losing any sound quality whatsoever.
The Polk Atrium 4 are also tough as nails, with marine and industrial standard durability (Polk doesn’t use normal IP ratings, but instead runs its own grueling durability tests), as well as strong cabinets and rust-proof components. Their included wall-mount brackets are easily installed and adjusted, and you can enjoy the superior Polk sound equally well anywhere in your workspace.
A super-tough pair of wired, wall mount speakers with truly next-level sound and overall quality on all fronts that can’t be beaten at this level, the Polk Atrium 4 is a perfect premium choice for any garage at a still very affordable price.
Pros:
- Superior sound quality – dynamic, musical, and easy to listen to
- Very well made and durable
- Will play super-loud
- Perfect balance between a fun sound and accuracy
- Amazing for the price
Cons:
- Some will want more bass
Best Value Wall Mount Garage Speakers
OSD Audio AP850 8” Indoor/Outdoor Stereo Speakers, Black
- Connection: Wired – Require an Amplifier
- Placement: Wall Mount, with Included Brackets
- Speaker Complement: 1″ Ferrofluid Cooled Silk Dome Tweeter & 8″ Polypropylene Woofer
- Outdoor / Weatherproof / Waterproof Rated: Yes
I’m surprised to realize that most people haven’t really heard of OSD Audio, even though they have been in business almost exactly 20 years now, and manufacture such brilliant sounding, well-made products – products, in fact, that clearly challenge our perception of how good sound and overall quality can be for such a low price.
And that’s exactly what OSD Audio’s AP850 wall-mount speakers are all about.
Their big 8-inch woofer provides plenty of basses, deep, fast, and nicely boosted, while mids are refreshingly open and clear and highs are very well extended, very sweet, and have plenty of detail and energy. In fact, energy is a great word to use to describe the OSD Audio AP850s overall, which reproduces music with more dynamic energy and excitement than about anything else out there – especially at this price.
This is all great, and the 850 is clearly a fantastic speaker, and a fantastic value for the money, but when you consider the toughness of their materials and build, the long-term durability, and the IP54 water resistance, these become pretty much the perfect mid-range speaker for the true music-lovers garage.
Even the speaker drivers are super strong and durable – the polypropylene 8-inch woofer and the silk dome tweeter are not only exceptionally musical, accurate, and energetic, they can handle tons of power and play at volumes that are, well, almost too much… But even when they are almost overwhelmingly loud, the AP850 two ways still sound sweet and beautiful.
These are passive wired speakers, which need to be connected to a stereo system’s amplifier, and while they can definitely handle tons of power they also work great with smaller and more modest systems.
Accurate and honest, energetic and exciting, and with absolutely awesome bass, the OSD Audio 8 inch two way wired wall mount garage speakers are great for any kind of music, will fill even bigger spaces effortlessly and are tough enough to stand up to even extreme conditions – a brilliant choice for any garage, workshop or studio.
Pros:
- The best sound for the money
- Huge bass that’s never overwhelming
- Beautifully made
- A wonderful company behind them
- Will play loud without any strain or fatigue
- The best value for this money – for garages or for any use
Cons:
- At this price, none!
Tougher than Tough, Cooler than Cool
DemerBox: Waterproof, Portable, and Rugged Outdoor Bluetooth Speakers
- Connection: Bluetooth Wireless / Wired
- Placement: Portable
- Speaker Complement: Two 3″ Aluminum Cone Drivers with Rubber Surrounds
- Outdoor / Weatherproof / Waterproof Rated: Yes – Fully Waterproof
Although I think any of my picks in this buyer’s guide to the best garage speakers would be an ideal choice, for some reason when I really envision a speaker for a working garage I kind of picture the DemerBox – I mean, just look at it! It totally looks like something you’d find at a mechanic’s shop.
But the cool, decidedly industrial appearance is the least of the reasons the DemerBox is one of the best garage speakers you can buy. That same industrial appearance indicates the incredible toughness of this speaker, which is actually built into a crushproof Pelican case. There is a tuned port that can be opened for deeper, stronger bass but also includes a plug which, when inserted, makes this baby completely waterproof.
The inside compartment is as waterproof as the rest of it, and in addition to having a USB charging station, it has plenty of space for your wallet, keys, smartphone, torque wrench, spare spark plugs, whatever.
The sound is not as refined as some of the other choices on our list – especially as you move up in price – but it has a kind of hyper-energized quality which makes it tons of fun, and just right for keeping you charged up when you are working. That same energy also comes across nicely at lower volumes, at which the DemerBox sounds surprisingly rich, full, and engaging.
Anyway, the sound is super clear and low in distortion, with strong and impactful bass, lots of detail, and a bright – but never harsh – overall sound signature.
And this Bluetooth portable speaker will work wirelessly with any of your gadgets, allowing you to easily listen to your own playlist or any online music or audio. You can also connect a device directly through the auxiliary wired audio input. And speaking of fantastic tech, the DemerBox will play for up to 40 hours on a single charge!
Not an audiophile choice, the DemerBox is nonetheless one of the most fun and exciting sounding speakers on our list and is almost certainly the toughest. If you want big, bold sound filling your garage, and don’t want to have to worry about the speaker at all – really, at all – this is a perfect choice.
Pros:
- Tougher than tough, cooler than cool
- Clear, bright, and fun sound
- Excellent battery life
- Fully waterproof
- Surprising bass for such small drivers
- You can store tools inside!
Cons:
- Not as refined of sound
Best Speakers for a Garage Overall – Bluetooth Portable
JBL Boombox 2 Waterproof Bluetooth Portable Speaker
- Connection: Bluetooth Wireless / Wired
- Placement: Portable
- Speaker Complement: .8″ Tweeters & 4″ Woofers
- Outdoor / Weatherproof / Waterproof Rated: Yes – IXP7
I’ve already called upon JBL for one of the very best affordable portable Bluetooth speakers on the market – the Flip 5 – and now that we’re reaching more premium price points I am happy to say that the super-tough and brilliant-sounding JBL Boombox 2 is an equally ideal choice.
And, it must be said, a choice and a speaker with much better sound than even the wonderful little Flip – which itself is amazing sounding, especially for its price. But this Boombox 2 has much more extended, fast, and powerful bass – really, earthshaking bass – and smoother, more detailed, and accurate sound all the way to the nicely extended high frequencies.
In fact, I’m just going to say it – even after listening to a lot of products from premium companies like Bose, Marshall, and Klipsch (none of which are probably quite tough enough for a lot of garages), I would rather listen to the JBL Boombox 2, which is equal parts fun, exciting, sweetly musical and refreshingly accurate. And yeah, loud.
I can say that the Boombox 2 is about equal with the Flip in terms of durability and toughness – they are both super strong and fully waterproof, and both built well enough to last for years even with heavy use. These are not, though, crushproof, abuse-proof monsters, like the DemBox above, but can definitely take some harsh conditions and the occasional abuse and neglect.
Of course, with such fantastic sound, such a wonderfully simple, intuitive user interface, and such incredibly advanced technology, you are likely to fall so deeply in love with the JBL Boombox 2 that you go out of your way to take care of it – and at that rate, it might just live forever!
Speaking of tech, the Boombox 2 has the latest generation Bluetooth 5.1 wireless protocol, JBL’s cool PartyBoost multiple speaker pairing, 24 hours of playtime, full IPX7 waterproof rating, two high resolution .8 inch tweeters, and two long-throw 4-inch woofers, a high power bi-amplified amp with 40 watts each going into each driver, and so much more.
The loudest Bluetooth portable speaker in the JBL line, and perfect for even large garages, the JBL Boombox 2 is also one of the best soundings I’ve ever heard, and definitely tough enough for pretty much any work area.
My clear choice for best Bluetooth portable speakers for a garage, and highly recommended!
Pros:
- One of the best-sounding Bluetooth speakers at any price
- Incredibly well made
- Super tough
- Deep bass, sweet highs, and plenty of volumes!
- Great battery life and very advanced tech
- Easy to use
Cons:
- None
Best Speakers for a Garage Overall – Wall-Mount
Klipsch AW-650 Indoor/Outdoor Speakers, Black, Pair
- Connection: Wired – Require an Amplifier
- Placement: Wall Mount, with Included Brackets
- Speaker Complement: Tractix Horn Tweeter, 6.5″ Graphite Woofer, Dual Bass Ports
- Outdoor / Weatherproof / Waterproof Rated: Yes
A stellar performer from a truly legendary audio manufacturer, the Klipsch AW-650 all-weather wall mount speaker does its company and its reputation proud.
This is not just one of the toughest and most substantial wall-mount systems on the market today, it is also one of the very finest soundings, with clarity and purity, imperceptibly low distortion, and incredibly high levels of detail and dynamic energy, that even most normal ‘hi-fi” speakers at this price level don’t really come close to.
The thing about Klipsch, and about this AW-650, is that these are enormously efficient speakers, which will play incredibly loud even with low power, and at any volume convey a kind of dynamic energy and expressiveness that really brings any music to life.
The astoundingly clear and accurate Tractrix horn tweeter couples perfectly with a 6.5-inch graphite woofer, which itself provides bass depth and power all out of line with its smallish size, and the overall listening experience is fantastic – so exciting, so musical and so beautiful.
Really, if you want the best sound, and you want it as loud as humanly possible with no strain or distortion, look no further!
Like the other passive-wired wall mount speakers on this list of best garage speakers, the Klipsch AW-650 needs to be connected to a stereo system, with wires running from the amplifier’s speaker outputs to the 650s speaker posts. With a system, this efficient, even very small amps will let these speakers completely fill your work area with great sound, and the better the amp, the better these high-resolution wonders will sound.
And with speakers this good, there’s a real danger of concentrating too much on the sound quality, and really we should remember that the AW-650 are incredibly well built, strong and durable speakers, weather, water, and UV resistant, with tough ABS enclosures and rust-proof hardware and grills. They also have exceptionally strong and durable drivers and are made to last for many, many years.
The Klipsch AW-650 speakers are getting up there in price, but still must be considered one of the best values on this list, with incredible sound, superb material, construction quality, and real long-term durability, they are the best premium garage speakers I know of, and one of the best and most beloved investments you will ever make. Top recommendation!
Pros:
- Incredibly clear and detailed sound
- Tremendous bass
- Will play super loud without strain
- Work well with even smaller stereos
- Built like tanks
Cons:
- A bit brighter than the B&W below, but this can work great in large and busy garages
Best Sounding Garage Speakers – The Audiophile Choice
Bowers & Wilkins AM-1 2-Way Weatherproof Indoor/Outdoor Speaker – Pair (Black)
- Connection: Wired – Require an Amplifier
- Placement: Wall Mount, with Included Brackets
- Speaker Complement: 1″ Aluminum Dome Tweeter, 5″ Glass Fiber Woofer & Auxiliary Bass Radiator
- Outdoor / Weatherproof Rated: Yes
I’ve just raved and raved about the splendid Klipsch AW-650 speakers and their sound quality, but to be perfectly honest I think these B&W AM-1 sound even better.
If this sounds either confusing or even a bit disingenuous, let me explain a little why I feel this way. The Klipsch has a big, bright sound, with phenomenal detail and clarity, and also has slamming bass and tons of musical energy – this is all so strong, in fact, that they end up sounding a little bigger than life. Or a lot bigger…
The Bowers and Wilkins AM-1, on the other hand, is proper audiophile purist speakers – just in a tough, weatherproof package.
They do not have strongly accented bass – just a small, tasteful boost to give everything warmth and foundation, and a fast and accurate low end that actually goes deeper than any other speaker on this list. And they are not a bright speaker, but in fact always sound just like the music sounds, without added or emphasized tone.
And while the Klipsch cannot exactly add detail or dynamics to the music, they are so very efficient that all of that comes through with almost unnatural clarity, while the AM-1 also reproduces all of the detail and dynamics of the music, but in a decidedly more relaxed way.
In direct comparison with the Klipsch, which are about one hundred and fifty dollars less expensive, the Bowers and Wilkins AM-1 sound almost dark, almost flat, and a bit polite, but when you really listen you will hear musical accuracy here that is unparalleled at this price point, and with extended listening, they prove to be actually more exciting than the Klipsch, in how they step aside and let the excitement of the music express itself perfectly.
And again, strangely enough, these near-perfect affordable audiophile speakers come in a strong, durable, weatherproof form that is perfect for a garage, a workshop, a studio, or any space where conditions might be a little harsh or unpredictable.
These are wired passive speakers, and so they need an amplifier to power them – and with speakers this good, while any stereo with speaker outputs will do, you can really hear the beauty and excellence of high-end components come shining through.
So if you are an audiophile who wants seriously good, accurate, and beautiful sound in your workspace, or just a music lover who appreciates honesty and accuracy above all else, the Bowers and Wilkins AM-1 weatherproof indoor/outdoor wall mount speakers are the best sounding garage speakers on the market and beautiful beyond description.
Pros:
- The best sound on the list
- Warm, accurate, and superbly musical
- Beautiful, with super premium fit and finish
- Very tough and incredibly well made
- The best company backing them up
Cons:
- Expensive – though not for their sound or overall quality
Conclusion: Which Garage Speakers are Best for You?
I really do think any of these speakers are perfectly suitable for use in a garage and offer the best sound, features and tech, overall quality, and durability available at their respective price levels.
That said, if you want a portable Bluetooth speaker with real toughness and the best sound, the JBL Boombox 2 is the best I know – really the best – and its little brother, the JBL Flip 5, is maybe the best value I know.
If you want to have fantastic garage speakers that mount up on the walls and out of the way, and you have a stereo system you can connect them to, the Klipsch AW-650 is as good as it gets, and will fill even the largest and busiest garage or workshop with amazingly clear, dynamic and engaging sound. And the OSD Audio AP850 is an amazing value, and one of my favorite speakers.
Finally, if you are out in your garage late at night hand-crafting fine violins, or tuning Maserati engines solely by the sound of their pipes, you absolutely must have the superlative Bowers & Wilkins AM-1 – among the finest sounding speakers on the market today, and tough enough for any workspace.