Definitive Technology AW6500 Outdoor Speaker - 6.5-inch Woofer, 200 Watts, Built for Extreme Weather, Single, Black

I've owned these for 4 years and they continue to sound great. I have two other Definitive speakers in my surround sound system and these sound as good as or better than them. The bass is so good that neighbors ask me where the sub woofer is.A couple things to note:It takes about 30 hours of break-in listening for the sound to really shine.The speakers (and the bass) sound best with 100 watts rms or more per channel and high-quality source material. You can really hear the difference in hi res sound files (24/96 or 24/192). For the best sound don't use Apple airplay as it's limited to 16 bit and 44.1k playback (it down samples higher res sound files).Suggest connecting with the largest gauge speaker wire you can afford, especially for runs over 20 feet. The difference between 14 and 10 gauge is audible in the bass. Check out Belden 5T00UP 10 gauge. I wouldn't recommend using anything less than 14 gauge wire even for short runs.Listening more than 45 degrees off-axis the speakers sound a little boxy due to high frequency directionality and attenuation. This is the only real flaw I've found. This means there is smallish "sweet spot" between the speakers with the best sound, especially if you sit close to the speakers. Moving further away, angling the speakers inward, or moving the speakers closer together will fix this.To increase the bass response mount the speaker where the bass can reflect off a solid surface. Under the eaves is good but I have mine sitting on a piece of stone in a raised garden about 3' off the ground. See photo. If you have them connected to your surround sound system set the speaker size to large.The speakers are weather resistant but not waterproof. Mount them in a place that's shielded from direct rain and snow. I have mine on the ground and place covers over them when it rains. If they're exposed to rain, the interiors will fill up with water and it takes a while for it to evaporate as there aren't drain holes or you have to turn them upside down and shake out the water. The speakers weren't damaged when this happened.These are great speakers, especially for the money. You'll love 'em.UPDATE: April 2021After almost 8 years one of the speakers has failed. Woofer and midrange don't work, only the tweeter. Opened it up and there is a some corrosion inside from water intrusion. The crossover board still looks good though, which I suspect is the problem. Going to contact DT to see if they sell a crossover board. Will update with results.Also...there are a lot of 1* reviews from people who bought this speaker from a 3-party seller. I suspect that what's being sold is a counterfeit speaker. Only buy these from Amazon. They sound great, and are well made, but unfortunately only water resistant, not 100% water tight. Keep them protected from direct contact with rain and snow.

My set did not have the stickers that have been mentioned earlier, just the easily relocatable badges. You will want the badges very visible, otherwise people will be regularly asking you who made the speakers and where you got them from.Read and follow the directions, especially regarding positioning. The directions are very easy to follow, but if you don't follow the recommendations in locating the speakers properly for the space you are putting them into you could end up compromising the performance of these excellent speakers.Mounting them was a breeze. I mounted mine horizontally under a small shed roof attached to the side of the house with the tweeter and mid aimed straight out over the patio and the bass aimed at 45 degrees down. This reflects sound from under the shed roof so that it acts as a resonating chamber. This has the effect of projecting clear, well defined bass across the patio as if you were indoors in a music room.I had them installed and playing within 2 hours of opening the box.This included spending much time experimenting to get the positioning right, and a run to buy wall anchors. Hanging and wiring them took 20 minutes.The mark of a good speaker is not having to turn it up to have accurate bass reproduction. I was a little concerned that I might need a subwoofer to fill in the space adequately, but as it turns out, the AW6500's do a better job than the old 2.1 system they replaced. Even at very low frequencies the bass is solid, tight and clear without rumble or thumps.For the bass frequencies, these speakers exceeded my hopes and expectations by quite a bit. As described above, if you set them up properly, the bass projects out and surrounds you outdoors as if you were indoors. Nothing like it.The mid and high ranges were just as clear and defined, and also widely exceeded my expectations. I listen to opera, blues, rock, symphonies, jazz. In all genres these speakers are revealing details I had never heard before, even on my main system.If you are someone who wants to be outdoors but still have a high quality concert hall experience and savor the details of whatever music you listen to, you will not regret spending the money one bit.Take the time to read the manual. It is a short and easy read. It is absolutely crucial that you take the time to experiment with placement. It at all possible, use a wall or porch for the sound to resonate against. If you follow the very simple recommendations in the manual and use a hard surface or enclosure, like a porch, shed roof or wall, you will be rewarded with rich, clear and defined sound.If you just stick them up on a pole or tree somewhere without considering the acoustics, they will probably sound fine, too, but you will be cheating yourself and your guests out of a sublime experience.