Good Stereo Speakers for outside use during BBQs, evening pot luck dinners etc


I want to purchase (preferably used) a pair of good speakers to place in our back yard for get togethers with friends. I would like speakers that resolve well with clean highs and decent bass but nothing on the level of very high end. I will probably be running around 40 ft of speaker wire from a Pass X250.8

I'm just looking to have quality music in the back yard to enjoy with food, drink and non-audiophile friends. Easy set up and take down is desired as I really don't want to schlep my Vandersteen's in and out of the house every time I want music outside. Any suggestions for speakers and wire would be appreciated.

Bruce

brskie
My old NAD 2150 has performed reliably since I purchased it in the early 80’s and works great with my outdoor system but since receiving my new SMc monos, I now have a pair of 500 wpc Cary CAD 500MBs sitting around that I am considering using to replace the NAD and power my outdoor system. They should sound awesome and help overcome the noise of screaming neighbor kids and their parents in our pool.
My preference for outdoor speakers from personal experience is a pair of Professional JBL Control Speakers.... wall mounted in my indoor/outdoor lanai.  The installation is a pretty big deal at 60lb each speaker.  If you want to 'rock out' for dance parties I suggest you add a pair of the matching JBL sb2210 matching subwoofers and a Crown 4 / 300 Watt/ch amp.  

About a year ago I had a back patio built with BBQ, etc.  I needed to replace some old speakers mounted on the wall of my house.  I agonized over reviews of the Klipsch AW-650, Proficient Audio AW-830, Polk Audio Atrium 8, and PSB CS-1000.  Unfortunately, I couldn't listen to all of them.  I ordered the Polk and PSB CS-1000.  I returned the Polks.  I am very satisfied with the PSB CS-1000s.  Good build quality, and they're tuned very well for outdoor sound.  I'd buy them again in a heartbeat.  They are not as common as the Klipsch or Proficients, but they are worth a comparison.
I have a pair of JBL outdoor speakers on the back patio, not sure of the model (about 7 years old, didn't see anything current that looks like them)

And, I have a JBL l16 that I drag out on the front porch. Again, about 7 years old and couldn't find anything like it. Fortunately I have great neighbors and can turn it up (but never after hours). They never complain, just laugh at me if I have a few drinks and start singing along.

I do also have an older JBL charge and it is nice, but a bit weak. I imagine what I see JBL calling a boom box now would be pretty nice.

Yeah, I bought a lot of JBL, used to work for a division of Harman so I got some great deals.