Polk Audio Atrium 8 Speaker - Black

Our old 20 year outdoor speakers finally died. So after about 6 hours of Internet browsing off to the store I went. After listening in the store, it seemed this was the ONLY outdoor speaker that even approached my need for clean sound thoughout a eclectic range of music. To be honest the on the "metal Shelf" in store demo the speaker's performance, although the best out of the outdoor batch in the store, seemed to offer only at best, a compromise in performance to gain the weatherabilty. The in store demo was decieving...Upon installation over our deck area, my wife and I were stunned, both our jaws dropped...Instead of a the expected mush of voices and sound elements we could hear individual instruments and beautiful voice qualities and inflections we only heard ... MoreOur old 20 year outdoor speakers finally died. So after about 6 hours of Internet browsing off to the store I went. After listening in the store, it seemed this was the ONLY outdoor speaker that even approached my need for clean sound thoughout a eclectic range of music. To be honest the on the "metal Shelf" in store demo the speaker's performance, although the best out of the outdoor batch in the store, seemed to offer only at best, a compromise in performance to gain the weatherabilty. The in store demo was decieving...Upon installation over our deck area, my wife and I were stunned, both our jaws dropped...Instead of a the expected mush of voices and sound elements we could hear individual instruments and beautiful voice qualities and inflections we only heard before in our indoor system.. The apparent frequency response was incredible as well, way beyond our expectations. This was accomplished BY ONLY CHANGING TO theses new Atrium 8 SDI speakers. We played a Mahler Symphony, some 90's rock, a movie soundtrack from Beasts of the Southern Wild and a wonderful jazz vocal group called Paris Combo. Every piece was beautifully depicted and actually dimensioned with only our two speaker setup. My wife's commented out of her excitement and delight, " Oh honey this sounds so wonderul, We have to throw a party !!!! Thank you Polk Audio for lots of wonderful soundful parties to come!!!!

Best outdoor speaker you can buy

It's a pretty good step up from the Atrium 6 to the Atrium 8, but as owners for almost 30 years of the venerable Polk SDA SRS 2.3 speakers (155 lbs of sonic heaven), I knew I'd regret not buying the best. I found a pair refurbished direct from Polk and wound up paying only a tad more than for the 6s. Hooked them up under the eave of my covered patio, running off an NAD receiver. Sound is superb, with very good bass for their size. Mount is super solid, too. My only comment is that these are pretty big for outdoor speakers - probably half again as big as what you normally see hanging out in people's patios. In fact, we were going to use these in an adjacent sunroom and opted instead for Polk's OWM 5 series, which is long but flatter, and fits tighter to the ... MoreIt's a pretty good step up from the Atrium 6 to the Atrium 8, but as owners for almost 30 years of the venerable Polk SDA SRS 2.3 speakers (155 lbs of sonic heaven), I knew I'd regret not buying the best. I found a pair refurbished direct from Polk and wound up paying only a tad more than for the 6s. Hooked them up under the eave of my covered patio, running off an NAD receiver. Sound is superb, with very good bass for their size. Mount is super solid, too. My only comment is that these are pretty big for outdoor speakers - probably half again as big as what you normally see hanging out in people's patios. In fact, we were going to use these in an adjacent sunroom and opted instead for Polk's OWM 5 series, which is long but flatter, and fits tighter to the wall/ceiling. All in all, I'd highly recommend these. You won't regret spending the extra $$.

Best outdoor speaker you can buy on a budget

These speakers are amazing in quality, build, and sound. They are routinely going for hundreds more than they originally did so it looks like people understood what a deal these are at a good price. I only have one set on mono and it is more than enough for my 1,000 square foot pool deck. Rich, full sound, and respectable bass even at low volume. Im now suggesting these to everyone and Safe Sound gave me a great deal on it.

Best outdr speaker u can buy

I just purchased 6 of these for my backyard. They sound great u have to buy 1 at a time but thats cause it has dually mode. U don't even need bass subs I got 2 just because I'm a bass head. I set mine up single mode since I have 6. I might be partial since I have 56 Polk speakers so u can say my whole house is a SOUND UNITED HOME inside and out. Got my eye on the new reserve set now. Its great they came out with 2 new series of home speakers. To me there bullet proof they just keep on sounding good. Keep up the great work Polk. Highly recamend Polk speakers they have a set for all ages and price ranges.

FANTASTIC Wide soundstage and Imaging !

Being an avid Polk fan for almost 15 years,I can attest to the build quality, vocal warmth and amazing reach these Atrium's have. There both mounted outside to cover my pool area under my eve... Mt installer was trying to convince my to do smaller satellites as opposed to the larger Atrium 8's...After connecting them to mt Dennon Heo's amp, He was truly impressed ! The image these produced from some 25' was unreal, Then as he had me walk around my pool almost to the point of being at some 80 degrees of axis, you could still clearly hear both the left and right sound-stage ? He's not one to get over enthused as he regularly hers some very highend products... But he was very impressed with the sound ! He even went on to say it was a wall of music coming from this ... MoreBeing an avid Polk fan for almost 15 years,I can attest to the build quality, vocal warmth and amazing reach these Atrium's have. There both mounted outside to cover my pool area under my eve... Mt installer was trying to convince my to do smaller satellites as opposed to the larger Atrium 8's...After connecting them to mt Dennon Heo's amp, He was truly impressed ! The image these produced from some 25' was unreal, Then as he had me walk around my pool almost to the point of being at some 80 degrees of axis, you could still clearly hear both the left and right sound-stage ? He's not one to get over enthused as he regularly hers some very highend products... But he was very impressed with the sound ! He even went on to say it was a wall of music coming from this stereo pair ! I can't wait for the break in to really hear what these Polk can do ! Buy these ! They will not disappoint !This is one of those company's, That every claim or promise they make regarding their product is 100% true ! Very refreshing... My stereo pair is powered by the Dennon Heo's amp that supply's 100 watts per channel and they breeze through anything you ask these speaker's to do ! Effortlessly...

Garage Install

I had Polk Audio Bookshelf Speakers years ago and needed something to install in my garage. I looked at both Polk Audio and another brand that was getting good reviews. I went with a pair of Polk Audio Atrium 8SDI's. I could not be happier. I am powering the pair with a Sony STR-DH190 and have sound that makes my days in the garage much happier. The Balance of treble and base is perfect for what I need. If you are looking for a pair of speakers that you can mount out of the way that put out an excellent sound for the money, get these. You cant go wrong.

Good sounding outdoor speakers

Got a pair of Atrium 6 and compared side by side to the Atrium 8. Atrium 8 sound quality is much better. The stereo switch at the back is a stupid idea. In single speaker mode only one tweeter is in operation. Bass response is good and no sub is required. I will have to use my Atrium 6 to complement the Atrium 8 as the 6 does not sound good when compared to the 8. That's not to say the 6 is bad, I am a bit fussy with my sound. One would probably be happy with them until compared side by side to a better speaker. The 8 is an all round good speaker and I am happy with my purchase.

Great Speakers!

Put Atrium 5’s at the last house, were fantastic, but left wanting a bit more bass. These are great at the new place, no complaints. They are a bit bigger but work perfectly for our space. If you have the room, would highly recommend.

Great sound and very durable

I absolutely love these speakers. Crisp sound and excellent base for an outside speaker. This is my second pair. I purchased the first pair 3 years ago. Leave them out in the cold winter, and still going strong.

Great speakers

I had the same pair on my back porch for 5 years. Repainted my whole outside of my house. Wanted a new/clean pair of these Speakers for my porch. I love these speakers !