Best portable outdoor stereo?ii

May 13, 2018 3:03 PM

I am desperately seeking a portable, durable, all-in-one stereo that is easy to operate. I am not looking for a bluetooth speaker. I’m thinking either a construction jobsite boombox or a regular boombox from Sony or something if it is durable enough.

Priorities in order of importance:

- radio. Must have a normal regular FM radio
- ease of use. Simple display and buttons. My girlfriend gets frustrated with every dropping of bluetooth or wifi connection in our backyard.
- dependable and longevity. I’ll pay more for something that will last.
- rugged. We’ll be using this all over the yard and garage, maybe also on camping trips
- auxillary input
- bluetooth
- stereo speakers as apposed to mono
- good sound
- cordless option (battery powered)
- price up to approximately $150

Please provide personal experience in your responses. I’ve googled extensively but all I find reviews for is portable bluetoith speakers.

posted by fieldtrip to Shopping (8 answers total)

Response by poster: One other bit of information: the only cordless tools that I have are Ryobi - so if I end up getting a jobsite stereo I am probably wedded to Ryobi products so that I don’t have to buy a different manufacturer’s battery and charger.
posted by fieldtrip at 3:09 PM on May 13, 2018

I have used Dewalt stereos and they work well, are really hard to break, are simple to use. However, I’ve only ever used them plugged in, so I can’t attest to the rechargable/battery power etc.
posted by Grandysaur at 6:24 PM on May 13, 2018

Yeah, we use a DeWalt radio on our job site and it's freaking bulletproof. Has everything you listed above except Bluetooth (and for all I know the newer versions might have that). Definitely can be cordless; I'm not sure if you need a separate DeWalt battery for that or if the radio has its own internal battery. Built like a tank, simple, and works well. Also comes with two electrical outlets in the side that you can plug stuff into. If you need Bluetooth, I think the Milwaukee job site radio has it, but it'll be more expensive.
posted by danceswithlight at 4:29 AM on May 14, 2018

For searching, tryBluetooth boombox, I got a lot of options with that.
posted by theora55 at 5:04 AM on May 14, 2018

You don't have to buy it there, but the HomeDepot website has a bunch of the Industry leaders. Dewalt, Bosch, Milwaukee, Ryobi, Rigid, etc. The search term is jobsite radio. They are not exactly pretty, but they do the job. Find the model you want, then support a local building supply company if you don't like the Depot !
posted by lobstah at 12:36 PM on May 14, 2018

I've got a Milwaukee stereo (12V model with aux in and am/fm tuner; newer versions have bluetooth and would probably run for days with the 18V batteries). The 12V option is a great tool. Light, decent sound, good tuner, pretty tough. Though the phone compartment is too small to close with most modern phones; however, it functions fine with the door open.

Be careful when shopping for job site radios as many are radio/chargers and won't run on batteries.
posted by Mitheral at 12:46 PM on May 14, 2018

This Bosch seems to check all your boxes, and it includes a battery with can cost an extra $50:

Bosch
posted by lobstah at 12:51 PM on May 14, 2018

Response by poster: In case anyone finds this in the future and it can help them. I ended up getting a Ryobi boombox - it was the cheapest option for a worksite stereo and has a radio and bluetooth ($80 retail, currently there is a Memorial Day Sale at Home Depot to buy two batteries and charger for $100 and get a tool for free, so I added the boombox).
posted by fieldtrip at 12:51 PM on May 18, 2018