How about something in the $150 - 400 range apiece? Other recommendations solicited.

I've mostly done StereoStone, Classics and a few Gibraltars.

I have no complaints about the niles rs8.

Stay away from rockustics.

Why would you say to stay away??

After trying most the competitors (StereoStone, Niles, Sonance, OWI, etc.) at least once, I have to say I ALWAYS go back to Rockustics... I have sold them for many, many years and IMO nodody makes a better product for outdoors.

In the commercial world, they have speakers in all of the Six Flags theme parks, Knott's Berry Farms, Universal Studios Theme Park, White House Rose Garden, Tavern on the Green in Central Park, etc. etc. You can order them with 70V transformers pre-installed to your specification, or order a multi-tap model to install yourself.

Rockustics is the Triad of outdoor speakers. (Triad agrees, which is why they have never gone into the outdoor speaker category... They recommend Rockustics)

High-line drivers from Denmark (Vifa & Peerless just like Triad), crossover system design and voicing by Joe D'Appolito, lifetime warranty, custom color matching to your rock samples, 4 ohm or 70 Volt, great price points... and this year they have added single stereo boulder speakers.

Just like Triad in the house, the Rockustics outside are lower impedance speakers (all 4 ohm nominal) and they need a decent amount of clean power to sound good.

Try not to use them with volume controls or a puny 15-25 watt all-in-one style multi-zone system... They will be SIGNIFICANTLY better with a real amps.

Recommendations at the low end, Punk Rock ($249 ea.) and EconoRock ($299 ea.)

In the middle, the SoundStone ($399 ea.) and OctoRock ($475 ea.)

The ones to use if you have the budget are the Rocky Jr. ($549 ea.)

Also, the in-ground subs are really nice, especially if you use them with an amp and active crossover. The PunkSub ($999 ea.) or BP Jr. Sub ($1799 ea.)

If you put some real power on these like ADA, Niles Si-2125, or Sonamp 2120, it is the best sound you can get from a rock speaker system.

I've used Rockustics for years.

I've had to replace a couple of drivers recently that had been in the field for over ten years. They were replaced under warranty.

Getting the backs 'un-siliconed' was a PIA!

Both of these were involved in a 'mud-slide' back in '93 and were submerged in 3 feet of water and mud for a week before I had time to dig them out and hose them off.

They still worked up until now!

I've also tried Stereostone and Speakercraft but the Rockustics sounded better at all volume levels and could be driven hard without breaking up(as long as you have a good amp).

Another vote for Rockustics... they're made to withstand Colorado winters. I've got some that are going on ten years here in the soggy Pacific NW and they're still rocking.

Just curious.

What has been your experience with Rockustics?

I like to know the bad as well as the good.

When they used to send us the drivers and let us fix them, it was OK. Now we have to pull them and ship them back. That really sucks. Even worse than fixing them in the field. At least when we fixed them in the field, it was only one trip to the house. Now it's no sound for weeks...

We've almost completely stopped selling rocks altogether. Now we sell black boxes on stakes. We can always find a spot in the landscaping that hides them, and they sound better and last longer.

Another plus... No BUGS!

He asked for favorite brands. Mine that I have dealt with over the last 10 years is Niles; and more specifically the rs8. I personally think they sound the best and blend in with our landscaping the best in the area where i'm installing. They come with stakes/tethers, they are well made, sound good and even come with waterproof grease in the wire nuts.

Why I am not a fan of Rockustics...it seems that just about every time I have to install one the finish is either peeling off or chips are missing out of the material. Don't get me started on those annoying packaging peanuts they are packaged in and personally I don't like the way they sound.

The fact that they are a favorite at theme parks around the country and can reproduce "It's a small world" all day long doesn't convince me; although I can appreciate the scope of their distribution from a business sense.

Just my opinion and that's what was asked for.

We have cut back on Rockoustics recently due to a high fail rate...we had a job where we installed 22 octorocks. we had ordered 14 as 70V speakers and 8 as regular, the order showed up and all was well, other than it took a few weeks longer than usual

On another job we had 2 of 4 speakers fail in less than 6 mos, another job had 1 of 2 fail in a few weeks....whic is fine as its under warranty..only thing was it took about 6 weeks to get them back...too long

They have been great on the jobs we have used them on, we also have used the N.E.A.R A6 and A8 speakers on a few jobs..they need to be mounted in a corner loaded situation..otherwise they lack Bass, on covered patios and such we use Speakercraft CRS

I have had problems as well. And I have had to wait 3 months for replacement drivers. Unacceptable when you send them out in may and you get new ones in september.

Check out TruAudio. I have had good sucess with their products.

The sound quality and the looks of the Niles really impress me. They look like ROCKS! Most rock speakers don't look like rocks or speakers - more like odd colored dinasaur poop. Most blat too much midrange to cover a wide outdoor area too. Niles has a more ? "indoor" or pleasing sound to me.

For many years, we've just shoved the Niles OS speakers in the shrubs on aluminum posts rather than the lessor sound quality of the rockustics. I've had the Niles OS in the backyard for over 7 years, they're really great.

Unfortunately, I do have a problem with bad color fade on the Niles RS (rocks), though. I've had to RA a few. Anyone else had this problem?

I'll have to check out the Niles if they sound better.

Have they resolved the finish issue?

If they were peeling, they were probably Sonance...
Rockustics color is all the way through the material, so it can't peel, and if it does chip off it still looks the same...


They use the environmentally-friendly soy peanuts that breakdown in water... They make a soupy, sticky mess when they get wet.

the jamo's rocks sound really good

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