Polk Audio Atrium 8 SDI Flagship All-Weather Outdoor Speaker (Each, Black)

For some background, I’ve had a pair of Polk Audio Atrium 8 SDI speakers on my deck for about five years now, powered by a Sonos Amp, and they have been fantastic. I do not take them in during harsh New England winters, but I do put covers on them (plastic garbage bags taped with duct tape - really classy). I’m writing this review now because I just went through the process of buying another set of outdoor speakers to mount on our pool house, and that experience made me appreciate these Polks even more. Instead of buying another pair of these right away, I first tried the Sonos-branded outdoor speakers. I figured they would be a high-quality match with the Sonos Amp, given the much higher price. That was not the case. Their sealed enclosure was very light on bass, and the high end was lackluster at best. There was no sparkle, no brightness, and they sounded more like speakers that should cost four or five times less. They played very loud, and the harder they were pushed, the better they sounded... but I need to stay on good terms with my neighbors. I then picked up a pair of PSB outdoor speakers on sale because I’m a fan of the brand and have a home theater setup built around their Imagine line, which sounds fantastic. The PSBs were also paired with a Sonos Amp, and while they did sound quite good, they had a very small optimal listening area. That would be fine for a screened-in porch or a more focused seating area, but for a pool area or a deck where people are moving around, they were not the right fit for my preference. I should also mention that the mounting systems on both the Sonos and PSB speakers were not well thought out. They were more difficult than they needed to be, and I’m not sure what they were thinking. I was not able to even get the set screw to line up on the PSBs, not good. Now, onto the Polks. These speakers are big. They have two tweeters, and their design allows them to be used as a single stereo left-and-right channel speaker. I have not tested them in that format, but I would expect them to sound pretty good, similar to how a Sonos speaker uses multiple tweeters to play left and right audio from one cabinet. What sets these speakers apart comes down to a few things. First, they are extremely easy to mount. The bracket uses two screws with a wire hole in the middle, and the mount is thin enough that it can fit between shingles without having to span multiple rows and create angle issues. The speaker then pops into the bracket and can hold itself in place while you screw in the end caps. These feel like they were designed by people who have gone through the process of mounting outdoor speakers before. They are also very easy to angle. They only move up and down or left and right, depending on how you orient them on the wall, but adjustments are simple. You just loosen the end caps slightly and tilt the speaker into position. The first thing you notice when listening to them is the wide soundstage. The sweet spot extends across a much larger area, which is exactly what I want from outdoor speakers. This is their biggest strength. For a deck, patio, or pool area, they fill the space beautifully instead of sounding good in one narrow location. The second thing is the bass extension. They are ported in the back with Polk’s PowerPort design, and it does a very good job. A pretty significant amount of bass comes from that 6.5-inch woofer, especially for an outdoor speaker. They are also easy to drive. The Sonos Amp does not break a sweat pushing these to high volume. Do they sound quite as musical and accurate as the PSB speakers, with that sparkly high end and excellent midrange? No. But do they work much better in a large outdoor setting like a pool area or deck? Absolutely, hands down, every time. They sound good, and if they hold up like my 5 year old pair, I know I'll get many years of enjoyment out of them. Excellent value and big sound from a very well thought out package. These are an incredible pair of outdoor speakers. Well done, Polk.

These sound fantastic with deep base and crisp clear mids and highs. My last set were 15-years old and still going strong. My speaker wire had corroded upwards about 8-inches but the speakers themselves showed no sign of corrosion. I wanted a larger pair which is what drove the switch more than anything else. This time I used Sewell deadbolt banana plugs and dielectric grease to prevent corrosion this time.

Great sounding outdoor speaker. Hooked up to a Sonos Amp easy to set up

These speakers are BIG! However, the sound quality is excellent. Mounted them under my deck facing the pool. Had 13 teenage girls celebrating the 250th with my daughter, the speakers were never overpowered!

I hated to pay this much for one speaker, especially since I bought 2 Atrium 6 outdoor for the same price. However, it is probably worth twice as much. I use the atrium 6 for rear speakers across the pool, and use the one Atrium 8 under my covered patio on the other side of the pool on the center output. It is the perfect setup. The Atrium 8 is definitely twice as heavy as the Atrium 6. Probably twice as loud as well. Definitely worth the money.

I returned them, not because they are bad speakers.. they are good. I returned them because I found better options in the price range. fyi.. I am a Polk fan and have an old pair of Monitor 10b as my main speakers in my living room. I demo'd these along with 2 other pairs of similarly spec'd outdoor speakers. Definitive Technology AW6500 ($250 each) PSB CS1000 ($550/pair) I liked all 3 speakers, but the Polks came in 3rd for me when doing some comparisons. I kept a pair of the PSB CS1000 and a pair of the Definitive Technology AW6500. I tested with a 20 year old Onkyo receiver (80w/channel) and a 10 year old Yamaha Receiver (100w/channel). Sources were sony cd player, ipod, ipad, playstation 3. The PSBs are my favorite of the 3 with the Def Techs a very close second. PSBs have slightly better imaging, and bass was about equal (slightly deeper on the Def Techs). You can leave the bass port of the PSB plugged (excellent fitted bass port plug included) for tighter bass with less extension, or unplug the bass port for deeper extension. I found the Polks somewhat lacking in the midrange detail compared to the PSBs. The Polks just didn't provide as much separation of instruments/voices/etc and had less detail overall. I played many different types of music when testing... from Radiohead to Mozart along with many other genres (rock, rap, acoustic, jazz, etc.) mixed in. I'll rate the speakers in order for some basic categories below. Overall sound: PSB Def Tech Polk Build quality: PSB Def Tech/Polk Cabinet deadness (simple and non-scientific test of tapping the cabinet at different spots with fingers) PSB Def Tech Polk Bass extension: Def Tech Polk/PSB Efficiency: Def Tech - 92db Polk - 91db PSB - 86db (you will need a little more power to drive the PSBs to the same level as the other speakers, but that is not a bad thing) The Def techs are the only ones designed and built in the US... so that may be a reason alone to choose them if you are on the fence. Again, the speakers are close in quality, so you really can't go too wrong with any of them. You will just go more right with the PSBs and Def Techs. Also note, if you have a spot where you only want to place one speaker and not lose either the right or left channel sound, the Polks have the capability to accept left and right signal (dual tweeter design also) so you can use one speaker to transmit a stereo signal. The other 2 speakers don't have this option.

One of the better speakers I have owned- good soundstage, plenty of bass. Important note - they are big.

I bought a **pair of Polk Audio Atrium 8 SDI speakers** for my **back patio expansion**, and they have been **nothing short of incredible**! The **beautiful design** blends seamlessly with my outdoor space, and they are built to withstand the elements. I paired these with a **SunFire amp**, and the **sound quality is simply awesome**—rich, clear, and powerful, even in an open outdoor environment. Mounting was **easy**, and the build quality feels **top-notch**, exactly what I expect from Polk Audio. I’ve been a **Polk Audio fan for almost 40 years**, and their **reputation for quality and durability** is well-earned. I still have an **older set in my garage that’s over 20 years old**, and they still sound fantastic—**which is exactly why I chose Polk again**! If you're looking for **high-quality outdoor speakers** that will last, these are a no-brainer. **Highly recommend!** 🎶🔥

Excelente calidad de construcción y, cómo no podía ser menos siendo Polk Audio, sonora. De momento pongo uno con la utilidad de doble entrada y más adelante pondré el segundo.

POLK Atrium 8 SDI , das ist ein Stereo Lautsprecher der als Stereo oder Singel zu betreiben ist. Habe mir direkt 2 Stück geordert, klanglich für so ein Kunststoffgehäuse einfach Top. Ich hatte mir erst die Bose 251 ausgesucht, preislich auf gleichem Nivau, da dort aber immer gemischte Bewertungen auftauchen, habe ich mich für Polk entschieden. Hier liest man aber nur sehr wenig drüber, da wohl zu selten in Deutschland. Als vergleich habe ich mir dann noch die Jamo I/O 8 A2 dazu bestellt. Sind dann direkt 1 Paar. Preis 379€ Diese haben sogar 8 Zoll, sprich 20cm Bass Mittelton und ich hatte mir dort etwas mehr Bass erwartet. Jamo gibt aber weniger an, ab 50Hz, Polk mit 6,5 Zoll sogar schon ab 45Hz. Jamo hat Bassreflex Öffnung vorne, Polk hat hinten eine Bassport, bei diesen kann man dann bei Eckmontagen den Bassefekt noch verstärken. Also schnell noch die Jamo geordert zum Vergleich, wären ja als Paar auch noch günstiger als die Polk. Angeschlossen und somit hatte ich einen direkten vergleich zu den Polk. Die Jamo sind auch nicht schlecht, gehen aber wirklich nicht tiefer runter wie die Polk, was aus dem Datenbaltt ja auch zu sehen war. Die Jamo haben einen sehr dominanten Mittelton und lösen nicht so fein auf wie die Polk. Ich hatte die Polk für 245€ das Stück bekommen hier auf Amazon, zusammnen also 490€. Diese 110€ mehr zu Jamo sind es mir auf jeden fall wert. Mit nur einem Polk Atrium 8 SDI im Stereo Modus wäre ich aber auch nicht glücklich geworden, mit 2 Stück, diese hängen ca 4m auseinander und strahlen im 45 Gradwinkel nach unten passt es aber super, sehr feine höhen und auch bei leiser Lautstärke ein sehr homogenes Klangbild. Überdacht mit Terrassen Glasdach 10mm mit 28m² ,betrieben werden diese an einem DENON X4000 an Zone 2. Zur Farbe, ich habe weiß genommen bei beiden, Jamo sowohl Polk sind nicht reinweiß, eher Richtung beige / grau. Stört aber nicht da meine Ausenwand gelblich ist und das Terrassendach silbergrau, passt sehr gut dazu. Beide sind aber auch in Wunschfarbe lackierbar, wie in deren Anleitungen auch beschrieben ist. Fazit Die Jamo sind auch nicht schlecht, aber mir persöhnlich gefallen die Polk klangtechnich wesentlich besser. Ist natürlich alles geschmackssache und eine Preisfrage. Die befestigung ist bei den Polk sehr einfach, Halter festschrauben, Lautsprecher einklicken, Ausrichten und festdrehen, fertig. Das Ausrichten geht jedoch, wenn der Halter einmal Positioniert ist, nur noch seitlich oder vertikal wenn der Halter quer verschraubt wird. Die Jamo sind beim montieren etwas aufwendiger, können jedoch anschließend noch in beider Richtungen verstellt werden. Beide sind im Bassbereich natürlich nicht mit ausgewachsenen Lautsprechern zu vergleichen, wer Außen richtig druck haben will, muss zusätzlich noch ein SUB installieren, dort gibt es ja nun auch einige für den Outdoorbereich.

OMG love these speakers. The sound quality is amazing.

Déçue … ce n’est pas un lot de deux comme indiqué dans la description mais une seule enceinte j’ai choisi la blanche j’ai reçu une noire … je l’ai renvoyé sans l’utiliser. Trop d’erreur dans le descriptif pour ce prix là.

Son buenos altavoces, pero no me terminaron de convencer, después de un par de uso se desvanecieron los agudos. Sin ningún problema con la devolución y reembolso.