Group test: Garden speakers

Don't sabotage your summer barbie with sub-standard sounds. Stereo speakers dedicated to the great outdoors allow you to bring your home sounds outside without compromise. Overview Price: £165 More info: Acoustic Energy Size: 260x160x180mm Weight: 3kg Drivers: 110mm pressed alloy cone, 25mm dome tweeter Power handling: 125W Frequency range: 60Hz-20kHZ Impedance: 8 ohms Sensitivity: 89dB Finishes: White, black AE Extreme 5 These subtly sized speakers are slightly larger than the AQs, and cost nearly 30 per cent more, but they offer a definite upgrade in sound quality. Like the B&W and the Tannoy, these sturdy speakers come with brackets which are fixed top and bottom by water-sealed grommets. The cable connection however is different, consisting of a separate, sealed plug which then slots into another, downward-facing plug in the back of the cabinet. Connection is far from easy and we spent a merry five minutes trying to push the wires into the reciprocating slots in the centre of the plugs. Once fitted though, they were hassle-free. Inside the cabinet there's a 110mm pressed alloy cone driver (the larger Extreme 8 version has a 160mm cone and a 25mm dome tweeter. It can pump out 125 watts of power, and for a little more cash, the Extreme 8 will give you 150 watts. The speakers deliver a wholly believable stereo soundstage, and are no slouches in delivering subtle touches in the mid and upper registers. A delicate slice of nu-folk chanteuse Vashti Bunyan delivered a wealth of delicate flavours from the gently fingerpicked guitars and light as gossamer voice. With more party-centred tunes they feel as though they've got a tad more bass thump than the B&W, but at the price of some control, with some throbbing RnB from TLC suffering slightly from a lack of precision in the lower register. Verdict Plus points Beautifully presented soundstage, plenty of detail but without losing the overall sonic picture Minus points Bass lacks some precision, a bit tricky to connect

Overview Price: £120 More info: AQ Size: 233x157x178mm Weight: 1.5kg Drivers: 2 way 130mm bass/mid coaxial Power handling: 25W Frequency range: 60Hz-20kHz Impedance: 8 ohms Sensitivity: 83dB Finishes: White, black AQ Aquila 50 Like the rest of our conventional cabinet speakers on test, the Aquilas are designed to be mounted on walls, and come with their own brackets. These babies are however the smallest and most subtle of the bunch, and will easily disappear against the side of a modestly sized house. The rubber surround at the back for the cable connection provides some waterproofing - always a concern in the UK of course, and perhaps especially this summer. Unfortunately the small size also applies to the sound, and while it's certainly clear, it suffers somewhat from a distinct thinness to the sound. There isn't a great deal of bass, though that's to be expected with speakers of this size. But to make matters worse, the treble can sound a little too strident in places, especially with some of the busier latin percussion tunes we tried on them and overall there's a slightly compressed, shut-in feeling to the sound - we simply didn't get the feeling that they deliver the full dynamic range of the records we played through them. They're the cheapest models on test and they certainly sound it. If size is an issue and you're keen to hide your speakers they'll do the job, but there's better sound to be had by paying a bit extra.

Verdict Plus points Small and subtle, water-resistant cabling system Minus points Sound too compressed and shut-in, overall thinness

Overview Price: £200 More info: B&W Size: 230x162x187mm Weight: 3kg Drivers: 130mm woven fibreglass cone bass/mid, 25mm tweeter Power handling: 90W Frequency range: 72Hz-20kHz Impedance: 8 ohms Sensitivity: 87dB Finishes: White, black B&W WM2 This typically stylish design from B&W features a rubberised surround to protect against knocks and bumps and comes with integrated brackets which can be removed using the stylised locknut on top and bottom. Build quality feels exceptionally sturdy - these should keep looking good through anything short of lightning strikes. The lead connectors are given some protection by rubberised surrounds, though it's not as complete as the solutions offered by the Tannoy, AE or AQ models, which have a rubber plug through which the cable slots. With hyped-up party music, Basement Jaxx, for example, there's a noticeable leanness to the bass, and it could perhaps benefit from a bit of extra fatness, but there's only so much you can do with a 130mm driver. With some mellower acoustic tunes from Nina Simone however, there's no sense of anything lacking in the lower end, the left-hand piano notes sounding clear and taut throughout. They project an enviable stereo image, and one that remains even at quite some distance beyond the recommended sweet spot and there's a crack and a zip to the razor-sharp timing that impresses. There's a sense of space at the top of the register too that commends the tweeter and 90 watts of power is plenty for even an above-average sized garden.

Verdict Plus points Stylish looks, battle-grade build quality, extremely detailed and well defined sound Minus points Not much bass, too much detail on occasion

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