The Best Outdoor Speakers For Your Car Wash Bay

Dynaudio OW6/OW8 Outdoor Speakers

Quality audio shouldn’t stop inside your home but should also carry out to the exterior perimeter if you spend significant time out there. In our application, we’re using what I think are the best outdoor speakers for a car wash bay. These speakers can certainly be used under a soffit or a lanai, but I intend to place them outside where my wash bay will be. 

After spending months and months researching, vetting, and testing what has now become the flagship speakers in the Obsessed Garage store, I’ve found Dynaudio to be the perfect balance between quality sound and durability. Tinny-sounding, cheap-looking speakers aren’t my thing. If you’re like me and enjoy the warm, smooth sound a silk-dome tweeter puts out, you will love these things.  

Why I Like The Dynaudio OW6/OW8 Outdoor Speakers

You can certainly do a set of bookshelf speakers in your outdoor area, but if you’re concerned about how they will hold up in humid weather (wear and tear on the cabinet), then the OW6s and OW8s for sure will be the better option. To give you some context, I had a pair of high-gloss, piano black Dynaudio Excites that are indoor speakers in my previous pole barn area, and they weathered the Florida heat. In fact, I sold them to someone, and they’re still using them. So, you don’t have to have a dedicated outdoor speaker, but if you want speakers explicitly built for external use, these are them.

These speakers are IP65-rated, meaning they are heavily impermeable and constructed to protect against water, dust, etc. You’ll also have peace of mind knowing they have a UV-resistant finish to withstand the degradation caused by exposure to ultraviolet light. 

The reasons I want these at my house:

  • Dynaudio’s signature sound. I’ve fallen in love with Dynaudio’s sound. Although these won’t sound as good as a wooden-boxed speaker because of the hard plastic housing they’re in, they still carry that warm flagship sound. I didn’t think these would deliver as I wanted them to, but to my surprise, they sound great.
  • Easy to install. These come with a wall bracket that makes it super simple to install. You could very easily hit a stud with these or use drywall anchors; I’d much rather hit a stud because these speakers aren’t super light. 
  • Wire management. An audio setup isn’t dialed in unless you have proper wire management. You’ll get a ceiling plate piece that allows you to keep your wires sealed up. If you’re doing an outside install with these speakers, you will want to use this accessory to keep things looking clean and tidy.      

One thing you’ll definitely want to do is add in a subwoofer. At the time that I’m writing this, we only carry the Dynaudio subs, but I am an SVS dealer and we’ll have those speakers up in the store very soon. If you want to build out this outdoor speaker setup with an SVS subwoofer (not a Dynaudio), reach out to my guys at support@obsessedgarage.com, and they can get you the best sub for your needs. 

Spec Breakdown

If you’re going with the OW6s, you’re getting a 1” tweeter with a 6 ½” woofer. If you’re going with the OW8s (my pick), you’re getting a 1” tweeter with an 8” woofer. I always go for the bigger woofer because it will cover more area; in this case, it makes sense because you’re outside where sound will travel. 

A continuous 60-watts is what these speakers are looking for, but I’ve run them with a continuous 250-watt amplifier, and they performed well. The more power you give them, the better they sound. Clean audio is what we want here, and I promise you, you won’t blow them up. I did a garage build in Atlanta in late November 2021, where we installed the OW8s, and it sounded freaking fantastic. What left a big impression on my client was how good they sounded in his massive 5,000 sq. ft detached garage.  

All the hi-fi amplifiers I sell will work perfectly with these, but you’d want to go with a streaming amplifier, like the Bluesound Powernode. You can use these speakers with any hi-fi amplifier in passive 8ohm mode, or you can link it with a 70/100V system because of its built-in transformer to ensure volume-level parity across a larger area with more speakers. 

Regarding wiring, these speakers are designed to accept 16-gauge wire, but I’ve jammed some 12-gauge speaker wire in them, and they were fine. 

Specifications

OW6 Specs

  • Type: 2-way On-Wall
  • Drivers : Tweeter: 28 mm (1 in) Mid/bass: 165 mm (61⁄2 in)
  • Frequency Response : 78 Hz – 20 kHz
  • Impedance (nominal/minimum): 8 Ω/5 Ω
  • Sensitivity (dB SPL [2.83 V/1 m]): 87 dB
  • Continuous power: 60 W
  • Long term power: 300 W
  • Maximum input voltage: 100 Vrms
  • Input selector: 8 Ω / 70 V / 100 V
  • Dimensions (W x H x D): 180 x 285 x 175 mm (7 1⁄8 x 11 1⁄4 x 6 7⁄8 in)
  • Weight: 4.5 kg
  • Temperature range: -33 ºC to +40 ºC (-27.4 ºF to 111.2 ºF)
  • IP rating: IP65

OW8 Specs

  • Type: 2-way On-Wall
  • Drivers : Tweeter: 28 mm (1 in) Mid/bass: 200 mm (8 in)
  • Frequency Response : 70 Hz – 20 kHz
  • Impedance (nominal/minimum): 8 Ω/5 Ω
  • Sensitivity (dB SPL [2.83 V/1 m]): 87 dB
  • Continuous power: 60 W
  • Long term power: 300 W
  • Maximum input voltage: 100 Vrms
  • Input selector: 8 Ω / 70 V / 100 V
  • Dimensions (W x H x D): 210 x 340 x 196 mm (8 1⁄4 x 13 3⁄8 x 7 3⁄4 in)
  • Weight: 5.0 kg
  • Temperature range: -33 ºC to +40 ºC (-27.4 ºF to 111.2 ºF)
  • IP rating: IP65

I know that once you hear these speakers, you’ll love them just as much as I do. Dynaudio has taken their flagship sound and put it in an external application for us who want quality music on the exterior of our homes or for us car detailing enthusiasts who wash our vehicles outside.

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