Fabulous speaker quality for the price tag and the versatility makes this one a winner.
There were a lot of things that the Polk Audio Atrium 45 All-Weather Speakers had going for them right off the bat. They were sleek and they were available in both white and black so that they would match multiple backyard decor. While it’s nice to know that they speakers are all-weather, up here in snowy Canada, we have to be careful when leaving them in the freezing cold for too long because the freezing weather can affect the wires and the life of the speaker.
Setting up the Polk Audio Atrium 45 speakers could not have been easier. When you get them home just open the box and pretty much everything is there for you. The mounting brackets were both there in their rust proof glory as are the aluminum grilles. Virtually all of the hardware is made out of the same rustproof aluminum or brass. When you use these speakers you are truly getting speakers that are able to withstand just about any weather that comes at them.
One little irksome thing I noted was that I was not supplied with the screws that I needed to mount my speakers, it was not that they were expensive to buy, but I was still disappointed. The cable I needed to connect the speakers to my indoor receiver was not included either but this I had expected, so no big deal there.
The Polk Audio Atrium 45 All-Weather Speakers are definitely going to give you a much better listen than say the cheaper outdoor speakers that sell for less such as the decorative rock speakers we’ve all seen in the Sky Mall catalogue. And the Atriums even hold their own against much more expensive brands like the Bose 251 Environmental Speakers. They may not be quite as full, but they are still plenty smooth for just about any kind of music that you listen to.
The Polk Atrium 45 speakers are also a lot smaller than the Bose. They measure a nice and compact 6.25 x 9.5 x 7.6 inches (W x H x D) and this makes them not only easier to install but also easier to conceal. The Polks will handle up to 80 watts per channel and they have wonderful mounting options and even 90 degree rotation ability, which makes them perfect for any backyard or garden.
The sound quality on these speakers is exceptional for such a small speaker, especially when you take into consideration that the listening is being done outside in such wide open areas. A lot of the listening quality is due to the fact that the grilles have 55 percent open area.
The bass on these little speakers is what will really take you by surprise though. While this is not as powerful as some of the other larger speakers that even the same manufacturer makes, for the size they are outstanding.
These are not the tinny outdoor speakers you might expect based on your past experience with outdoor all-weather speakers. The Polk Audio Atrium 45 All-Weather Speakers give good listening for a fantastically decent price.
Review Addition:
After we published this review, our editor connected with Paul DiComo, the Marketing Manager over at Polk Audio. He had an insightful response to our complaint about Polk not including screws to mount these speakers. He stated "We do not supply mounting screws with the Atrium 45 for good reason. Secure mounting is very important for safety reasons and we cannot predict what material the speakers will be mounted to. Drywall, brick, cinderblock and other materials require specialized hardware. If we simply provided wood screws consumers might be tempted to use them in inappropriate situations, thereby creating a safety hazard".
Thanks Paul for the great tip! This is a very important safety message for our readers - please make sure when mounting any speakers, you mount them using the appropriate screws for your wall-type....you don't want speakers falling on your head, now do you?
The Verdict
