Wireless speaker(s) and Pandora

[Iguana Man]

I normally listen to music via Pandora from either my FireTv, DirecTv or Xbox1. When I sit on the deck, I can leave just the screen door closed and hear the living room just music fine, however, as the temps rise and the a/c is churning along, I'd like to have a speaker or two on the deck itself.

So how do I do that? I'm guessing wireless is going to be better than bluetooth so that's what I want to explore. I'd like to be able to fire up my stereo system, start pandora on any or one of the devices mentioned, have it play in the living room but also send the music wirelessly to a single speaker (or two) on the deck.

 

[The Max Fan]

I have a FireTV. As long as it is not the "stick" version you should be able to connect a bluetooth device to it and use it as a speaker. I do this late at night with a bluetooth headphone when I want to watch a louder movie.

It connects directly through the FireTV much like the remote. Just go into settings and go to other bluetooth device and sync. Though, range might be a bit of an issue for you.

 

[Iguana Man]

I'm thinking Sonos may be what I want to avoid any pitfalls with bluetooth.

https://www.engadget.com/2017/11/14/pandora-sonos-direct-connect-premium-support/

 

[The Max Fan]

I'm not very familiar with Sonos. I almost wonder at that point, why not just get an Alexa speaker or Google Home.

 

[Iguana Man]

I think Alexa is bluetooth but I'll check.

 

[Wirehed]

Yeah, a Sonos system might be the way to go, however that is also a few dollars.

The linking thing is what's going to cost you. Some apps might be able to do this though. You can use Pandora on the FireTV (like mentioned above).

I have a low cost Yamaha receiver and Axiom outdoor speakers on my patio and that works well. (I use Squeezebox, but that's not an option anymore. I would likely go Sonos today)

 

[Taxi]

Iggy, the Alexa speakers (technically called Amazon Echo or Echo Dot) do use wifi, not bluetooth. I have one of the original Echos, and the sound quality is decent in a small/medium sized room, but I don't think it would be adequate for outdoors.

MachineGunTony has had Sonos speakers for years, and they sound fantastic, and the configuration options for that system are pretty decent too, but it is very expensive compared to some of the other options.

What *I* would suggest you do, is get an Echo Dot, (I think they go on sale quite often for less than the current $50) and then either a small, decent amp, like the Emotiva A-100 and some decent/cheap outdoor speakers, or forego the amp and get decent/cheap powered outdoor speakers. Although I suppose at that point, you might be bumping up into Sonos level cost, depending on the speakers. (I've never looked at outdoor speakers, so I'm in the dark on this one.) Of course, you're going to have to house the Echo Dot in something that won't get wet, etc. Anyway, it might be an option for you to check out.

 

[Iguana Man]

Since I don't want the hassle of housing equipment outside and prefer to just carry and drop a speaker on the table, the Sonos One looks most appealing. Especially for sound quality compared to the echo(s). I do like the battery bases you can get for the echos though. That would let me drop it on the table without having to plug it in.