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iLive's solar-powered outdoor speaker set is a steal at $50 (save $20)

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A measly $50 buys you this pair of weatherproof iLive speakers, which you can stake into the ground. Even better, the sun does all the heavy lifting, power-wise. (Photo: Rick Broida)
A measly $50 buys you this pair of weatherproof iLive speakers, which you can stake into the ground. Even better, the sun does all the heavy lifting, power-wise. (Photo: Rick Broida)

Most evenings after work, my wife and I like to sit on our front porch and decompress for a bit. (There may or may not be an adult beverage involved.) You know what's missing from that? Music! We own speakers, sure, but they're not designed for outdoor use.

These are: Walmart has the iLive Indoor/Outdoor Dual Bluetooth Speakers for $50. That's $20 off the price you'd pay at iLive proper.

$50 at Walmart

What's so special about these seemingly ordinary speakers? Let's start with the obvious: There are two of them. And they pair to each other (though they can be used individually as well). That means you can position them around six feet apart for true stereo sound or up to 33 feet apart to really spread out the sound (for your picnic, outdoor yoga or whatever).

These can work inside, of course, but if you're headed outdoors, iLive provides a pair of removable plastic stakes. That keeps the speakers off the ground and makes for easier placement on soft surfaces like sand and grass. Needless to say, they're water-resistant, and therefore won't get damaged by rain.

The coup de grâce: Each speaker has a small solar panel up top, which should be sufficient to recharge it when not in use. In theory, you'll never have to charge these things. Well, unless you start using them indoors.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, you do have to turn on each speaker manually, which can be a bit of a hassle when they're staked into the ground. (And you have to hold each power button for a few seconds. That's entirely too much bending over.) But this is cool: Turn one off and the other goes off automatically.

I forgot arguably the most important part: sound quality. Indoors, I found it quite good. Outdoors, it's harder to gauge. I'll just say that on our front porch, we enjoyed everything we played. And it was plenty loud, though we had two walls in close proximity. Although the speakers promise 360-degree audio, don't expect dance party-level volume if they're spread apart in an open space. There's not a ton of power here.

But overall, I'm really liking these, especially at $50.

What do you think?

$50 at Walmart

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