Solar stone speakers, some people call them solar rock speakers but I think the first one sounds better, are a really cool accessory that fit in with a custom backyard, landscaping, or other outdoor setup for get-togethers.
They look like solid little stone decorations that fit in well with a garden or backyard settings but then when you need to pump up the music, they’re ready to go!
The best solar stone speakers out there are the Homewell Premium Outdoor Solar Powered Stone Speakers. The sound quality is outstanding, they have a great appearance, solid solar battery, and a reliability that even the often lauded ION Audio Solar Stone Speakers would be envious of.
These designs come with solar power that allow them to charge up from the natural sunlight while also having a battery option for when you decide to play them a lot but have many cloudy days in a row.
The Best Solar Stone Speaker: Homewell Premium Outdoor Solar Powered Stone Speakers
The Homewell premium outdoor solar stone speakers are straight out the best option out there in the market. These are incredibly well made, reliable, and have the lowest failure rate or problem rate in the industry by not even close among the big names.
These speakers are smaller at around four inches each, but the sound quality is excellent.
You’re not looking for bass that shakes the house with these, you’re looking for clear and crisp sound that isn’t going to cut out mid-party or mid-cookout.
A single charge can last 8-12 hours with these speakers. And that’s without further charging from being in the sun and getting a bit of that solar energy going.
These can be bought individually or they can be bought in pairs. The speakers look good, fitting any with any gravel or small stone arrangement in the garden or backyard.
They are weather resistant, well constructed, and clearly have been made to hold up to outdoor weather.
I can tell you from experience that if you set three of these up in the right formation, you can absolutely rock out a backyard barbecue at a “neighbors call the police if they’re not invited” level.
So yeah – very reliable speakers that are absolutely the current best among solar models.
These speakers are wireless, bluetooth compatible, and deliver plenty of volume to pipe solid background music or blare the rock n’ roll during your next get-together.
We’re big fans of these speakers and are impressed to the point they are our new #1 choice – proving more reliable than ION speakers at this point, in our experience and our opinion.
Top Features of the Homewell Outdoor Solar Speakers
- Solar Powered
- Bluetooth connection for up to 30 feet
- Sold single or in pairs
- Very reasonably priced
- Wireless
- Lowest reported rate of issues or failures among the major brands
ION audio solar stone speakers used to take the top spot, and it took several years but after several years Homewell has come out with a series of speakers that get the job done.
Although it is a close one, at this point in our experience we do recommend the Homewell as the top outdoor solar stone speakers for the best combination of price, bluetooth range, and overall aesthetic appearance.
Note: Homewell speakers are very popular and do tend to sell out from time to time. If you don’t want to wait until they become available again our quick recommendations for high quality replacements are:
Alternative Premium Quality Solar Rock Speakers: Roaming Light Outdoor Solar-Powered Rock Speakers
Alternative Premium Quality Stone Speakers (Not Solar): Theater Solutions Outdoor Granite Garden Speakers
Why Did I Rank Homewell Outdoor Solar Stone Speakers Better Than Ion Stone Speakers?
While Ion has produced some good solar speakers, they have also had many more negative reviews and experiences than Homewell has.
We all know the difference between mass production looking for a high level of quality, but productivity comes first, and a product where the main focus is quality and they’re willing to slow down the number available to keep the high standard up.
There is a HUGE difference between what you end up with in those two scenarios.
Especially from a quality perspective.
That’s the situation here. And in fairness, this can change over time.
But as of this review it’s really clear that Homewell is the premium choice when it comes to high quality solar powered stone speakers (though Roaming Light is coming up hard behind them).
Homewell still needs to figure out how to produce more speakers to not sell out so much, and to keep the quality level while doing it, but they are the current number one on our list of highest rated solar stone speakers.
They’re just better quality speakers as of this writing. And it’s not particularly close, IMO.
What to Look for in Solar Stone Speakers
So what makes for a great solar stone speaker? There’s a lot that goes into measuring which speakers rise above the pack and which fail to make a mark.
But the following four points are really good factors to look for when deciding whether or not you should buy a particular solar stone speaker or not.
Construction Quality – It Matters A LOT
In any area there is a huge difference between premium quality and junk quality. Are the materials used high quality or at the very least, standard? Is there any sign of cheaping out?
Look over any online reviews and do a bit of research. Yeah, there’s no reason to know if xyz aluminum is high standard or not or if level 7 plastic is better than level 3, but a little big of Googling terms that specific will let you know if you’re looking at something considered good, standard, or terrible.
A small amount of research can tell you all you need to know and save you from a bad purchase.
Are the Speakers Water Resistant?
Look, no speaker is designed to be fine after being submerged by snow for 6 months in freezing temperatures and then the ensuing melt. But water resistant is another matter. A good outdoor stone speaker should be water resistant and rated as such.
Should you bring in any stone speakers when the rain starts pouring? Absolutely. That’s always a good idea.
But being stuck in the rain for a couple seconds or a minute or two shouldn’t be a death sentence for a quality solar speaker.
What’s the Backup Power Source?
You always want a good backup power source. If there is no backup source, no plugin, or anything along those lines, that’s a red flag that someone skimped on production. This isn’t always the case, but it is a clear warning sign that you 100% absolutely should not ignore.
Is the Battery Replaceable?
The battery should be replaceable. Solar has advanced to the point where this is a viable option. If the battery is not replaceable and there is no backup power source, that should kill any thought of purchasing that particular outdoor solar garden speaker.
Because that can easily turn a small issue into a 1-2 death knell for your speakers.
The Runner Up: Roaming Light Outdoor Solar Powered Rock Speakers
I’ve only seen these in action once, so admittedly my first-hand experience is a little light. However, I’ve talked to my buddy Dan quite a bit and he absolutely loves these.
Between that, doing research from reaching out to other individuals who bought these speakers, and that this is a brand name that shows up among solar installers and major brands, I feel very good about recommending them.
My one off experience almost certainly wasn’t a fluke: Roaming Light Outdoor Solar Powered Rock Speakers are an excellent product that hold up to intense scrutiny.
So what makes these Roaming Light Outdoor Speakers special? First is the impressive lithium battery that means these speakers have more power than your average small garden stone speaker.
They stay powered longer without needing charging and because of the extra power can also put out some really quality sound at the same time.
The battery is rechargeable, and there’s a USB port that allows for backup charging in case you have many cloudy, rainy, or wintery days in a row.
This is especially useful if you want to use them indoors or have them in the shade while you are throwing an extended backyard barbecue/party.
These speakers are bluetooth compatible and can work solo or sync together to create a more consistent and fuller sound. Despite searching high and low for examples of this not working or shutting down (the way many ION Audio speakers have struggled in recent years) I have yet to find a single example of this.
In other words, they are proving to be super reliable.
They haven’t been around for 5-10 years to see how they last in the long run, but all signs early on point to this being an outstanding option when it comes to a reliable quality solar stone speaker that is likely to hold up to the test of time.
That’s what happens when the focus is on quality.
Alpine Solar & Bluetooth Rock Speakers
Available in brown or grey, which honestly is a nice touch considering how different soil and dirt can be from one location to another, these are some actual fairly impressive outdoor speakers that blend in with the landscape well while delivering quality sound.
Alpine, like the other major names on this list, is a bluetooth-friendly stone speaker that can be recharged with solar energy.
Just set them outside long enough, and the solar energy from the sun will charge the battery right back up.
The battery works for up to 12 hours without recharging, which is a very solid number. If these are out in the sunlight while playing that amount of time is even longer because the speaker is being re-charged even as it is playing!
These are surprisingly lightweight, durable despite that fact, and relatively unobtrusive which makes them an especially good addition to any outdoor setup.
They are designed to be very weather resistant. That means a small amount of rain or snow shouldn’t make a difference. Though using common sense with extremely heavy rain or snow melt.
But these are speakers that although they don’t have quite the track record of some of the others on this list, they’re doing everything right to create an outstanding product that will come through for the majority of consumers’ needs.
NOT RECCOMENDED: ION Audio Solar Stone Speakers
The ION audio solar stone speakers were one of the first to break into this market and they took the top spot for several years. While no longer top of the mountain so to speak, they still produce some quality solar speakers that look and perform great in outdoor get-together settings.
Although they no longer take the top spot, there’s a reason that ION Audio was widely recognized as a speaker brand. They have produced many thousands of high quality stone speakers in the past that look good, sound good, and easily recharge with just a few rays from the outdoor sunlight.
But unfortunately they also seem to have suffered from something many successful brands have also struggled with: switching supplies or manufacturing base and then the quality nose dives.
There is a very distinctive shift in opinions online of these speakers from when they first came out to when they picked up and started mass producing in larger numbers.
There are many, MANY reports of problems with charging, keeping a charge, or sudden failure after 3-5 months of working.
This isn’t acceptable. No one buys speakers hoping for only 3 months of work before buying a new pair. We hope whatever the issues are get solved so ION Audio solar stone speakers can return to a gold standard but at this point we simply can’t recommend ION audio solar stone speakers them in good conscience.
Just look at the number of searches for “Ion solar stone troubleshooting” or “ion solar stone speaker manual” and when those are the two top autofills in Google…that’s some serious red flags.
Go with the solar rock speakers we reviewed up above. Don’t get lulled in by the ION audio’s past reputation.
In Conclusion
While some traditional brands have let some outdoor party-goers down in the past, the truth is that there are several good options and one excellent one. And one that obviously we clearly want to discourage any of you from choosing at this point.
Especially when there are such good options for great solar powered stone speakers out there on the market right now.