Reddit reviews 3-Way Weatherproof Outdoor Speaker Set - 3.5 Inch 200W Pair of Marine Grade Mount Speakers - in a Heavy Duty ABS Enclosure Grill - Home, Boat, Poolside, Patio, Indoor Outdoor Use - Pyle PLMR24 (White)

I use my Chromecast as a headless audio system for the backyard... along with a $9 HDMI -> VGA Adapter (with 3.5mm audio out) connected to a $17 mini 40 watt amplifier pushing some $17 outdoor weather proof speakers.

Everything except the speakers are in the garage, outside of the elements.

Pretty much any non-powered speakers with non-cardboard cones are going to be "weatherproof-ish", which is what most people are looking for. You could stick these out on your patio as-is, and they'd be find for a year or so. Moisture would get in (as would insects and debris), but it would take a while for it to screw up the wires or drivers. You'd get your $19 worth before they shit the bed. There are quite a few decent reviews from people who got what they expected, because for $19, they weren't expecting much.

As for being actually waterproof, very few speakers actually are. They never should have used that term, as it's a blatant lie.

i have this little amp with some small book shelf speakers and i love it http://www.amazon.com/Upgraded-LP-2020A-Lepai-Amplifier-Shipping/dp/B00FOK6974/ref=sr_1_5?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1405229745&sr=1-5&keywords=hifi+mini+amp best 20 bucks spent

and these are the small speakers i use to check mixes out in the living room and sometimes just to enjoy some tunes while cooking (condo, living room or kitchen? the lines blur),.they sound fair for the price
http://www.amazon.com/PLMR24-3-5-Inch-Weather-Speaker-System/dp/B001CXXDBM/ref=pd_sim_MI_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=12SZHXF0FR2DA98B7T3Y with a separate amp you can always upgrade the speakers.

these are 3 way but a little less cheap http://www.amazon.com/Dual-LU43PW-Indoor-Outdoor-Speakers/dp/B000A5S926/ref=pd_cp_e_0.

when it comes to near fields, to do actual pro work, for a good price, i went with the blue sky exo2.1 , they are full range with the sub, shielded because they are made for the desk, no bass reflex port on the satellites (the sound from the port holes comes out delayed, bad for mixing, unless very well engineered) and the woofer has separate control so you can turn it down because small rooms amp up the low end, all for for 500 bills (the price to value ratio is great, no doubt). if you find them used, the price is even lower. blue sky products are legit and you will have no need to buy monitors for a long, long time. i would save up, like 20 bucks every other day or so and in no time, you will have a legit, full range monitoring system that will gets even better with a little room treatment. all i know is "buy cheap, buy twice" http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/eXo2/

next is the equator d5 with dsp. i have not heard these live yet, but sometimes they are on sale direct from equator and they seem great on paper for the price http://www.equatoraudio.com/D5-Coaxial-Studio-Monitors-p/d5.htm but since i have not heard them like i have with my blue skies, i cant be anecdotal. here is a sound on sound review for a pro break down of their performance http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/dec12/articles/equator-d5.htm

and if you want to save money and have a truly great output to feed any monitor for 50 bucks, try the hifime diy sabre dac http://www.amazon.com/HiFiMeDIY-Digital-Analog-Converter-Optical/dp/B00AOH5JTQ/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405237210&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=hifi+diy+dac, i using it now in between digital to analog converter upgrades and if you plug right out of the usb port on the computer (no hubs) it sounds great, like really even compared to dac's in several price ranges above. read the first review, http://www.amazon.com/review/RIXL3WSR02G6/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00AOH5JTQ you will get a little smarter about digital analog converters. its one of the best reviews on amazon i have ever had the pleasure to read, and check out the users other reviews, he does a few headphone units comparing their price to performance ratio and will blow you away with his technical know how and fluid writing style. like the one on the Beyerdynamic DT-990-Pro: http://www.amazon.com/review/R2BUTFCE473Q9V/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm

i dont know much about recording gear, as im mostly a listener, i use an adc/dac from behringer and it sounds decent for 30 bucks and no drivers http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-UCA222-U-Control-Ultra-Low-Downloadable/dp/B0023BYDHK/ref=sr_1_2?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1405238098&sr=1-2&keywords=behringer+dac
sounds better than a tascam i had, that was overbuilt and 3-4 times the price. i choose this not be cheap, my focus is just on listening, it was what i wanted.

sorry about the long post but i dont half ass my posts. its like playing those brain training apps for me but not boring and actually productive/practical. take care. my hands are injured, so im not bothering with punctuation and formatting!