"i am sure his barn will get frigidly cold on winter nights when not in use."
Buy used but in good working order on ebay then and don't pay too much. If/when the weather takes its toll, move on.
FWIW I use a pair of standard issue wood cabinet Realistic Minimus 7's on my deck from spring into winter. These sit under a ledge to protect from direct exposure to rain + snow but are otherwise exposed to the elements and extreme temperature swings. Though the wood cabinets are quite weathered and the brown grills now a lovely shade of olive green, sinically they have kept going now for ten years in that environment and still sound wonderful. They sold for $100/pair new. Add a sub (I have no need) and you have a very nice full range sound that is highly weather resistent for not much.
Buy used but in good working order on ebay then and don't pay too much. If/when the weather takes its toll, move on.
FWIW I use a pair of standard issue wood cabinet Realistic Minimus 7's on my deck from spring into winter. These sit under a ledge to protect from direct exposure to rain + snow but are otherwise exposed to the elements and extreme temperature swings. Though the wood cabinets are quite weathered and the brown grills now a lovely shade of olive green, sinically they have kept going now for ten years in that environment and still sound wonderful. They sold for $100/pair new. Add a sub (I have no need) and you have a very nice full range sound that is highly weather resistent for not much.