Buzz Out Loud Lounge: Outdoor Stereo

Outdoor Stereo

My dad wants a stereo for the outside patio. He already has rock and flower pot-shaped outdoor speakers. He used a old shelf stereo that he built a little cabinet for. The stereo broke and it wasn't that great to start with. What's a good way to go about this? Get another cheap shelf system? Get a cheap surround sound amp? Do they make stereo's just for stationary outdoor use? The patio is pretty far away from the house so keeping the amp inside away from the elements would be a pretty big project (and it's getting cold out now here). I also got my parents ipods for Christmas, so a solution that can associate ipods would be great too. TIA.