Archived from the Tools In Action forum (Power Tools). This thread is read-only.
WARNING DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME! YOU WILL VOID ANY WARRANTY!! FOR ILLUSTRATION PURPOSES ONLY!
WARNING DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME! YOU WILL VOID ANY WARRANTY!! FOR ILLUSTRATION PURPOSES ONLY!
First off I want to express that I am NOT a Hi-Fi geek, nor am I an electronics wizard. As I’m sure it shows in the illustrations.
I simply got bored and decided to see if I could get an increase in sound performance if I upgraded the Speakers. I chose Polk Audio DXI-400 4″ speakers. I know these are not the correct speakers to put in, (wrong wattage and ohm’s) but I got them from a buddy who hooked me up with a pretty ridiculous deal! They are supposed to be a pretty durable, with good sound. So we will wait and see what the long term effects on that decision are? 😮
The process was pretty straight forward, remove the front half of the radio. Un-solder the speakers, un-screw the speakers, and replace.
The sound is amazing! The video does it no justice, I was not expecting that much of an increase…. I was wrong! However I would not recommend it! By the time you buy a pair of speakers, you might as well just buy a different radio if ultimate performance is what your after.
[External image (www.dewaltownersgroup.com), not copied]
[External image (www.dewaltownersgroup.com), not copied]
WARNING DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME! YOU WILL VOID ANY WARRANTY!! FOR ILLUSTRATION PURPOSES ONLY!
WARNING DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME! YOU WILL VOID ANY WARRANTY!! FOR ILLUSTRATION PURPOSES ONLY!
thats pretty cool. thats the one thing i never understood with the dewalt radios….the sound is just weak. absolutely no bass at all.
the milwaukee and makita radios sound way better.
Now if i was to go to a Dewalt owned Service center could i have them install upgraded speakers and not void the warranty?
…….
vos wrote:
Now if i was to go to a Dewalt owned Service center could i have them install upgraded speakers and not void the warranty?
They would probably laugh you out of the building! If they did decide to actually do it, they would most likely void any warranty. Never hurt’s to ask though?
I swear by Dewalt….but Makita’s Jobsite radio is hands down best overall radio on the Market. Sound,Reception, Portability,size/weight and price.
What you have to consider is, DeWalt radio is the only one that charges the battery (patent) so basically it is a radio with a power supply and it can conduct noise and interference thru the reception. If they were to dump the charging feature then it will just be another job site radio.
Dont worry, Gen 4 is in dev.
Bosch supposedly has a charger on their radio. I’ve heard from a Bosch Rep and saw on their website here: http://www.boschtools.com/Products/Tools/Pages/BoschProductDetail.aspx?pid=PB360D
They must pay Dewalt to you the patent I’m assuming. Only other one that I know of though.
Gatorb888 wrote:
Bosch supposedly has a charger on their radio. I’ve heard from a Bosch Rep and saw on their website here: http://www.boschtools.com/Products/Tools/Pages/BoschProductDetail.aspx?pid=PB360D
They must pay Dewalt to you the patent I’m assuming. Only other one that I know of though.
Yep, a few years ago Bosch did a radio that charges and got sued for patent infringement, now they paid for the rights to that patent.
That sounds familiar, like when Makita tried to put a 3 speed transmission on their Hammer Drill…
Did anyone ever explain how Hilti get’s away with it? (3-speed transmission)
Madtec wrote:
What you have to consider is, DeWalt radio is the only one that charges the battery (patent) so basically it is a radio with a power supply and it can conduct noise and interference thru the reception. If they were to dump the charging feature then it will just be another job site radio.
Dont worry, Gen 4 is in dev.
DC014/015? Sweet.
Mr. Yellow wrote:
What you have to consider is, DeWalt radio is the only one that charges the battery (patent) so basically it is a radio with a power supply and it can conduct noise and interference thru the reception. If they were to dump the charging feature then it will just be another job site radio.
Dont worry, Gen 4 is in dev.
DC014/015? Sweet.
😉 😉
Was the test video taken after one or both of the speakers were replaced?
Both.
Just a FYI. Some no-clean flux is a good idea when solving the connections. It’s quicker and will provide a much better connection.
Hi everyone, new to the forum. I was wondering how this speaker change was holding up. How about an update. I am thinking of doing the same thing. I picked up a pair of DXI 400 speakers off of ebay for $9.99. They were used, but in good working order. Has anyone else tried this? Thanks
Still going loud and strong. Been used almost daily since.
Thanks for the reply. I am glad to hear it is still working great. I will do this soon. Thanks for this “How To”. I would not have ever thought to do this if it wasn’t for your post.
OK, I did the speaker swap the other day. No problems at all. It went very well. I am pleased with the sound of the new speakers, as it is a definate improvement. The sound is much clearer, less muffled. I do wish the Dewalt had some kind of tone control to dial in the speakers a little better. Overall I am very satisfied with the mod. The good thing about this radio is that regular 4″ car speakers fit prefectly in it. I used the Polks because I ran accross a great deal on ebay. There are a lot of 4″ car speakers available that would probably work fine too. Thanks to DEWALTDUDE for this “how to”.
Glad it went well! I was shocked myself when the Polk’s fit perfectly with no modification needed. I chose that particular polk model because it was marine rated. I knew that this radio would eventually be caught in the rain.
just got this radio dc013 really poor sound looking to maybe do this mod but i cant watch the vids? says private
Sorry about that, I fixed it. Do you have any more info about the new radio? I have yet see one, let alone hear it.
does this mod work ok off battery power im thinking off adding some focal car speakers
hi dewaltdude, yes, its a great radio on first impressions, has usb power on the front and aux input feels very robust and nice and heavy, the lcd display is nice and clear and illuminates when you press the buttons, im sure its the same as the 012 but with the usb on the front? im a bit off a hifi freak so i was hoping a bit better sound overall i find the sound out of the box quite poor, I really wanted this radio as i have a few dewalt batts and really didnt want to spring big bucks for the bosch as i dont have any cordless bosch kit, also i liked the fact the dewalt would charge itself and then when i use it onsite where there is no power it would still play.
I am undecided whether to go for the mod or return it for the milwaukee although the charge function is important for me.
I am thinking of replacing the speakers with these http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Focal-100-CA1-4-100mm-Coaxial-Car-Speaker-System-Pair-2-Way-80w-/271072986480?pt=UK_In_Car_Technology&hash=item3f1d358570
thanks for amending the vids, it seems a considerable improvement after the mod even watching thru the speakers on my pc, might have to go for it, do you know what wattage the amp is inside the dewalt?
Awesome idea, I will be doing this as my radio gets closer to the end of it’s warranty.
For anyone else interested in doing this, Parts Express has a huge selection of drivers. It should be easy to find some to match your application’s size, wattage, and impedance. http://www.parts-express.com/cat/speaker-components/4
This is SO weird…
I did this two years ago, just with Alpine 4″ speakers… and yes the sound is less muffled.. but I still get no extra bass or debth in the sound.. The radio has just been standing on a shelf ever since 🙁
too bad I can’t see the videoes and do a sound check…