Jump to content

Swapping out those under performaing speakers on the DEWALT DC012


Recommended Posts

Posted

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?  :o

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.

Speakers.JPG

Speakers1.JPG

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!

  • 2 months later...
Posted

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.

Posted

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?

Posted

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.

Posted

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.

  • 3 months later...
Posted

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.

Posted

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.

;) ;)

  • 7 months later...
  • 3 weeks later...
Posted

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

Posted

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.

Posted

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".

Posted

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.

  • 1 year later...
Posted

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

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Member Statistics

    18,468
    Total Members
    6,555
    Most Online
    podric
    Newest Member
    podric
    Joined
×
×
  • Create New...