Been wanting to upgrade the sound of my garage boom box for the longest time however due to work load it took close to two years for me to finally get it done. Part of my hobbies are tinkering with my cars so this boom box gets a lot of use every week. The only let down really of this unit is how it sounds.
The box: Its a Ryobi construction grade Boom Box. Yes its one unique box. Shock proof, dust and water resistant. It has very simple controls and has a radio (AM/FM) and an aux input with USB so you can charge your phone, ipod while playing. The best function of this box is that it can be powered by a One + Ryobi battery. If powered via mains it charges the battery. Run time of the 4.0Ah battery is around 3 hours at full blast.
The problem: As previously mentioned it is the sound. Its is veiled (ngo ngo in local terms). Even when you play a a quality recording the highs are simply not there. Make no mistake though...I don't have audiophile caliber aspirations for this unit. I just want to improve it so that it sounds as good as it looks depending of course on one's subjectivity.
The solution: I looked around on the net for the specs of the box and found out that it uses 4 inch drivers that are generic. Good thing there was a step by step disassembly procedure on the net by one dude who upgraded the drivers of his unit as well. Same complaint...lack of mid and highs. So off I went looking for 4 inch drivers with a mounted tweeter. Luckily for me I happen to pass by HMR one day and picked up a pair of 4 inch coaxial speakers for Php250.00. It brand new with grilles, wirig etc. The brand is something that I havent heard of however the construction is way above the stock unit that the boom box uses so I though Php250.00 is a worthwhile gamble to uplift its performance.
here are pics of the disassembly:
Here is the generic driver:
now side by side with the new tenant:
replaced:
When I was looking at the innards of the unit I was thinking to myself why not upgrade the speaker wires to better ones plus apply sound deadening to improve the bass however common sense came into play and I dont want to exert all that effort to chase a result that this unit might never achieve so its just the driver upgrade.
finished:
The outcome was quite surprising. The mids and highs improved and so is the bass. All in all it worth the Php250.00 and two hours of my time. Its will not provide me with the full monty of an audiophile caliber system but it does keep me entertained when im working on my cars during my spare time.
