scrappy212
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Is there any fix at all for the absolutely terrible audio quality of this scanner? Very high treble. Quality is DEFINITELY not there with the $700 price tag.
SDS1000 Atrocious Audio Quality
- Thread starter scrappy212
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It's not physically possible to get much bass out of a speaker that will fit in the case. An amplified speaker plugged into the headphone jack makes a big difference, but you need to isolate grounds. Have the scanner and speaper powered by separate wall warts, or us a ground loop isolator to connect the scanner and speaaker. If you get a Uniden amplified speaker, it has the isolation built in.
blackbelter
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Is there a possibility to replace the OEM internal speaker with a better sounding of the same size or perhaps internal amplified on board ?
Any speaker that size is going to sound tinny--it's a tweeter. Internal amplified would be pointless. To get more low end, you have to have a physically larger speaker. The factory speaker is also waterproof, and glued in place with white sealant. Replacing it would be a PITA.
The problem isn't the audio amplifier in the scanner. If you listen with good quality headphones, there's plenty of bass. The problem is the speaker size. And that's just one of the compromises necessary to get everything to fit in a handheld form factor.
Hit_Factor
Member
Just to be sure, experiment with your filter settings. They could be clipping the audio signal.
Other than that, small speakers are usually limited. Case design plays into it as well.
If you have another piece of equipment with the same sized speaker that sounds good you could try swapping it to see if it makes a difference. If it does, order a replacement from the manufacturer of the donor speaker.
Other than that, small speakers are usually limited. Case design plays into it as well.
If you have another piece of equipment with the same sized speaker that sounds good you could try swapping it to see if it makes a difference. If it does, order a replacement from the manufacturer of the donor speaker.
Swapping speakers on the SDS100 is not easy because of the thin design of the speaker (maybe 5mm total thickness), the water resistant design, and it's glued in place. Anything that fits in the available space isn't going to sound much better.
A lot of compromises were made to make this scanner meet the IPX4 rating.
Jon, is there anything we could put across the speaker to filter the highs? Capacitor?
That's not going to help much; it would mostly just reduce overall volume. A long-throw speaker with better bass response for the diameter would be too thick to fit. If you want more bass, your only real options are headphones or an external speaker.
Or swap the SDS100 for a SDS200, which people complain about having too much bass...
Do you know what the dimensions are for the SDS100 speaker?
I bought a Bluetooth dongle on Amazon, plugs in the headphone jack. It works well with Bluetooth ear buds and is fantastic with a Bluetooth speaker. Granted, that reduces the portability some but there are options. I've had other small radios, all had similarly bad sound.
The difference in especially analog audio quality between the BCD436HP and the SDS100 is dramatic. It's not as bad with digital channels, but the SDS100 is especially horrible/tinny on analog channels, especially if they're not full quieting.
It's approximately 40mm in diameter and 5mm thick with the magnet housing, but you can't get exact measurements without peeling all of the sealant they use to seal and secure the speaker away.
I have several speakers that might work with a little front case modification. I stopped listening to it because of the crackerjack speaker. Maybe it's rebadged HallMark speaker . You know , the kind you find in those that play music when you open them.Lol
The problem is that the speaker is partly obscured by the keypad, so any front panel mods you try to do have to work around that, and you're limited how deep you can go by the battery compartment. You're stuck working within the narrow space between the keypad and the battery, unless you design and fabricate a completely new front panel..
My opinion is " I can hear and understand". That's all I need.
djeplett
Member
jeffdafoe
Member
It also seems, to me, that the audio amp clips before the speaker reaches its wattage limit. On a local P25 system that's very clear, I hear no distortion at 13. But it's just not really loud enough at that level. At 14 distortion is pretty audible and intelligibility degrades. That's regardless of whether the internal speaker or external jack is being used. At 15 its clip city. This is just my own experience with my own SDS100, I've only heard my own.
It sounds worse than a 15-year-old scratched up workhorse. Just think about all the progress that was made on the SDS200 to get rid of the hum. That scanner cost even more, but there were a few of us that took some risks and opened our SDS200's and started troubleshooting and the end result was a permanent fix.@tumegpc: You're going to modify a $500+ scanner to try and improve the audio quality?Just do an external speaker from the headphone jack. I could see if it was a 15 year old scratched up workhorse but geez.
This one is more of personal preference.
scrappy212
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I dismantled the SDS100 and the internal speaker was easily removed. I ripped off the waterproof felt and that improved the audio a bit. Granted, its not waterproof anymore. But I don't care about having a scanner that I can shower with. That really never played a part in my decision to purchase it. To remove the speaker, you can use a small flat-blade screw driver and run it along the seam of the white sealant.
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