Ultimate External Speaker Question

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dcisive

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So just for fun I'm thinking about picking up what might be about the best sounding speaker one could use to complement a 536 base unit. I'm not just looking for "A" speaker or any speaker, I'm looking for someone who has more extensive experiences with a number of them and came to a conclusion as to the BEST sounding speaker there is. I'm not thinking about price either, just pure quality and efficiency, as obviously some speakers will require the volume be turned up excessively to be loud enough due to being less efficient, so keep that in mind as well. I notice Uniden seems to make several. I'm also not interested in a powered one, this is strictly on my desk at home, so the typical bracket is also necessary as occasionally I would like to be able to tilt it as well. I'm all ears guys what's the story?
 

movinon

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I like a set of computer speakers.
It helps you hear everything!

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dcisive

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I'm looking for a single communications related type of speaker geared specifically towards the human voice which broadcasts from a competent scanner such as the 536. the one's that concentrate on the 400hz-5000khz are the one's that would do the best job. Just wondering if anyone out there happened to have this type that really impressed them as superb high quality in this realm
 

movinon

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They use Motorola speakers in police and fire. Ham operators been using them for many years.

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mickh

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Go to eHam and look-up "Sounds Sweet" speakers. In a former
life, I used a whole lot of shortwave gear, for embassy work. All
over the world. This was the best speaker I ever used for voice.
One thing, its big and heavy. But, they do sound sweet...

Mickh...
 

AI7PM

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Find a Motorola speaker. I've picked up several at hamfests. They come in various ohm ratings, so see what your scanner calls for, then Google/Yahoo the Motorola part number that applies.
I needed 8 ohm, and have purchased them in good shape from $10 to $15. Got one still in it's box, unused for $20.
 

Terry1810

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I've mostly used Ham radio speakers. Smaller mobile ones like the old Kenwood SP-41. To mid-sized Kenwood SP-430 or SP-23. To large filtered ones like the ICOM SP-34 or Yeasu SP-8.

Universal Radio has an assorted selection...
Amateur Radio Speakers Mobile Speaker
 

trp2525

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...I'm also not interested in a powered one, this is strictly on my desk at home...I'm all ears guys what's the story?

I've been impressed with the Uniden ESP 25 external speaker that I have been using on my desk at home with my Uniden Bearcat BC950XLT analog scanner for the past 25+ years. It is a non-powered speaker, has good audio volume and IMHO does an excellent job with voice frequencies. Additionally it's well-made and durable as it has been in use for 25+ years without any issues whatsoever.
 

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dcisive

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I am likely going to go for a Kenwood KES-5. Looks good, very well built and has great reviews. I doubt the fact it's 4 Ohms will present any issues using it with the 8 Ohm BCD536HP. Especially since the Kenwood is rated to take 20 watts and the 536 only puts out 5 so doubt it will have issues. The fact it's 4 Ohms may lend itself to allowing the volume to be set lower which would certainly be a plus. I'll let you all know what I think of it after i try one out. I suspect it will make the audio quite excellent.
 

trp2525

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I am likely going to go for a Kenwood KES-5. Looks good, very well built and has great reviews. I doubt the fact it's 4 Ohms will present any issues using it with the 8 Ohm BCD536HP. Especially since the Kenwood is rated to take 20 watts and the 536 only puts out 5 so doubt it will have issues. The fact it's 4 Ohms may lend itself to allowing the volume to be set lower which would certainly be a plus. I'll let you all know what I think of it after i try one out. I suspect it will make the audio quite excellent.

I would be careful/hesitant to use a 4-ohm speaker with an audio amplifier designed to work with an 8-ohm speaker impedance. While it is true that the speaker would probably not be damaged, the same cannot be said for the audio amplifier section of the scanner, especially at higher operating volumes.

I used a scanner many years ago with an external speaker that was a lower impedance than what was called for by the scanner manufacturer. The scanner/speaker combination worked well for a while with plenty of volume but I eventually had a failure of the audio amplifier section of the scanner. The radio repair shop that repaired it said that the failure was a direct result of using the incorrect lower impedance speaker. FWIW YMMV

Edit: In checking the specs for the Uniden external speakers (BC7, BC15, BC20 and BC23A) available on the Uniden website (https://www.uniden.com/search?k=communications+speaker) I see that they are all rated for 8 ohms impedance.
 
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sparklehorse

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I haven't kept up with this issue, but I would spend some time researching potential problems using powered speakers with the BCD536HP. It has a ""Bridge Tied Load", or BTL amplifier, which differs from the type used in older scanners.

Quoting from a thread from 2014:

"So what happens when you connect a BTL amp to a single ended amp or other input device (one that has the shield grounded as in most consumer electronic gear)? Well, you end up grounding out or "shorting" one side of that BTL signal. Depending on the design of the BTL amp, this will cause, at minimum, low audio and/or distorted audio and at worst permanent damage to the amp."

The thread is here:

http://forums.radioreference.com/un...er-connection-considerations-precautions.html

There may be newer information on this issue out there, like I say I haven't kept up with it. But it would behoove you to use some Google-fu on it before pulling the trigger on a powered speaker.

.
 
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jonwienke

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All you need to do is ensure that there is no connection between speaker ground (the outer conductor on the plug) and the scanner chassis. The Uniden amplified speakers isolate the input to prevent problems. With other speakers, you'll need to verify whether they are grounded or not.
 
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