Looking into replacing the Studio 15 speakers

The speakers in the studio 15 are pretty bad, worse than any other laptop I've ever used (worse than my cell-phone)... and I've never even used the Dell audio drivers which are supposed to be even worse. I've picked up a set of Logitech V20 speakers which are great, but it would be nice to upgrade the stock speakers.

I've started doing some digging ... the speakers are part number Dell part D954D made by Veco ( http://www.veco.com.tw/all-index.htm) which makes a lot of small speakers and custom notebook mounts.

Although the mount would be custom to the Studio 15, the speakers themselves are separate and I suspect are a fairly generic mass-produced part or at least standard form factor/mounting. My hope is that a higher quality component can be dropped in ... possibly requiring a different harness, either purchased from an electronics dealer, I'm guessing Veco only deals with OEMs, or better yet buying a used speaker unit from another laptop maker with compatible speakers that can be salvaged.

I'm included some pictures of the speakers and a few poor quality images taken from eBay auctions for just the speakers, not the entire speaker mount. The one shows the back of a speaker ... would be nice if it was clearer since it most likely has the speaker specs.

I'm not an electronics expert but I do like to tinker ... previously I took apart my stock GM car stereo apart and figured out how to add an MP3 player jack (works in any 98-02 head unit)

 

Thanks for posting those pictures. I've actually been meaning to do the same myself when I get mine. I have an old Inspiron 7500 here whose speakers have some real great frequency response but I have doubts they'd fit in that same space.

To your question, I honestly doubt you'd be able to find anything that is a snug drop-in replacement. Your best bet would probably be to find something that is as close as possible and work from there.

Considering Veco probably won't sell on an individual basis, your next best bet may be to scour ebay for speakers from other notebooks that may be closer in size/form factor and have better sound quality. There seems to be a number of different speakers for different makes/models of notebooks listed.

Keep us posted if you find anything new. If I manage to get anything done on my end when the Studio 15 gets here, I'll post what updates I have available.

 

Thanks for the input ... although the long strip of plastic would be specific to only the studio 15, I think the speakers themselves shown in the 3rd and 4th pictures are most likely a mass-produced, interchangeable part not designed just the one laptop. The speakers actually have multiple mounting holes, even though it doesn't appear they're all used on the Dell. You could probably cut and glue in almost any speaker as long as it's not too deep and wire the harness correctly, but I think it's possible to find a similar speaker somewhere out there in the same mount and just screw it into the plastic strip.

Another bit of data ... the manual lists them as 2 watts per channel, 4 ohms. The speaker itself is about 16mm in diameter, and the speaker mount is about 21x18mm, not including the tabs.

 

Thanks for the extra info. Definitely a bit of help there. And yeah, you'd probably be able to find the same size/type speakers in another laptop somehwere. But then the problem comes in finding out what speakers different laptops have. They aren't exactly widely publicised unfortunately. Hence why I figured it may be easier to try and eyeball sizes of speakers from other laptops for a fit rather than trying to find an exact match. But if you can find said match, more power to ya. Would definitely be a big boon to a large chunk of Studio owners here.

 

I think you're probably right it's best to just use your own speakers ... it appears the speaker bare is actually part of the frame. Here are some pictures of the actual speakers from the bottom, they're glued into the mounts and from the model number 18cng04 (not on the veco site) I think they're actually 18mm. I ordered a cheap set of replacement dell speakers from eBay I can screw around with safely which also gives me the wiring harness... will need the depth, too.

 

Well, my replacement speakers finally make it over from the UK. I planned to gut them and use the frames and wires only, but I noticed the speakers are different from what I have mine, they're plastic instead of paper so I decided to give them a try and they sound a lot better then my originals. Still would prefer my USB speakers to watch a movie, but these at least bring it to what I would expect from average notebook speakers, so I think I'll stick with them... and is an easy direct swap.

I recorded some sample clips of the new and old speakers using the webcam microphone at 66% volume on Windows 7, no Dell audio drivers in raw wave format. New speakers are definitely less tinny/hollow sounds. Two music clips and one movie clip.

http://www.merlinsoftware.com/filestore/sample_a.zip
http://www.merlinsoftware.com/filestore/sample_b.zip
http://www.merlinsoftware.com/filestore/sample_c.zip

I'm not sure if who gets these speakers ... if they're the original speakers and Dell decided to go with something cheaper, or they've finally decided to upgrade them. My Dell was built mid-December.

 

no wonder they sound so poor, a small fly could move more air than those things :|

 

Jason, thanks a lot for this quide! I have done the same and the difference between the original speakers and the new ones is just enormous. The replacement itself is quite tough though, it took me more than an hour, since my laptop is brand new and I didn't want to do anything wrong.

I have taken few pictures of the process, I can upload them later if someone wishes so if they'll appear to be good.

My new speakers come from eBay too.

 

I'm glad someone else was successful, it definitely the audio a lot more acceptable and what Dell should have used exclusively. It's a pain that you can pop off the cover and see the speakers, but have to basically disassemble the laptop as far as it will go to replace them. If you have pictures feel free to post them here

 

Jason, i'm thinking about trying this because i hate listening to music on my studio 15 without headphones, does it make much of a difference?

Also, where did you get the replacement speakers and whats the model number?


Thanks.

 

It makes a pretty noticeable difference, especially with music. I put a couple of recordings you can download that I took with the built-in mic with the old and new speakers for comparison, some music and a movie, earlier in this thread so you can hear the difference for yourself.

I bought mine from a guy in the UK, he's still selling them, though for a few bucks more, on eBay ... here's the item number: 180339870037 (c.i.l0773). There are a couple other people selling them, too, may want to check with xiaojin where he got his since he's bought them recently.

One issue is both the good and bad speakers have the same part number: d954d. They came in an original sealed Dell box with a packed date of 9/30/08. There are some good pictures here to ask sellers which they have. Bad speakers have the manufacturer's name Veco on the right speaker, good ones have "SU"

 

Hey thanks for the info, that's perfect as i am in the uk, i'll have a listen to the samples a bit later. So i have to message that seller to ask wether the speakers have Veco or SU on them?

 

Checking the maker on the right speaker would be the best way to verify. If you buy from the same guy I did with the same date on the box chances are good they'll be the good ones. Since they're factory sealed he may not want to open a box.

 

Ah, so it's probably better asking if the date of packing is 9/30/08 - or later?

Also is there any soldering involved?

 

There is no soldering, the speakers are just screwed in. There is a lot of disassembly, you basically have to take off the back plate, remove the screen, you can think pull off the front palm plate to get to the speakers. There are instructions on how to get to the speakers and all the substeps online in Dell's service manual.

I'm not sure at what point they switched from the good speakers to the bad ones. The 9/08 is pretty earlier in the Studio 15's life.

 

I am so annoyed by my Dell's speakers in Inspiron 1420 that I am considering to sell it and buy a new laptop. Audio and screen are my two main disappointments. everything else is ok for me.

But your thread gave me some hope. any suggestion for my inspiron 1420?

 

Here's one...don't judge a laptop by the quality of its internal speakers. Buy a good pair of headphones if it's so atrocious.

 

I just got curious, pulled off my 1737's media panel, and looked at my speakers.

They're the plastic ones like the OP bought from ebay. Laptop purchased 4/2.

 

The Studio 17 probably uses different speakers...this thread is mostly about the Studio 15 anyway.

 

Meh - I can listen to news broadcasts and anything vocal on mine well enough. I think it really makes more sense to get a sweet pair of headphones (try some Senn HD 485s or 595s - so cheap for the big sound you get). Or just get a pair of external computer speaks. They are easy enough to drag around and plug in or not.
IMHO there is just really no way any laptop is ever going to sound that great. Have you tried EQ'ing at all? Cut the mids way down and see if things even out a little more.

 

I am sorry about the late reply, here's some more info:

I have bought the speakers on eBay from mirek999, I currently live in the UK but the seller will surely send them abroad too. I paid roughly 8 pounds (12 dollars) including postage. As Jason said, the replacement itself is quite difficult, but if you follow instuctions in Dell's manual I believe you can't go wrong.

You can see few pictures below showing both original and new speakers, and how much effort one has to show to do this upgrade.

Of course the new speakers are still far from perfect, but now I can finally watch a movie without earphones, before the replacement I found the sound very annoying. You get much better sound from any average earphones, but it is more comfortable to have well-working built-in speakers too.

In my opinion the replacement is worth it, though it takes a long time and one has to be very careful. I am also not sure about the warranty, I believe that practically it is not affected.

 

Thanks for the update, xiaojin. Speakers look the same, were they made by SU?

The new speakers don't work miracles but they definitely bring the sound quality up to what you would expect from little notebook speakers and makes it usable when you don't want to drag out extra speakers, which I do if I want to listen to a lot of music or videos. The old speakers are terrible, the the tiny speaker on my cell phone played music better. They are an embarrassment when showing off all the cool features on laptop, even the windows sounds are bad.

 

Yes, I can confirm that they were made by SU. The model number is slightly different (I didn't take a picture, but I think it was H34-P or something similar), but according to your pictures they look exactly the same as the ones you purchased. Also your experience with their sound exactly matches mine.

 

Well I just figured that they'd probably share a few components here and there - like the speakers. They look to be the exact same as the one's the OP ordered from Fleabay.

Edit: It seems the forum is mostly about the Studio 15.

 

Haha, that's true. The Studio 17 doesn't get as much attention...probably because there's not much wrong with it.

 

I messaged mirek999 on ebay asking about the packing date or Veco/SU, all the person could tell me was that the speakers were new, Does it take much to read the box? very unhelpful.

 

I don't think you can tell if who made them without opening the box, except possibly by the date (xiaojin, what was your date?) since they are the same part number for both. The guy may not want to open it because if you didn't buy it it would be harder to sell as new since it's no longer factory sealed. You wouldn't think they've have mixed batches though.

 

I bought the speakers at the end of April, they were posted on April 30th. There is a sheet with part number on the box (D954D) and the date they were packed - 10/02/09.

You cannot check the manufacturer unless you open the box. I have just risked it when I was buying them, the price is really low so I think you can't expect too much effort from the seller.. I thought I could always use the wiring harness at least. Personally I think there's a pretty big change that you will get exactly the same speakers as I did and I would suggest you to go for them, as long as you feel like being able to replace them by yourself when they arrive.

 

You don't get it do you. If you buy a laptop you expect at least a certain amount of quality, something better than cell phones at least. If you want to watch a movie with a friend or surf the net on the couch you don't want to put on headphones all the time or have external speakers attached. The speakers on this laptop are horrible, almost as bad as the Toshiba laptops from 10 years ago.

 

If internal speakers were that important to you then why didn't you research the laptop before you bought it? Were you expecting this one to have kickass speakers? What gave it away, their size or the lack of a subwoofer?

 

I notice that lately the speakers on my laptops have more distortion than usual at the usual volume I set. Is it possible that the speakers are dying already?

 

Anyway, I just popped open my media panel and had a look at the speakers. The right speaker has the word 'SU' written on it. This means the speakers are the better ones, right? The laptop was delivered to me on the 2nd of September last year.

 

The SUs are the be the good ones assuming they look like this:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=4493349&postcount=6

 

Okay. I think mine looks the same as the one you posted. Thanks for the information.

 

I got my studio 1537 delivered the first of april this year, brand new, and i have the veco speakers, how did that happen!

 

Okay from what I understand, all i have to do is take out the old speakers, then just put in the newer ones and it will fit right in, no drilling or cutting necessary? I really apreciate you guys help.

 

Yes, it's the same part number and is a direct replacement, it's just from a different supplier and is a higher quality part. You can follow the instructions in the official service manual that gives you all the steps on how to replace the speakers

 

Ok i just took my studio apart and it has the crappy veco speakers. Can I buy this anywhere besides ebay?

 

Probably not ... eBay seems to be the best source, also people have had good luck getting the good brand from eBay sellers in the UK, they must have given them the good speakers over there.

 

Jason Novak, for the SU speakers, do they crackle in high volume and high pitch sound? I notice the crackling happens on my speakers. Is this normal? Thanks.

 

I have the SU speakers and they sound awful I get better sound if I plug in my head phones and turn the volume all the way up and put the head phones on the desk.