How to Upgrade/Replace the Speaker in a Roland Micro Cube Amp
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- Опубликовано: 20 июл 2024
- The Roland Micro Cube (and Micro Cube GX) is an awesome battery powered guitar amp. But the little 5" speaker can sound a little farty when pushed too hard. Here's how I replaced the factory speaker with a Jensen MOD6-15 guitar speaker.
Here's the "before and after" sound comparison: • New Jensen Speaker in ... 
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Firstly its good to see someone attempting an enhancement. Ive made many wooden boxes for speakers totally transforming the sound especially enhancing bass whist retaining treble. Regarding all that wood dust getting everywhere you could cut out the new profile with a jigsaw with a long blade, just use a sub platform on the face! I would be inclined to go one step further and build an extended MDF (or plywood) baffle enclosure. It only needs to be shallow (say 2" deep) to allow the bigger speaker to 'breathe'. In side profile the section would be a 'T'.
Very nice, only thing I’d add would be to paint the “inside” rim of the new cut with a flat black, so that it does not stand out as much when viewed through the front grille.
I just did a similar upgrade to my Micro Cube today. I put an Eminence 620H in as a replacement. I ended up rear-mounting the speaker and using a 5 1/2" hole saw to cut the hole big enough. Turned out amazing.
I did the same today also with a 620H - fantastic result - easily loud enough for a small pub. Much more full-range sound.
My cube 10gx has 4 wire connections.
Is there any speaker out there with 4 connections?
What should I do?
How did you replace a it with a 20w speaker?
I got one of these Micro Cubes for a cheap price recently, and got a (discontinued I believe) Jensen MOD-5 speaker. To my surprise the MOD-5 is actually bigger in diameter than the original speaker, which is closer to a 4.5" speaker in reality. Mounting a MOD-5 into a Micro Cube is possible mounting it to the inside of case like you did with the MOD-6, except a MOD-5 won't require any dremelling to make the hole bigger. (Though I recommend beveling the inside edge of the hole with a dremel, file, or sand paper in order to prevent the MOD-5's suspension surround from vibrating against it. It doesn't need much make sure there's no contact.) To mount the MOD-5 don't use the original screw holes, just mount the speaker at a 45-degree angle to the stock position and screw into the MDF directly with screws short enough to not penetrate through to the front. I also recommend using a big black permanent market to color the inside wall of the hole black so it doesn't stand out.
The MOD-5 is a LITTLE darker sounding than the original speaker (you'll find yourself turning the Tone knob up a lot more than usual) but it also adds a surpringly large amount of low-end, it really opens the amp's sound up compared to the original boxy generic speaker. I was to experiment with modifying the bass reflex port to see if I can dial in a better low frequency resonance to match the slightly bigger speaker size and gain some highs back.
I have the same Cube, and I started using it just to push the effects into a larger Fender Rumble 40 bass amp. Between the 2 amps I can do all kinds of cool effects and have tons of volume. The Cube is a versatile little bugger and I think playing around with it by adding a bigger speaker or plugging it into other speakers is a fun thing to do. By the way, the speaker in my Cube is also getting more farty with age.
Thanks so much for doing a video of how you did this,. I've got two microcube's and have had the itch to upgrade to a larger speaker, but without altering the look of it on the outside or interfering with the size of the port, which I assume may hurt the sound of it if I made it smaller since they do help make speakers in general sound bigger or have more low end. So, your video showed me it can be done with a six-inch speaker, but it looks like a 6.5" wouldn't work.
Your tip about pushing down on the adhesive finally allowed me to get the bastard out!! Thanks!!!
(That and some liberally applied heat. To be fair this thing is about 15 years old and never opened, not surprising that it took some doing then)
Glad it helped. Not related, but one thing I've noticed since installing the bigger speaker... This amp works best with a power adapter vs batteries, especially if the batteries aren't full strength. If I have any gain selected, there's not enough battery power to deliver a good sound
@@nicein2000 interesting. Thanks for the tip!
Excellent video. I wish you did a before and after sound demo though.
Thanks. Under the 'Show More' link, here's that link. Here's the "before and after" sound comparison: ruclips.net/video/DUCRCOzDcuc/видео.html
Cool!!That’s my new project in future 😝
Thanks for the video. Question: how much extra space was there behind the speaker magnet/backplate to the amp's electronics? I'd prefer to add a Weber Ceramic Signature 6S to my Micro Cube, but it is deeper (The Jensen is 2.125" deep, according to their website, while the Weber is 2.6875" deep). Is there additional space to accommodate the Weber?
I took it apart again recently and while it's a little tough to judge distances because you have to remove the back panel (electronics) to have access to the speaker, it appears there's roughly a 1/2" of additional clearance. If you replace the speaker, I recommend drilling a large hole (3/4" - 1") on the bottom of the speaker cabinet to give more air volume for sound.
Cool! I'm considering trying the same with my GX. The process to take it apart is similar, though a bit different, I think everything else would largely be the same.
What's the depth of the Mod6, do you know offhand?
I think it's amazing that in a digital age you still want to use round circles.
Does it make it able to take some pedals ? I notice with mine its not so good if you add any pedals for gain.
Thx for the video, I'm thinking about replacing of the speaker in my Cube 15, so it's really useful. But what else have you done to it? Fits just perfectly? I mean wiring. No soldering, no scheme interference, nothing?
I didn't have to change any wiring nor do any soldering. The speaker wire connectors pulled off and went on easily to the new speaker. The only other change I've made since doing this video is to drill a large (e.g., 1") sound hole in the bottom of the case to increase air flow for the speaker
@@nicein2000 thanks for the answer :)
Isn't the speaker supposed to be flat response so it can be used with different styles of amps? In any case, I discovered how to disarm it because once I tried it and I did not succeed.
Nice nice NICE! Question, could you please share the full specs of the Jensen speaker that you have used? Since it's also 4 ohm but watts?
Here's a link to the full specs:
www.jensentone.com/mod-series/mod-6-15
@@nicein2000 Thank you so very much!
What speaker would you recommend replacing the original with for playing bass through it? Will it still work on batteries, because that is the whole point.
I don’t think you’d be happy with any option here. This amp is definitely not intended for bass use. The electronics and frequency range is shaped for acoustic, electric and voice mic use. But not bass use.
I L-O-V-E these little guys;Been using them forever,I wish they were around in the 80's!😪I esp love the newer one cuz it has a preamp,and i can run an acoutic that has no preamp!Just kinda cheaply made.(MIC).
Saludos amigo!! Aun conserva la bocina original del microcube? me gustaría obtenerlo, el mio se echo a perder por la inquietud de un niño le atravesó un lápiz y es muy difícil de conseguir uno igual, podríamos ponernos en contacto?
I do still have it. You can contact me at lifeafter40@outlook.com to let me know where you are located so I could estimate shipping costs, etc
I just wanted to see where the speaker is and you give the perfect view at 1:15
I know this is a old post but if you still happen to read, I wanted to know what the OEM Factory Roland Microcube Speaker was? What did it say on the speakers backside? Does it show what OHM speaker they used? What was the magnets weight? or weight of the original whole speaker? I think you had a good outcome, but Jensen isnt quite the top of the line speaker, I wonder what could do better...
It's a 4 ohm speaker. I don't know all the specs on the original speaker but here are some pics. lifeafter40.net/original-roland-micro-cube-speaker/
@@nicein2000 holy crap look at those magnets! that is a heavy duty speaker!
@@nicein2000 Jensen MOD6-15 what is this model's ohm. i see there are 2 diffrent ohms 4 and 8
With this mod, can the amp still drive the new speaker on battery power alone? Is there a loss of battery life?
Thanks in advance!
Yes, it still works fine under battery power. I didn't test if batteries die sooner, but I haven't noticed a change in that regard.
Hello, nicein2000! Why are you placing new speaker beyond wooden panel, not on front side of it? It'd look much better.
I wanted to but the thickness of the wood along with the way the speaker’s metal frame was formed, it just wouldn’t work. And thankfully the front grill covers up the ugliness.
Wrong thread. 😞
Do you get the buzzing sound on low notes with the new speaker?
It can still happen but I feel like it happens less often. I don't know if that's from the low powered amp getting maxed out vs the speaker, but I have a feeling it's mostly a clipping issue in the amp circuit.
I have a cube 10gx that has 4 wires connecting to the speaker.
Is there a brand that has 4 connections and if not what can I do?
I don't have a 10gx but since there are 4 wires, that means the OEM speaker is a bi-wired speaker with a separate tweeter to handle the high frequency sounds. I don't know if a better speaker will help here. From what I've read, the amp in the 10gx is fairly weak so it's questionable if a better speaker will help. But you could google search for a 4-wire 8" guitar amp speaker and see if something looks appealing.
@@nicein2000 I mean it doesn’t sound bad at all really I would recommend it to every beginner.
I just wanted a lil bit more from my tone and changing the speaker seems like the best option.
Was this worth the job? Realistically is it an improvement or are you better off just buying a bigger amp?
That's a great question. It took a lot of effort to get that somewhat larger speaker in there. While I enjoyed doing the project, it's not a huge improvement. So folks are better off just buying a bigger amp.
@@nicein2000 I get you, I love a project, just stripped and painted a £20 squire, cost more money and time lol might as well have bought a classic vibe. But love to work with hands. I have a micro cube, really love the wee thing but will probably buy a cheap Tube combo
I like using it as a head into a 1x12 cab.
@@camilo1455 can this little 5 watt 4ohm unit power a 12" speaker?
@@paulbrown7775 yes. One guy is using a 2x12 cab (see other vid, before and after). It might attenuate the wattage but the better speaker more than makes up for it. It is easier to install an external spkr jack than to install a larger (somewhat) speaker.
Did use 4 ohm speaker
Yes, it was the 4 ohm Jensen speaker
Watching this I was thinking - why not remove the old front board entirely and replace it? A hole in the new board could be more easily and accurately cut on a bench and the new speaker centred, with sound holes added where space allows before fitting inside the microcube.
The problem is that the whole box is glued together except for that back metal panel. So the box would rip/break/snap if you try and pull it apart at the glued-in-edges.
"Honest women admit it..." sir, you got a thumbs up on this vid just for that joke
What was the empedance of the old speaker?
It's a 4 ohm speaker. I don't know all the specs on the original speaker but here are some pics. lifeafter40.net/original-roland-micro-cube-speaker/
I think I might have just turned the cube into a head, and then a 2x6 cab LOL
Speaker is too big to act efficiently with such a small volume of air in the micro cube
I agree with you. So I drilled another large hole in the bottom of the cabinet in order to provide additional air volume. It helped.
@@nicein2000 how about another hole facing front??
“Tuned” 👍🏼
What size?
The red wire isn’t in clipping and I’m not sure why
"How to Upgrade/Replace the Speaker in a Roland Micro Cube Amp"
No offence, but, get a Vox Mini5 Rhythm (6.5" speaker) 3 extra amp models, a 'drummer' and 2 more watts... as a bonus.
Coming soon - "How to Upgrade/Replace the Speaker in a Vox Mini5 Rhythm” : )