Hardware New 2DS XL speaker modding

[Nazosan]

So no doubt anyone who has used a New 2DS XL will note the one really bad thing about it is the speaker placement. They moved them to the bottom segment of the system -- which is fine on its own (better weight distribution IMO) but instead of having them at, say, the top, they put them all the way at the bottom with the sound coming out the bottom sides right about where pretty much anyone's hands will have to be to hold the system without, you know, pain... Most of the time I'm covering the right one quite a lot in particular.

So I had a fairly simple idea: make holes going through to the top so even if the bottom side is covered I could still hear sound. And maybe get a bit better sound along the way. Unfortunately, when I opened it up I found out the speakers are actually on the casing itself, not under the main board. That means that even with it cut straight out the sound isn't really going right. First I tried doing it directly anyway. I went ahead and cut the holes like so:

I took the speakers out of their little enclosures and used some double sided tape to stick them in pointing up. This was awful. The sound seemed weak and "far away" for lack of a better way to put it. Ok, they need their enclosures. So I decided to try making holes in the enclosures that at least come somewhat close to those openings like so:

This is a lot closer. But it still sounds very wrong compared to what it should. Certainly much worse than my N3DS.

At this point I'm about out of ideas. I think I need to add onto the enclosure somehow going to the top part where those holes are, but I haven't the slightest clue how I might do that. It would require something very small and somehow I'd have to fit it just right I suppose (certainly it can't be too large, but if it's too small by any significant length it won't work. Guess I'm stopping here for tonight.

EDIT: Maybe a straw. Though I, of course, don't have one.

EDIT2: I tried cutting a straw. I used a dab of hot glue to hold it in fairly well over the holes I've cut on the speakers. It won't quite line up right though it seems. That's a tad disappointing. And of course I forgot to remove the memory card when disassembling (this N2DS is the WORST device I have seen in a very long time for repairability! The volume control also likes to break off and if you're opening it you really really need to first set the volume to the locked position -- zero on this one, but I had tried another where it for some reason was the 100% position, perhaps a screwup on their part.) That's going to sting. I've lost a 64GB memory card and now will have to reinstall everything and lose all saves since my last backup (thankfully not that long ago, but quite a few hours will be lost in one game.) What little I could test (starting up Mii Plaza and not immediately exiting so it would play its music for example) seemed to actually sound a lot better and when I covered the bottom holes the sound wasn't awful. I guess this worked as well as it's going to. And now I must never ever take this bloody thing apart again because every single time I do something even harder to deal with breaks. I don't even want to think about what's next. -.-

 

[Xenn]

It certainly is one of the most annoying devices to disassemble; I had the similar idea of drilling holes in the top case (by the start/select and home buttons), but of course the speakers are down-firing. I do wonder if it's possible to attach new speakers to the top case, with longer wires that can run down the whole way. Quite a heavy mod but I'm still considering. If it works, I'll update this.

 

[MikaDubbz]

I have a New 2DS XL and a New 3DS XL, I honestly don't have any problem with where the speaker holes are placed on the New 2DS XL, I don't feel like I'm hearing anything any differently, it's all coming in loud and clear. My smartphone has its audio speaker on the bottom too, and it's never bothered me there either. Sometimes I just wonder if people are looking for problems to overcome that don't even really exist, simply because they're bored.

I kinda get it, I feel like my 3DS and Wii U are hacked to their fullest, yet they still feel incomplete like there is more that can be done for them, and so it keeps me looking for any little thing that can improve them further.

 

[KleinesSinchen]

I have a New 2DS XL and a New 3DS XL, I honestly don't have any problem with where the speaker holes are placed on the New 2DS XL, I don't feel like I'm hearing anything any differently, it's all coming in loud and clear. My smartphone has its audio speaker on the bottom too, and it's never bothered me there either. Sometimes I just wonder if people are looking for problems to overcome that don't even really exist, simply because they're bored.

I kinda get it, I feel like my 3DS and Wii U are hacked to their fullest, yet they still feel incomplete like there is more that can be done for them, and so it keeps me looking for any little thing that can improve them further.

I can hear a very big difference between the 3DS models and N2DSXL. None of the 2|3DS family have really good sound. New 3DS models sound okay, old 3DS models have bad sound and the 2DS models are ridiculously bad in the sound department. (O2DS mono, N2DSXL wrong direction).

Spoiler: Off-topic, TVs

I never understood why devices nowadays have their speakers placed in awkward positions – just to make a device seemingly smaller, thinner, slick. Very thin TVs don't have room for good speakers and the frameless/borderless construction adored by many people doesn't allow any speakers below the screen facing at the viewer. Many TVs send their sound backwards, faced to the wall. My TV sounds a lot better when sitting behind it… too bad I can't see the screen from there.

N2DSXL is similar to the off-topic example: Instead of having the speakers facing to the user, they face down and what we get to hear is the acoustic reflection from the hands – given the hands are positioned correctly.

That said, I wouldn't recommend modifying the hardware of an N2DSXL as it is very easy to break things and not much to gain here.

 

[MikaDubbz]

I can hear a very big difference between the 3DS models and N2DSXL. None of the 2|3DS family have really good sound. New 3DS models sound okay, old 3DS models have bad sound and the 2DS models are ridiculously bad in the sound department. (O2DS mono, N2DSXL wrong direction).

Spoiler: Off-topic, TVs

I never understood why devices nowadays have their speakers placed in awkward positions – just to make a device seemingly smaller, thinner, slick. Very thin TVs don't have room for good speakers and the frameless/borderless construction adored by many people doesn't allow any speakers below the screen facing at the viewer. Many TVs send their sound backwards, faced to the wall. My TV sounds a lot better when sitting behind it… too bad I can't see the screen from there.

N2DSXL is similar to the off-topic example: Instead of having the speakers facing to the user, they face down and what we get to hear is the acoustic reflection from the hands – given the hands are positioned correctly.

That said, I wouldn't recommend modifying the hardware of an N2DSXL as it is very easy to break things and not much to gain here.

Hmm I have the special edition Pokeball New 2DS XL, perhaps it's designed differently with a thinner plastic or something, because I genuinely notice no real difference when I compare the same game's sound on my New 3DS XL.

 

[The Real Jdbye]

It certainly is one of the most annoying devices to disassemble; I had the similar idea of drilling holes in the top case (by the start/select and home buttons), but of course the speakers are down-firing. I do wonder if it's possible to attach new speakers to the top case, with longer wires that can run down the whole way. Quite a heavy mod but I'm still considering. If it works, I'll update this.

Maybe have a look at how smartphone speakers work. They manage to route the audio through tiny holes on the side without sounding like complete crap (and the speakers are tiny)
If you used a speaker from a smartphone, you might even have space to put it somewhere more optimal.