TDK was well known for its high quality cassettes and VHS tapes back in the analog heydays. In 2013, it got in the portable bluetooth speaker game and put out the Life on Record series of small portable speakers.
Originally priced at $149.99, the A33 speakers is extremely well built with its weatherproof feature and the ability to connect by aux or bluetooth. Its dimensions are 9.5 x 3.75 x 2″ inches. With two 1.5″ speakers each driven with 3 watts and one 2.5″ woofer driven with 9 watts, as well as two 2.5″ passive radiators, it puts out amazing sound to fulfill any small to medium size room. The bass is surprisingly good, especially if you put it against the wall. Definitely not something you would expect to hear from such small portable speakers. You can run the unit on its built-in rechargeble battery or AC/DC power. It’s still one of the best sounding portable bluetooth speakers ever made that you can buy refurbished or used from Ebay for about $20-$50 now.
Specs
• Bluetooth v2.1 + EDR with AAC and support for A2DP, HFP and HSP protocols
• IP64 certified weatherized design protects against splashing water and dust
• 2.1 Stereo Configuration: Two front 1.5” full range drivers, two rear 3” passive radiators and one 2.5” subwoofer
• USB charging only port (1 amp)
• 3.5mm auxiliary input
• AC power supply
How to replace battery
The built-in 7.2V 2,000 mAh Ni-MH battery is actually a custom solder-tab 6-cell AA pack. This means it’s easy to replace when the batteries don’t hold a charge anymore. You can buy an after-market battery pack on Ebay or Amazon for around $25. iFixIt has a tutorial on how to replace the A33 battery pack. This is a great way to keep your speakers alive and enjoy amazing sounds for a long time to come.
- Remove all (6) 5mm Torx (Star) screws on the bottom panel of the device using the T4 screwdriver.
- Flip up the kickstand to get access to the bottom panel.
- Remove the bottom panel from the A33 by inserting both fingers in the gaps on the edge of the panel and lifting up until the bottom panel comes off of the device.
- Remove the old battery from its housing in the A33 by holding the device up and gently tapping the bottom on your hand until the battery pops out of the A33. (Do not rip the wires connecting the A33 to the battery when removing the battery from the device.)
- Disconnect the old battery from the plug that is attached to the device by grabbing both ends of the plug and pulling them apart. ( When putting the battery back in, make sure it is flat and the wires are pushed into the space along the side. This will make reinstalling the panel much easier.)
