Introduction: How to Replace a Blown Speaker in a Bose Wave Radio II/III or Wave Music System I/II/III

I own a Bose Wave Music System that I purchased nearly a decade ago. Recently, I noticed that the right side speaker was starting to sound "blown". Not knowing what to do next, I contacted Bose directly and asked what to do about having my radio repaired. They wouldn't give me a repair estimate without seeing the unit first, so I decided to take matters into my own hands: I would replace the blown speaker myself.

Now, before I go on, I must make a small disclaimer: By performing this repair, if your Bose Wave radio is still under warranty, performing this repair, and opening the unit, WILL VOID THE FACTORY WARRANTY. By performing this repair, and opening the unit, you do understand this, and Bose will no longer honor the warranty. Since my unit was almost 9 years out of warranty, I didn't have to worry about voiding my warranty.

This repair should work for any of the Bose Wave Music Systems from late 2004 on (again, my system is from 2005), which all look like the one pictured here (the Wave Music System I, Wave Music System II, or Wave Music System III, which was recently replaced by the newest Wave Music System). It will work if your Wave has the front-loading CD player that works like a car's CD player, NOT the top-loading CD player with the top-mounted lid like the older Wave Radio/CD's had. In addition, the repair should all work for all of the newer Bose Wave Radios from late 2005 on (the Wave Radio II and Wave Radio III, which was recently replaced by the newest Wave Radio). These systems look almost exactly like the unit pictured, BUT there is NO front-mounted OR top-mounted CD player, it is a radio ONLY. Your Wave system must also NOT have buttons on top to be eligible for this repair (these systems are controlled exclusively by the included remote control).

So, with all that in mind, let's get started!

Step 1: Things You'll Need.

Here's what you'll need to purchase in order to repair your Bose Wave:

-(1) (or 2, if more than one speaker is bad) Bose "Twiddler" Driver (Speaker), Part # 273488004, with Wiring Harness (I got my replacement speaker off of eBay).

And here is what you'll need of your household tools to repair your Bose Wave:

-(1) Philips-Head Screwdriver, Medium-Sized Head

-(1) Pair of Wire Cutters (You may need to cut off the wiring harnesses of the old and new speakers, and splice the old wiring harness to the new speaker wires).

-(1) Roll of Electrical Tape (You'll need to secure the new wiring connections together securely).

-(1) Pair of Scissors (You'll cut the electrical tape with these).

Now that you know what you'll need, let's start the repair!

Step 2: Opening Up Your Wave.

To gain access to the Wave's speakers, you'll need to first remove the case that covers its internal components.

Start by ejecting the CD that is in the unit, if any, by pressing 'Stop/Eject' on the remote control, if you have the Wave Music System I, II, or III. If you have the Wave Radio II or III, you can skip this step.

Next, unplug your Wave, remove the power cord from the back of the unit, and turn the unit carefully (CAREFULLY!) over. You'll see six (6) Philips-head screws. Two (2) are at the front, two (2) are in the middle, and one (1) is in the circular "foot" in the back center.

Once the screws have been removed, carefully turn the unit back over and pull the case upwards to remove it.

Now, you'll see the "guts", or internals, of your Wave. Now, we'll go on to replace the blown speaker.

Step 3: Removing the Blown Speaker.

To remove the blown speaker, simply follow the corresponding speaker's (left or right) wiring harness to the back of the Wave. You'll see a small, two (2)-prong wiring harness connected to thew circuit board. Being careful NOT to touch the large capacitor at the back of the Wave, remove that wiring harness from the circuit board (make sure you are removing the correct one, and NOT the one that is NOT blown).

Finally, remove the four (4) Philips-head screws that hold the blown speaker in place, and remove that speaker.

Now, we'll replace the blown speaker with your replacement speaker.

Step 4: Readying Your New Speaker.

Before you install your new speaker into your Wave, you'll first need to prep the wiring for installation. The wiring harness that will come attached to your new speaker is too short to reach the back of your Wave, and therefore, you'll need to splice your old speaker's wiring harness onto the new speaker.

First, using your wire strippers, cut the wiring harness off of the old speaker about halfway into the wiring.

Next, using your wire strippers, cut the wiring harness off the new speaker about halfway into the wiring.

Now, using your wire strippers, splice the black and red speaker wires on the new speaker so that the bare copper wire is showing at the end of the wire (do NOT strip too much of the wire).

Next, splice the old speaker's wiring harness onto the black and red speaker wires on the new speaker. You'll want to secure your wiring connections with several layers of electrical tape to make sure the wiring won't come apart easily.

Next, plug the wiring harness of the new speaker into the circuit board where you unplugged your blown speaker. It will plug securely in place.

Place the new speaker into the enclosure (it will be a tight fit, but just be patient, you'll get it in eventually), and secure it to the enclosure using the four (4) SHORTER Philips-head screws you removed earlier. You'll want to tighten them securely, but NOT too tight.

Next, before we put the case back onto the unit, we'll test the unit to make sure everything is working again.

Step 5: Testing Your Newly-Repaired Wave.

Now that you've installed your replacement speaker into your Wave, now it's time to test everything and make sure everything is working as it should.

Plug the power cord both back into the unit, and into the wall, and turn your Wave on and tune in a radio station. If the speaker is working again, unplug the unit from the wall. It's time to install the case! If it is NOT working correctly, check your wiring and the replacement speaker.

Now, it's time to put the case back onto the unit.

Step 6: Putting the Case Back Onto Your Wave.

Now that all the hard work is done, now it's time to put the case you removed in the first step back onto your Wave.

First, place the case over your Wave, and line up the screw holes as best as you possibly can.

Next, turn the unit carefully (CAREFULLY) over, and secure the case to the unit with the five (5) remaining LONG Philips-head screws you removed in the first step. Be sure to tighten them securely, but NOT too tight.

That's it! You've successfully replaced the blown speaker in your Bose Wave! But most importantly, you learned something about electronics repair, and you also saved money by not having to send your Wave (and your money!) away to Bose for repair!

Thanks for reading this Instructable, and I hope you enjoyed reading it!