Which Milwaukee Jobsite Speaker Is The Loudest

It's no secret that Milwaukee makes a wide range of tools that would be useful on just about any job site, but it also makes several useful products that aren't power tools, such as speakers that can liven up a workspace and make the job a bit more enjoyable. Sure, there are dozens of Bluetooth speakers out there, and you don't necessarily need a tool manufacturer for your job site audio, but there are a few benefits to using Milwaukee brand speakers.

One reason is that many of them can draw power from Milwaukee's battery system. This makes it easy for you to use the same batteries that you use for all of your other tools to power your tunes. Another is that job sites can be hazardous. All of Milwaukee's speakers are impact-resistant and have protections that help keep dust and water from permeating their housing–making it so that you don't need to constantly replace broken speakers that are unable to operate in harsh environmental conditions.

Job sites can also be loud, though, and it can be difficult to hear your music over the harsh whirring and grinding of power tools. Those who are interested in purchasing a Milwaukee speaker might be interested in learning which of them is the loudest. Interestingly enough, there are actually two answers to this question. There are arguments to be made for both the Milwaukee M18/M12 Wireless Jobsite Speaker and the Packout Radio.

Milwaukee fans who are looking for the single loudest speaker that the company makes need look no further than the Milwaukee M18/M12 Wireless Jobsite Speaker. Unfortunately, Milwaukee doesn't report the decibel ratings for its speakers, but it has explicitly stated that this is actually the loudest speaker of its kind in the industry, making it one of the best Bluetooth jobsite radios out there.

According to Milwaukee's product description, the M18/M12 Wireless Jobsite Speaker has a six-speaker design paired with a 40W dual-channel digital amplifier. The product description explicitly calls it the loudest-sounding jobsite radio, but that could just be marketing jargon. Still, it's no surprise that Milwaukee is so confident in the speaker's capabilities. 

Clint DeBoer of Pro Tool Reviews verified the power of this little unit when he tested one of them out for himself. DeBoer says he maxed out the volume and was surprised with how well the sound filled the room. He was also quite impressed with the speaker's overall clarity, but he did note that the low end was somewhat lacking to a discerning ear.

Just because the M18/M12 is the loudest single unit doesn't necessarily mean it's the loudest or best option for a large space. Putting a monodirectional speaker on one end of a giant worksite means that the people next to the speaker are going to have their ears blasted off while those in the distance will be signing for them to crank up the volume. 

A better solution for this kind of situation is to have a system that delivers 360-degree sound from the center of a job site. The Packout Radio is just such a system. It has 10 speakers built-in: four sets of two-way speakers that fire from the corners of the radio's enclosure with a subwoofer and a passive resonator in the back of the unit. Milwaukee lists this setup as a key feature, as the ten speakers offer balanced 360-degree sound that fills large and outdoor spaces. The Packout also has a built-in equalizer, which, when combined with the low-end system, allows you more control over volume, range, and sound quality.

DeBoer examined this stereo for Pro Tool Reviews as well. He claimed it was incredibly loud indoors with the EQ on but had muddy bass and overly crisp highs. While slightly quieter, he got a much more natural sound with the EQ off. Outdoors was a different story. DeBoer claimed that while the system was very loud, the volume never went louder than the system could handle.

Now that you know the strengths and weaknesses of each speaker, you'll have to choose the best one for your needs. Price may be a significant factor there, too. The M18/M12 Cordless Jobsite Speaker isn't exactly cheap, running $149 at Home Depot. Even so, it's still only half the cost of the Packout Radio, which currently retails for $299. This means that the Jobsite Speaker is both louder and more affordable, making it a much more attractive option for most general uses.

That said, there are certain unique circumstances where you might prefer the Packout Speaker. Those who have invested heavily in the Milwaukee Packout system will no doubt enjoy the fact that the radio is stackable, allowing for easy transport with the rest of their Milwaukee gear to help liven up any workspace. As previously noted, the Packout Radio also has superior 360-degree sound and is particularly proficient at producing low-end audio outdoors. This makes it a superior choice for construction, logging sites, quarries, and other large-scale outdoor worksites.