One of the most exciting products from the Milwaukee Packout system has to be the Milwaukee Packout M18 Radio and Charger. This radio offers the perfect combination of features, sound quality, and ample output to fill your entire jobsite with music. Fresh off the Milwaukee M18/M12 Wireless Field Speakers, the new Milwaukee 2950-20 Radio and Charger should appeal to anyone who wants a radio that fits nicely into a Milwaukee portable storage system.
advantage
- Charges M18 batteries (fits even the largest 12Ah battery packs)
- excellent runtime
- ton output
- Excellent worksite audio quality
- Hybrid AC/Battery Power
- Milwaukee's best radio ever
- Play clean at full volume
shortcoming
- Bass limited by driver size
- Heavy
Editor's Note: Check out our Best Live Broadcasting for Jobs article for our top picks.
Milwaukee M18 Packout Radio Design
The Milwaukee Packout Radio plus charger integrates very well with the Packout system. uh, right? Well, the thing is, they made some really good choices. First, it doesn't put anything on top or bottom, so you can place it on top or in a Packout stack. Four speakers and a subwoofer — more on that later — fire from the sides. Even the AC power cord, sealed battery compartment and bottle opener are on the side.
The sealed battery compartment is really well done. It accommodates large M18 batteries – even the largest Milwaukee 12Ah high-output battery pack (we checked this out specifically). The entire radio is weather resistant, though Milwaukee doesn't give a specific IP rating. The same space also has enough room to store even a large iPhone 11 Max, while charging via the USB 2.1A port (I might add a little space).
I really like the look of this radio – from the black Packout top to the Milwaukee Red faceplate. They also feature an inverted LCD screen so you can see the white numbers on a dark background. This makes reading outside much easier.
Controlled with the Milwaukee Packout Radio
When exploring AM/FM radio capabilities, I primarily use the Milwaukee Packout radio in Bluetooth mode. In bluetooth, the play/pause, forward and reverse buttons work as expected. That means if you have access to the radio, you can jump back and forth through your playlists, even if your phone is in your pocket or charging via a USB port. The port charges up to 2.1A, providing a relatively fast charging option for phones and tablets.
Bluetooth pairing worked flawlessly, and the radios from my iPhone and the Android phone we had with us for testing came out in no time. Once paired, the audio streams to the radio and I can play whatever I want. Mostly, I use playlists on Amazon Music.
Volume is interesting because your phone lets you control it — and so does the radio. So, to get the most out of your system, you need to have Packout Radio and your phone active. For other speakers, the phone usually takes over the radio volume control, resulting in one overall volume setting. I actually prefer this implementation because I can set a "max" volume and still use my phone to control the output within that range.
Milwaukee 2950-20 Speakers (Drivers)
Milwaukee Tool placed four 2-way speakers in each corner. This gives the radio a truly omnidirectional sound output that evenly fills the entire job site.
The passive radiator subwoofer occupies the back, while active (active) speakers and passive radiators are used. The use of passive speakers allows the subwoofer to effectively extend its range below what a speaker alone could achieve. In this application, it works better than a ported design, which leaves the case more open to the elements.
The job site radio can play AM/FM stations, stream audio via Bluetooth 4.2, and even use an aux port… so you can presumably hook up a turntable or 8-track. The radio also includes a 6-foot AC power cord. This allows you to operate it without batteries, or to charge the M18 battery while you listen to music.
Finally, Milwaukee Tool includes their signature bottle opener to make this radio "beach ready".
Milwaukee 2950-20 Radio Hearing Test
I have my Milwaukee 2950-20 radio turned up all the way while listening outside, as is my iPhone volume. This is job site radio, right?
Immediately, I heard the bass punch, which more than made up for not having a bigger driver in those low frequencies. Treble is noticeable, though you get the expected crispness at maximum volume. What's great is that the system doesn't play more sound than it can handle. Many – and I mean a lot – radios will make you crank up the volume until you get massive distortion. At that point, the speakers can no longer reproduce audio clearly . Everything started to sound creaky – like someone put a piece of material on top of the speaker and it wouldn't stop vibrating.
Milwaukee Packout Radio Quality
The Milwaukee Packout radio handles a lot of the tunes on my playlist very well. I heard strong bass in Toby Mac's "Speak Life". Steven Tyler's vocals come through with his trademark edge on "Dream On." The piano on Elton John's "Tiny Dancer" remains dynamic, and I can hear a soft reverb on his track. This radio's ability to play loud and still maintain clarity is commendable.
If there's anything wrong with the Milwaukee 2950-20 radio, it's that I've rarely seen a good solution: bass. As Bose would have you believe, you simply can't defy the laws of physics. Take your speakers outside and it's nearly impossible to get deep, punchy bass from a small driver. That being said, the Milwaukee employs more punchy bass, which fills in a lot of the void while also leaving room for the punchy sound you'd expect from tracks like Foreigner's "Juke Box Hero." This is a compromise I've heard from live speakers at work.
in conclusion
The Milwaukee Packout Charging Radio exceeded expectations. For $299, you can get a radio designed for the job site, with the Packout system in mind. This makes it easy for those already running with the rig to carry it around. It has ample sound output, and we like how easily it connects to Bluetooth. This has been our go-to radio in the store lately and it outperforms all previous models of Milwaukee Tool. If you want to skip the charging feature or Packout compatibility, Milwaukee has cheaper models.
Milwaukee Packout Radio and Charger Specifications
- Power supply: M18 red lithium battery or AC power supply
- Speakers: 4x 2-way omnidirectional speakers
- Subwoofer: rear-firing active subwoofer + passive radiator
- Bluetooth 4.2
- AM/FM radio with presets
- auxiliary port
- integrated clock
- handle
- Package integration
- phone internal storage
- bottle opener
- Price: $299 (radio only)