How long does speakers last? [Archive] - Audio & Video Forums

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cocopeep
07-26-2007, 01:51 PM
How long does a driver last, considering proper amplification, not over driven, and besides the foam ring that eventually rots? I have a 22 pair of speakers with the original drivers and wondering how much time (in terms of use) they have left? Do all drivers wear out, given they are mechnical devices.

GMichael
07-26-2007, 01:58 PM
Not sure. But I do have drives from the early 70's that still work.

kexodusc
07-26-2007, 02:22 PM
No easy answer, but working on your assumptions, decades isn't out of the question, they are rather simple mechanical devices and if cared for, not too much can go wrong.

Luvin Da Blues
07-26-2007, 04:53 PM
Actually the only mechanical component is the foam surround. the rest is electromagnetic. the magnet used is a permanent magnet so barring any loss in the magnetic field (from an outside source, highly unlikely) and if the voice coil remains good there shouldn't be any reason for it not to last as long as you will have them.

Some paper cones may dry out and become brittle and eventually tear but this would be under extreme conditions.

I guess one other weak point would be the 2 wires that run from the terminals to the coil but this is usually braided copper and is very flexible so it should last for a very long time.

markw
07-26-2007, 10:17 PM
Keeping speakers in a hot, dry environment can cause the surrounds to dry out quicker than they normally would. Likewise, keep 'em out of direct sunlight and away from heat sources, particularly forced air.

Damp isn't too good. either. ...leads to rot.

basite
07-27-2007, 01:13 AM
speakers will live longer than you will if you treat them properly. foam surrounds will dry out or will rot, but those are replacable, if you have rubber or even cloth surrounds, they normally won't desintegrate and will run for a very very long time.

pixelthis
07-28-2007, 01:58 AM
Newer speakers have replaced the material used for surrounds.
Besides I once had a pair of Genesis bookshelves in the early eighties, even after the surrounds disapeared they sounded pretty good.
But thats why you need to spend as much on speakers and get the ones you want, they last a long time, and sometimes are hard to get aany money for when you sell them:1:

Figit090
07-28-2007, 10:37 AM
i was JUST wondering this, thankfully all my drivers are rubber surrounded or cloth :)

cdn guy
08-09-2007, 05:46 PM
i just purchases a pair of b&w dm220 which were most likely made late 80's or early 90s and they still sound wonderfull!! they have paper cones with rubber sounds and are in perfect shape after all these years.

denon 1602 receiver
energy xl-250 main
energy xl-c center
energy xl-15 rear
energy s8.2 sub

PeruvianSkies
08-09-2007, 09:30 PM
122.4 years.

pixelthis
08-12-2007, 01:04 AM
i just purchases a pair of b&w dm220 which were most likely made late 80's or early 90s and they still sound wonderfull!! they have paper cones with rubber sounds and are in perfect shape after all these years.

denon 1602 receiver
energy xl-250 main
energy xl-c center
energy xl-15 rear
energy s8.2 sub
They are the best brand of speaker, for the price you cant beat them.
But they are very unforgiving of bad recordings, they expose everything, which is why they are so often used for monitors in studios.
I have tried other brands but keep coming back to these.
Another poster, rich in texas has a full set of really nice natilus speakers, a version of B&w that is one of their best, which he doesnt deserve:(
Check out his system in the photo gallery to see just how good these speakers can look

PeruvianSkies
08-12-2007, 03:53 AM
, a version of B&w that is one of their best, which he doesnt deserve:(
Check out his system in the photo gallery to see just how good these speakers can look

Who are you to determine what Rich deserves or doesn't deserve?

westcott
08-14-2007, 08:29 AM
I have a pair of speakers that are 40+ years old and they sound as good as the day my father brought them home. Have never had to service them.

pixelthis
08-28-2007, 12:35 AM
Who are you to determine what Rich deserves or doesn't deserve?

I am not the one who "determines" such a thing, but if you buy a set of Natilus
speakers, spending thousands of dollars, and try to hook them up
to a HOME THEATER IN A BOX.....
jesus!
Ol rich doesnt even know what the clipping would do to his speakers, which is fine except on several occasions he has stated that I think I "know" everything.
well I don't "know" everything but I do know that hooking up premium speakers
to the HT equivalent of a hamster cage is criminal.
Arent there laws against this sort of thing?:incazzato:

PeruvianSkies
08-28-2007, 12:41 AM
I am not the one who "determines" such a thing, but if you buy a set of Natilus
speakers, spending thousands of dollars, and try to hook them up
to a HOME THEATER IN A BOX.....
jesus!
Ol rich doesnt even know what the clipping would do to his speakers, which is fine except on several occasions he has stated that I think I "know" everything.
well I don't "know" everything but I do know that hooking up premium speakers
to the HT equivalent of a hamster cage is criminal.
Arent there laws against this sort of thing?:incazzato:

Did you ever think that maybe Rich isn't finished with his HT project? Maybe he is saving up money to invest in something bigger/better to drive those speakers, or maybe he is happy just the way it is. It's his system and he should be able to enjoy it any way he wants to, without your ignorant insights. Why you are so concerned about his setup is beyond me, maybe you are just jealous.

There are no laws against such things, but there should be laws keeping trolls like yourself away from sites like this. You give us a bad name and confuse the A/V world with your bizarre ramblings that are usually false, misaligned, and opinionated without any support. Troll ya later! I'll wait for your ever-so-witty comeback.

Lance B
09-11-2007, 10:50 PM
Modern materials in a good quality speaker should mean that they can last for a few decades at least. I have a pair of Vifa speakers that are almost 20 years old and they still seem to perform very well. I have just purchased a set of new speakers as a replacement for my home stereo, but I am not about to let the Vifa's go as they still sound very good. The new speakers are a hell of alot more dynamic but this maybe attributed to the fact that they are a newer design, they are also 4ohm and that they use 2 x 6" drivers in a differential bass loading rather than the Vifa's 1 x 10" with a single port, or that the Vifa's mechanical resistance is beginning to wear.

The only problems I can see that may affect speaker performance is the mechanical resistance of the drivers, particularly the bass drivers. The mechanical resistance is an important factor in the bass alignment of the bass system as a whole. Mechanical resistance comes in the form of the roll surround of the speaker cone and the suspension of the voice coil which make up the speaker's parameters. With a ported system, Thielle and Small parameters are dependent on all aspects of the speaker, which incude the mechanical resistance or a speakers Qms. Here is a good article that explains the properties of a speaker and how they all intereact with each other:
http://www.bcae1.com/spboxad2.htm

So, I would put forward that a speaker that has lost a bit of it's mechanical resistance over time will definitely sound different and this difference may end up being to the detriment to the sound after a long period of use and time. Having said that, there may also have to be a break-in period for a speaker to get to it's optimum mechanical resistance, according to the parameters required by the correct box alignment, which may not necessarily be when it is new.

PeruvianSkies
09-12-2007, 12:21 AM
Apparently not that long if you are GMichael...

http://forums.audioreview.com/showthread.php?t=24016

RoyY51
09-13-2007, 01:47 PM
They does last as long as you take care of them good.

Alon I Loyalist
09-14-2007, 10:00 AM
I have a pair of Acarian Alon I speakers (circa 1992).
The foam ring around the woofer cone has separated due to significant deterioration. The woofer on the other speaker is fine. Due to several moves/renovation they have been exposed to an extreme range of climatic changes (I have done my best to protect them by sealing them in their original shipping boxes).
Obviously these one beautifully sounding speakers are down.

I would really appreciate some advice/information on how to replace/repair this part.
I can't locate the Acarian Systems website. It would be great if I could order the part and do the job myself understand I may need to ship the old boy for the job.

It is tempting to jump into a new set but I have two kids in private school yada yada yada.

Thanks for any insight.

filecat13
09-23-2007, 05:35 AM
Acarian Systems doesn't have much of a Web site, but here it is:

http://www.alonspeakers.com

Generally when you replace the surround on one speaker you replace the surround on the corresponding speaker, even if it "looks" good, in order to be sure the speakers have the closest possible mechanical characterisitics.

filecat13
09-23-2007, 05:44 AM
How long does a driver last, considering proper amplification, not over driven, and besides the foam ring that eventually rots? I have a 22 pair of speakers with the original drivers and wondering how much time (in terms of use) they have left? Do all drivers wear out, given they are mechnical devices.

You really asked two questions, with significant distinctions. Your post's title question was how long do speakers last; in the body quoted above you ask how long does a driver last. Most of the answers so far are regarding "drivers" which seems to have been your original intent, and the answers are good ones.

I have speakers that are 37 years old that look as good as the day they were purchased, including drivers. But are they really as good after all that time?

There are some reasons why they may not be, despite their excellent appearance.

I'll break this up so as not to have too lengthy a post.

filecat13
09-23-2007, 06:06 AM
Drivers can last a very long time, but there are physical things that change and electrical things that change.

The surrounds that position the cone are the most obvious physical pieces. Really good ones, like rubber or certain accordion-style pleats treated with resins appear to last a very long time. Everyone knows foam is going to disintegrate over time, but newer foam surrounds are lasting a lot longer than their older counterparts.

Some specialty surrounds, like the old JBL Lansaloy, were extraordinarily supple in their day, but they slowly became stiff and brittle, even cracking and falling out. It's not made anymore for obvious reasons.

A less obvious part of the driver that can cause trouble is the spider. This is the pleated part at the back of the cone that supports it as it joins the voice coil. This helps set the alignment between the VC and the magnet. Over time, the spider can sag, lose its shape, and even rip, but you'll never see it, because it's hidden from view. The changes are usually so gradual that you may not notice the slow degradation in sound.

Also, as the spider and the surround age, the VC starts to lose alignment in the magnet. Combine this with the heat that a magnet generates over the years, and it's not unusual for VC/magnet alignment to be quite compromised. The extreme of this is voice coil rub, where the VC actually rubs against the magnet, or even a frozen speaker where the VC heats up to the point of melting and bonds itself to the magnet.

Some guys rotate their drivers 90-180 degrees every six months or so to try to "even out" this gradual shifting in alignment.

These mechanical changes have electrical/magnetic consequences, by changing the gap tolerance, reducing the amount of VC in the gap, or increasing the amount of VC in the gap. A minor change isn't that big a deal, but I've seen drivers that were 1/4 to 1/2 inch shifted forward or backward, and the electrical parameters of the otherwise good-looking drivers were totally off.

filecat13
09-23-2007, 06:30 AM
Usually when we write "speakers" we're talking about the whole thing: enclosures, wires, networks (crossovers), ports, seals, dampening material, absoprtion material, drivers, etc.

Besides the spiders wearing out inside the enclosure where you can't see it, other things go on in there, too. Some don't matter much; others matter a lot.

If a driver has dampening material, such as a coating on the back of a cone or a pad inside of a tweeter dome, the constant heat and motion inside the enclosure may cause it to fall off (or out). This changes the driver's parameters and its response inside the enclosure.

If the speaker has fiberglass or other batting in it, this batting sometimes falls down or bunches up. While minor, when this happens it can change the speaker's sound by affecting the effective volume of the enclosure, by concentrating heat in a smaller volume of air, by partially or completely impeding a port, etc. In some cases of older material like mineral wool it can lose resilience or volume, becoming more dense and less absorptive, or it can simply deteriorate.

Over time the speaker's seals can dry out or fall out. Even a ported speaker is sealed everywhere else, because the designer wants to control the amount of air that moves in and out. In a sealed enclosure design, there should be no air moving in and out at all. When a seal between a driver and the baffle dries out, shrinks, or falls out, air starts to escape from the gap, especially when the cabinet is pressurized by the moving diaphragms of the drivers.

Of maybe the speaker was dropped or tipped at some point and the baffle, or back board, or driver shifted position, creating an escape route for air. This has the potential to change the enclosure's parameters and to change the the driver's response.

The most difficult and most important changes occur in the electronic components, such as crossovers, L-pads, phase adjusters, etc. Some of these parts wear out, even while they look as good as the day they were installed. Caps dry out, films become thin and brittle, adhesives fail, solder joints crack, wires oxidize, windings develop shorts, and so on. This is usually the area of greatest change in a speaker, and you'd be amazed how an otherwise beautifully kept vintage speaker can degrade just because the electronics have lost their ability to stay within design limits.

Actually, older speakers with simple crossover designs tend to hold up better than more recent, complex designs, IME.

So, there you have it. While by no means comprehensive, you can see from these simple posts that there's a lot to consider.

To me the amazing thing is how durable and reliable speakers and drivers really are and how well they hold up over time. They truly are a miraculous invention.

Rock&Roll Ninja
09-23-2007, 03:41 PM
The wood, or quality wood product speaker cabinet, if not exposed to undu moisture or heat, can be expected to last in fine condition as long as any other wood furniture.... several centuries.

This make become important several decades from now, but in this, the 1st century of loudspeakers its a non-issue.

PeruvianSkies
09-23-2007, 11:35 PM
The wood, or quality wood product speaker cabinet, if not exposed to undu moisture or heat, can be expected to last in fine condition as long as any other wood furniture.... several centuries.

This make become important several decades from now, but in this, the 1st century of loudspeakers its a non-issue.

Does anyone know where the oldest speaker is and how old it is? That would be an interesting topic...I am not aware of any speakers that are older than 1 Century at this point.

Fred333
09-24-2007, 10:56 AM
That is a very interesting topic. I would look around the net, it has to have something. I will tak a look and see if I can find anything.

filecat13
09-29-2007, 08:38 PM
It hasn't been quite a century yet. The moving coil loudspeaker was patented in 1913 by three men who soon had a company called Magnavox. It's generally considered that E.S Pridham, one of the founders of Magnavox, demonstrated this technology publicly during Christmas 1915.