Quote Originally Posted by Feanor
Foam surrounds are by far the most common failure in older speakers. 20 years is fair benchmark, (I had a pair bought in 1983 that failed in 2002 after being moved 1200 miles across country). But I would avoid foam surrounds if over 10 years old or showing damaged.
But they use a treated cloth surround. The foam surrounds on my EPI's went many years ago, and have been replaced. It's not such a bad job if you have the right replacement part.