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How do reference speakers rank to today's standard

I think that most of us at this forum had an experience like I am having now: to choose between a once reference speaker and a recent midrange speaker.
For 8 years I have been the owner of Audio Physic Spark III's and I love the sound of the AP's so I want to cling on to this brand. But what to do.
I can choose between two offers, both in the same price range. One is the Audio Physic Avanti II (the year 2K version, the Century), 11 years old and once a reference speaker.
The other one is a 2 1/2 year old Audio Physic Tempo VI.
I know that speakers do age and that 11 years old speakers won't sound as they did 11 years ago.
Also, in the 8 1/2 years that seperate these AP's there has obviously been some development in speaker design.
But do you think that the Tempo's sound better than the Avanti's ?
And what about the (remaining) lifespan of both of them. For the record, I am not able to listen to them at home. Any advice is highly appreciated. regards, Ton
linkingpin

Showing 2 responses by larryi

larryi
4,222 posts
 
Most conventional dynamic speakers do not wear out. Some might have components, such as the rubber surround, that will age (primarily from exposure to pollutants in the air, such as ozone), but not all do.

Eleven years old would make MOST speakers pretty young, in terms of such aging or any sort of wear. Abuse, is a different matter.

I recently bought a compression driver that is more than 70 years old. I would put this up against ANY other midrange driver. If it has lost anything with age, it must have been unbelievably good at the time it was made.
larryi
4,222 posts
 
I will not say that technological changes don't matter, but, when looking at a particular manufacturer's line, it is often changes in philosophy, deliberate change in the kind of sound to match perceived changes in market demand, etc. that matter more. You can hear this evolution in certain lines of speakers, often to their detriment (for my taste), as the overall market shifts. Some even drift one way and then back again when their core customers start to move away.

As far as abuse to an Avanti is concerned, I know of at least one example of spectacular abuse that the drivers survived. A friend of mine does installations and servicing of some gear. He fixed an Avanti that must have been subjected to sustained, extremely high level signals. The inductor on the crossover board was so overheated that the board and the plastic parts around the inductor had melted (not warped, melted and had started to flow away). Amazingly, the drivers, including the tweeter, were unharmed.
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