How long do speakers last?


I ask because I have an opportunity to buy a pair of Von Schweikert VR-33's for an insanely good price. I get it: "it depends how hard they have been driven", but judging by the condition they were very nicely taken care of. My only concern is that will need repairs in the future whereas I could just spend that money on new speakers. On the other hand they sound fantastic. Just curious about the lifespan. They'd be a nice upgrade from my Klipsch bookshelves / sub combo.

mucker

One of the safest bets in old speakers are Magnepans. No voice coils to burn out, no surrounds to dry up and disintegrate, no fancy cabinetry to get banged up. There is really very little to damage or go wrong in a Maggie but you do have to be careful around that ribbon tweeter. 

Can you define last?   Old speakers still play and sound good, but over time the sound quality, assuming no damage, will degrade slowly.  I had a 20 year old pair of SF and they sound good, but not as good as new.  Difficult to really compare with the passage of time.  I was told the caps (or other elements) in the cross overs can go out of spec after decades and the aging rubber or what ever it is can break down a bit.  

I have a pair of speakers that are 30 yo. Nothing has been done to them and they still sound outstanding. If they look good and sound good, I would take the chance. You can always resell for minimal loss. Some times you gotta take a chance! 

 

Note on Millersound, you should contact Bill directly first as I believe he does not work on all brands and is pretty emphatic about it.  I live in close proximity and have used his services a few times. Does really nice work and might be able to offer a tweak or two as well as the repair   

http://www.millersound.net/