How Long Should a First Watt SIT3 Last ?

I should have compared the damped and un-damped Heresy IIIs (I mean really...they were right there) but listened to them both post damping and yeah...they didn’t change much but damping’s an easy tweak though and kind of fun. I now have no memory of what the undamped horns sounded like but hey...they remain damped unless the material fell off. Also the IVs were listened to for over a month in my system and always elicited a frown leading to them being happily sold on. I do think the IVs are a much more deluxe item than the IIIs...better driver bolts (instead of wood screws), nice binding posts...the extra 10 hz of bass...all good. I’ve mentioned the redesigned mid horn on the IVs a few times (plastic driver-on-horn flare with no compression throat) and the titanium drivers with the long throated (including weird little pokey phase plug thing with holes) compression horn design of the IIIs seems to be what I like. A very coherent sound with none of the frown inducing upper mid jump on the IVs...if that issue had healed up I would have kept ’em but life is seemingly too short...I still love the IIIs...still use them with 2 RELs.

I think H 3s sound MUCH better than the 4s. Also I think they sound better on the floor as designed.