How long should high quality speakers last?

In the 70s l was told by an older experienced hi-fi guy who started me on the hobby that speakers were the most reliable part of a system.

There are less components to go wrong.

This stayed in my mind over the years and l never experienced a pair of speakers ever fail and l have used many.

l was very impressed when l went to hi-fi shows in Bristol and London with the Acoustic Energy brand. Their AE1 MK1 had been designed as a small bookshelf size for use in near field recording studios. Yamaha was the brand that dominated the US but here there was a UK rival.

The price was high, but also the sound…..it was powerful, refined and had a very large sound stage. Imagery was a main talking point, and it went LOUD without fatigue or distortion…. In blind tests people thought they were listening to floor standers. The secret of the AE1 was when it was married with AE lead filled iron cast pedestal stands designed just for that speaker.

Owning a pair was too expensive when starting a family and was just out of reach. Forward 30 years and l had the chance to buy a pair with pedestals on eBay. I made an offer £100 more than the starting bid and it was accepted….a mere £550. They were ex-demo and had been given to a salesman as his Xmas bonus. And l had the bi-wire Chord Silverscreen bi-wire cables used for the demos thrown in too.

More than ten years later these speakers are now 40 years old, never been re-coned and still looking brand new with their piano finish walnut cabinets. I have no reason to think the electronics have fallen out of spec as l have bought other speakers since, moved these to rear surrounds and now they are my mains again. The newer AE Reference 1 speakers l tried just didn’t compete, there was something missing so they were demoted to be my rear surrounds.

The AE1s from 1984 still hold their own and although the base always rolled off dramatically at 60Hz they were still bought by many hi-fi enthusiasts for home systems and not just for studio use. They are now paired with two Rel T9i subs which integrate so well.

So how long can speakers last? Well engineered quality speakers could outlive many of its owners….me included. I have been very lucky to own a pair of trouble free speakers l never thought l could have afforded and to have discovered their full potential.

Jeff Days’ vintage office system:

These are heavy loudspeakers, somewhere in the 250 pound range each as a guesstimate. These vintage loudspeakers—like me, are over six decades old now—have accumulated a few scuffs and scrapes over the years, but still they are in very nice cosmetic condition overall considering their age, and the drivers, horns, crossovers and cabinets are in essentially perfect operational condition—a testimony to the impeccable quality of Altec products from that period.

My speakers are 45 years old. The woofers were refoamed 10-15 years ago. Otherwise, they have been perfectly reliable since I bought them, and they sound great.

Speakers are made up of various materials and devices. I’ve found that the moisture content of a component is a big factor. As components dry out things happen such as materials turning to dust, convert from solid to goo, leak, or become brittle. Foam, plastics, coatings, capacitors, etc. We just serviced a pair of 64-year-old speakers. 5 of the 6 drivers, AND the crossover components were still operational. Not sure if the "blown" tweeter was due to abuse, or aging in this case. I’ve got a single Klipschorn from 1958 in the loft what works fine, with the correct drivers intact. I don’t know the complete history of the speakers.

My hand-built speakers are made up of 24 drivers (rubber surround mid/woofers, soft dome tweeters). I had them when I met my current wife 34 years ago. The speakers (and marriage) are hanging in there.

In my speaker rotation are a pair of 37 year old ProAc Studio 3. I just replaced the 2 electrolytic caps in each crossover. One was bulging.