How long should high quality speakers last?

A lot of variables here. A five dollar single driver with a rubber surround speaker should last almost forever. A speaker system is a completely different animal. The Capacitors in the crossover can blow at any time, but cheaper capacitors can be more problematic.

Lots of great details and suggestions about cone driver speakers.What about electrostatics?

I own a pair of Ohm Walsh LE 5's that were rebuilt before I bought them. I also own a pair of Martin Logan, Summits which I'm the third owner of and I'm wondering if there's a way yto maintain them that'll extend either the life or the fidelity.

I've heard talk of c leaning and even replacing panels. I'm curious if there is some kind of maintenance for electrostatic speakers in general.

@guscreek ...I remember the DCM TW2Ks'....they lost out to a pair of Infinity's at the time....which lost out later to ESS AMT 1B's....of which the Heil design has sprouted up in variations in quite a few cabinets since....

I've got 4 of them now ( the big Heil's ) with little regard for much else at this juncture and age of the listener.... ;)  

We've all got our preferences....*L*

If you're not buying them out of the back of a white van legit brands will last as long as we use them within their designed purpose. 

I have a pair of Snell Type C bought in the mid '80's and a pair of Large Advent Utilities purchased in the late '70s.  Both have had new surrounds installed years ago, cones are still in good shape.  They still pack a punch.  I use a 400 wpc amp with high dynamic headroom on the Snell's. 

Interesting. I've never thought that speakers would deteriorate over time. I have a pair of TSM MMs that could be 20 years old ( Bought used). They sound just fine to my old ears, but should I doing some "maintenance"?

@asvjerry LOL

My DCM Time Frame 2000s date to around 1987 or so.  I have owned them for seven years and the still sound crazy good to me.  Given the relative rarity of the pair I am reluctant to do much work.  It is also the complexity of the design.  Twin transmission lines for the two woofers.  I have seen the TF1000 crossover so this must be much more.  The back panel comes off but it is (no exaggeration) 20 screws.

I also love vintage radios to talk how long a speaker can last.  A 1948 Farnsworth Caperhart 114N2 came into my possession recently.  These were the finest home entertainment you could buy.  In 1948 this model cost 1750.  It had Jensen's 5"/15" coaxial speaker the JHP-52.  It still sounds great to me all things considered with the  cabinet.

I'M GUESSING THAT oops sorry yelling that my ears will deteriorate faster than any other component I own so yay (?) for getting older.  BTW Youtube Bobs Capehart 41e 3 conversion if you want to witness a mechanical marvel.  20 record changer on the  Capehart that could play A/B, all A than B sides and shut itself off after a preset number of plays.

After owning Revel Studios (a very highly regarded loudspeaker in the early 2000s) for more than 20 years, I decided it was time to replace them even though they still worked as well, I think, as when they were new. So, why?

Comparing my Studios with several current state of the art speakers (and employing equipment/cables as similar to what I own as possible), it quickly became apparent to me that 20 years of speaker technology developments had wrought some real improvements in sound reproduction. 

Accordingly, I now own Magico A5 and am enjoying vastly improved clarity, soundstaging, and imaging.

My ADS L1590 speakers were purchased new by me in 1984. They still sound wonderful. Unfortunately they haven’t gotten any smaller over the years. About 100 lbs. each. :-(

I also have some small Boston Accoustics speakers from the 90s (one pair was second hand). They still sound fine.

My guess is that aside from abuse it’s the environment that has the biggest impact on longevity. High humidity, temperature extremes, and physical impacts, small children, and so forth probably degrade the drivers and crossovers more than just time and use.

I'm rocking a 35+ year old pair of KEF 103.2s (butyl surrounds). The previous owner replaced several of the caps in the crossover because they were leaking. So far, so good (they sound fantastic).

At around the 25 year mark, I started to hear a noise from one of my Von Schweikert VR-4 speakers.  It sounded like it was coming from a tweeter. I checked and the original tweeters were no longer available (I later found some NOS tweeters on eBay). I checked with Madisound and selected a pair of ScanSpeak tweeters.  Installed them and still had the problem. Turns out it was the midrange driver (go figure). An Audax driver that was still in production.  Replaced them and all is good. 

I actually prefer the ScanSpeak tweeters, so I left them in.  These speakers are sitting under covers waiting for my son to have space. 

My uncle has a pair of ADS 1290  that still look and sound good.   Have to be over 40 years old. 

@unreceivedogma wrote:

Did I say “sound the same as new”? 

I did not. 

However, I obviously would not still be using them if I was not getting anything less than outstanding performance from them. 

It appears the post you were replying to has been deleted, but nonetheless I'd say you would definitely be in your right to claim your vintage speakers sound "like new," also being they have been serviced regularly. Who really, from actual experience, refers to and knows about the sonic difference between more or less brand new, properly run in Altec's and their decades old, well-kept equivalent? Demagnetization of Alnico magnets in particular, as has been touched upon, is really only an issue with excessive heating of the magnet from large voice coils or shock treatment, and any natural degradation of magnets is hardly anything other than academic in nature.

The real takeaway here is that such drivers, even decades old, are so transiently alive, dynamic and natural sounding that many newer, lower efficiency modern drivers seem stale and lifeless by comparison. Speaking of sonic detrimements due to aging here misses not only its relevance but also fails to take into consideration an unbiased assessment of these older designs and their merits.

YMMV but I purchased a pair of ADS L810 series2 in 1978. Used them sparingly until about 6 or 7 years ago and passed them down to my little brother. He is still enjoying them today. They have survived many moves but still play like new. All original parts.

Of course, all of these are anecdotal and speaker design, quality and your luck will determine how it turns out.

High quality speakers should literally last a lifetime or more provided: (1) the user does not damage them, and (2) they're kept in a suitable environment free from extreme temperatures and moisture (i.e., indoors).  I have a set of Klipschorns that are pushing 50 years of age and they are still performing as expected.

I had Bill at Great Plains Audio rebuild my Altec Lansing VOT 416-8 woofers two years ago. He reconed them with OEM parts and remagnetized the 2.4 lb alnico magnets. They were rated at 12,000 Gauss when new. If you drive the speakers hard the magnets will demagnetize.. These speakers were from the 50's and I still love their sound and prefer my Altecs to my Theil CS3.5's

When Alnico drivers have partially demagnetized you will notice a difference in efficiency and a noticeable loss in the higher frequencies. An alnico driver in need of recharging sounds kind of dull, and doesn't have as much transient jump. Basically, it sounds dull.

Speaker magnets can be regaussed by Bill at Great Plains Audio in Oklahoma City.

it’s a function of materials used and when they deteriorate. Foam surrounds have a 20 year(?) life. Anyone that recones drivers should be able to answer.

My experiemce….I heva 20 year old thiel 2.4’s that as afar as I can tell sound as good as the did 20 years ago. They were 4500 at the time, which I would call resonanbly high end. Generally their reviews are mostly positive.

Upgrade? I see no reason to, An upgrade would likely be expensive, thus costing me 16k or more. Seems silly and I’d probably be lucky to get away for 16K for the pair,

  Why wouldn't speakers last for a very long time? Apart from replacing the foam surrounds and capacitors, or perhaps re-magnetize the magnets, I haven't and I don't know why you would need to. 

@mkaiser 

Did I say “sound the same as new”? 

I did not. 

However, I obviously would not still be using them if I was not getting anything less than outstanding performance from them. 

The rest of your statement makes no sense to me. 

The serial numbers on my Altec 604Cs and on my 604Ds are 1956 and 1958 respectively. I have had them for 45 years.

I rotate them once a year, and have them serviced every 15 years.

The crossovers are Mastering Lab. The caps have been replaced. 

I have a single Stephens P-52 woofer with a P-15 horn driver in a late 1940s Stephens cabinet.  Still works well, and is still seeking a companion to make stereo.  Otherwise, in no particular order and still working.....I have JBL C37 (D130 + 075 tweeter), 1950s, Altec 604-8G, 1970s,  Dynaco A-25, 1960s, ADS 400 and 810, 1970s, (400 was refoamed, 810 are butyl), Magnepan 3.6R, early 2000s.  It appears that speakers last a good while.  Crossovers that use electrolytic caps should be updated.  

I have a single Stephens P-52 woofer with a P-15 horn driver in a late 1940s Stephens cabinet.  Still works well, and is still seeking a companion to make stereo.  Otherwise, in no particular order and still working.....I have JBL C37 (D130 + 075 tweeter), 1950s, Altec 604-8G, 1970s,  Dynaco A-25, 1960s, ADS 400 and 810, 1970s, (400 was refoamed, 810 are butyl), Magnepan 3.6R, early 2000s.  It appears that speakers last a good while.  Crossovers that use electrolytic caps should be updated.  

I had a pair of Bose 901s Series 2..there were 50 years old  and all the Woofers rotted...that's 18 speakers to repair or replace. .I don't think so...

with maintenance, a lifetime of course

How long should high quality speakers last?||

...well, for some of us....long enough... ;)

Until you get the itch to upgrade?

I  have a pair of Canton Karat 200s (made in West Germany) in my vintage system that I purchased in the summer of '85. They still sound beautiful---the spring clips in one speaker is a little loose. Other than that---no problems.

Eventually the materials with degrade. Usually this happens so slowly you do not notice any sound difference. It all depends on cone composition on all components.

I think you should enjoy the speakers and if you are not happy at some point with the performance and sound you can get them reconed. After that, they will need to be broken in to sound good.

I bought a pair of JBL L-65's new in 1979. Refoamed in 1989. Refoamed again, crossovers rebuilt, and grille fabric replaced in 2023. They sound better than new now.

I have several speakers that I liked over the years which I have kept and still using regularly. For example, B&W 801 Matrix S3, German Physiks Unicorn II and Borderland iV, Wilson Audio WP7, all over or 20 years old. I have a 3-way KEF that I bought as a student 40 years ago and still plays as new. All in original condition. Therefore they can last, if you take care of them and are held at appropriate conditions. Personally, I avoid upgrades, unless not functioning, which has not happened yet.

While State Farm insurance is no authority on matters concerning audio gear they do assign a life beyond which there is no depreciation applied beyond a certain age and that number is 10 years. This might be useful information to someone here and I offer it up in the hopes that it’s useful 

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

I have a pair of 30y/o ESL's, Acoustat Spectra 1100's that continue to impress me with each improvement in my other components. Anyone else have older ESL's?

@georgemunn I am going to order the plinth. I was unaware ZU offered the Omen Def Supreme tweeters. I'll have to look those up

I believe ZU has discontinued the Omen Def Supreme. Maybe they will still build them on special order, however, they are no longer on the site. I'm a pro photographer and the site still uses a photo I took for them back in 2012. The B&W image of the omen def large driver close up. 

After a decade goes by and as long as the cones or foams aren’t damaged you may want to think about re-capping them.

I just gave my brother a pair of Heresy II.   Still work and sound good.   I'm guessing they are 35-40 years old.   

@paradisecom I have Bozaks from 1963. Replacing the capacitors in the crossovers definitely improved the sound quality.

I had a pair of Ohm Walsh speakers last over 30 years and was used daily. I did replace the drivers after the 30 year mark with an upgrade kit from Ohm. 
As long as it is in a normal humidity and temperature environment it will last longer than you might think.

Your Omen Def’s don’t have a cross over just a cap on the tweeter. The 10” drivers are reported to be indestructible. There are two kits available from ZU if you want to upgrade them to match the Omen Def Supremes which I have. One is an upgraded tweeter with an upgraded cap for said tweeter. The other is a wide plinth that perfectly sets the air gap for the ports under the speaker and provides a more stable bass. 

I know someone with a pair of original Western Electric 753 speakers.  They are both probably from the late 1940's to early 1950's.  They sound really good.  He also has a pair of Western Electric 757 speakers from the same era that I also like very much.  

Our 1959 Bozaks in our bedroom still look and sound great.  

I'm wondering what is the oldest speaker still playing out there all original with no repairs or upgrades.

I do like the marchand electronic crossover and have talked to him.he will answered questions and tailer a build to you needs.enjoy the search.

My Yamaha NS-2000's are rockin around 35-40 years and still sound great. I bought them off of hifido 7-8 years ago and they went through them. Changed a couple caps in the crossovers and recovered the grills, plus the speakers already had the upgraded surrounds for the woofer.

More modern, polyether-based foam surrounds are very durable, and when treated with a "foam guard" should last beyond 25 years. In any event direct sunlight is best prevented from reaching exposed cones to extend longevity of the surrounds and avoid potential discolouring of the cones. When speaking of foam surrounds it seems cone movement can be a co-contributor to deterioration, likely only with older polyurethane types.

Compression drivers, as stated by @larryi, are very long lasting. Some older compression drivers with aluminium diaphragms and integrated surrounds were marred by metal fatique when crossed low (like with high output cinema use and crossed at 500Hz), a problem that was avoided with the advent of titanium diaphragms. However in a home setting compression drivers should see neither thermal nor mechanical malfunction for a virtually unlimited lifespan. 

Indeed many older, especially pro-oriented drivers have proven their worth even after several decades of use, refurbished or not. Either way it demonstrates they are very high quality designs that easily stand the test of time, in quite a few cases in a superior fashion over modern day equivalents.