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Loudspeakers - how best to prolong their lifetime?

Another thread, regarding obtaining speakers "for life" got me thinking about the lifetime of our speakers. Let's assume, for the sake of the argument, that we have a set that we really don't want to lose (just what I own right now). Is there anything that one can do to prolong their lifetime? We'll assume that we look after them regarding the power that we throw at them and that we don't play them excessively loud and blow the cones.

I recall my first "real" speakers, which were Castle Kendals. After a few years in storage, following an upgrade, I went back to them to use in my third system. They sounded terrible when I connected them up and the removal of the grill showed just why - the cone's foam surrounds had disintegrated! I pulled the two sets of spares out, ones that I had obtained from Castle as backups, and they had also gone belly-up. My current speakers have glass-fibre reinforcement so I expect some longevity.

Is there anything to do or do we just have to take what we are dealt?
niacin

Showing 2 responses by viridian

viridian's avatar
viridian
4,184 posts
 
Besides sunlight, smoke is something to best avoid. As is high humidity and moisture. Many speakers which have foam surrounds can easily have the surrounds replaced, it's not automatically a death sentence. And depending on the brand, it's probably best to replace the caps in the crossover every couple of decades or so. Large woofers should be rotated 180 degrees every couple of decades as well, if possible, to prevent stresses on the suspension.

Among my loudspeakers is a stock pair of 1977 Klipsch Cornwalls that sound excellent thirty-three years down the road. I have a pair of Pioneer CS-99A, with the cambric surrounds, from the same era in great condition. I also have some raw drivers from the 1950s that seem to work very well and friends that use Altecs from the early 1960s that sound pretty good.

Heck, there are guys using Western Electric and Klangfilm speakers from the silent motion picture era between the wars, and loving the hell out of them. I would not sweat it.

http://www.audioanthology.com/audio1.html
viridian's avatar
viridian
4,184 posts
 
I have confidence in my own work, so I replace foam surrounds myself. It is not particularly hard if you are handy. Kits can be purchased from various vendors, such as Parts Express. DIY is fun and, when you are done, you know that the job is done right. Errr.......or that you screwed up totally and the driver is ready for the dust bin as you say on the other side of the pond.

I would never mess with rare Altec or WE drivers, those would go to Great Northern Sound. Likewise, if I owned very expensive modern speakers, they would go back to the manufacturer. But for your Kendal drivers, I think that DIY is a great opportunity. While you have them apart you can replace the caps in the crossover and maybe some wire as well. Good luck.
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