Audiophile Speakers with 25 yr + Longevity

Crossover capacitors can go out of spec over time and electrical joints can corrode. Large woofers with heavy magnets can sag and start to rub. Even rubber surrounds can dry out and lose flexibility which can alter bass performance. Air tight seals can dry up and leak. In general the speakers will still produce sound, but not as originally designed.

I bought my Magnepan MG 1B speakers in 1985. They have been to the factory twice... the first time when I blew the tweeters because the fuse was bypassed and the second time 10 years later when the repair needed touch up. The speakers are now handed on to my college age son. As long as you have a climate controlled environment Magnepan's will last... don't leave them at an un airconditioned location where the membrane will deteriorate from heat. The 1.7's I now have will likely be in my will 25 years from now.

10-29-12: Pdspecl
Well, I would like to mention the older Mirage M series speakers. Not much for looks but they were very well made. The main drivers do NOT require new surrounds like Infinity speakers. I had a 20 year old pair and they sounded as new.

A pair of 1996 Mirage M5si's still anchor my HT 7.2 surround rig, and I have no intention of sending them on, In fact, the speakers they replaced are also nearly timeless--ADS L1090 series ii. Both speakers use butyl surrounds on the cone drivers and the cabinets are very solidly made of thicker-than-average MDF.

The continued popularity and high resale value of both these brands is testament to their sound designs and durable construction. I bought my L1090s the year my daughter was born in 1987 and I have no doubt they'd continue to deliver today. I've seen plenty of 20-30-yr-old ADS speakers fetch $500-1500.

Tweeters that use ferrofluid in the magnetic gap can dry out over years causing (at first) an unexplained channel imbalance in the highs and then progessively both a more rolled-off HF response and decreased power handling...if you play them loud enough the tweeter voice coils can even burn out. The right kind of ferrofluid can be purchased and periodically used to "top off" your tweeters (every few years or so). People should be aware of this when they go to buy older used speakers that use ferrofluid since even most audiophiles don't recognize it as an owner's maitainance item and you could be buying or auditioning speakers that have never had that looked after. Once you add the ferrofluid (google it), the tweeters and their performance are entirely as good as new.

Quite a few older speakers with prosound-style drivers still work and work well. Vintage Klipschorns, Altec VOT, Valencia, Model 14, Model 19, JBL Paragon, Hartsfield, Model 4430, to name just a few. These range from 30 to 60 years old ballpark.

Duke
dealer/manufacturer