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How long do speakers last?

I ask because I have an opportunity to buy a pair of Von Schweikert VR-33's for an insanely good price. I get it: "it depends how hard they have been driven", but judging by the condition they were very nicely taken care of. My only concern is that will need repairs in the future whereas I could just spend that money on new speakers. On the other hand they sound fantastic. Just curious about the lifespan. They'd be a nice upgrade from my Klipsch bookshelves / sub combo.

mucker
allenf1963
337 posts
 

I have a pair of Polk Audio Monitor 10's that I bought brand new in 1987 that are in mint condition and sound like they did the day I first hooked them up.  Never been opened up or worked on and all original components.  They have always been in a non-smoking house, and in a room that is always used (so well ventilated and climate controlled), which I believe is more important to speaker longevity than the occasional "cranking them".

re-lar-kvothe's avatar
re-lar-kvothe
174 posts
 

I have a pair of Mirage M760s I purchased as demos in 1986. They are still in pristine condition and sound fantastic. 

secretguy
1,710 posts
 

Until I get tired of them.

dean_palmer's avatar
dean_palmer
78 posts
 

They can last a lifetime, but you may need to replace a driver or components over the years. Some plastics, foams, glues, etc degrade over time regardless of the conditions they are kept in, so not uncommon for things to fail over decades. I still have my Polk SDAs bought new in 1987 and have only had to replace a few drivers. I've gone through a number of other speakers over the decades as well and rarely any issues, and they have always been kept in an air conditioned house as well. As long as you are not obsessed with getting a perfect OEM original replacement part when needed, you'll be happy. That said, replacing components sometimes provides an even better performing component compared to the OEM part from decades ago.

mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,570 posts
 

My brother has a pair of Von Schweikert speakers that are 30 some odd years old.

The VR 33s are an excellent design intelligently made to keep the costs down. The sock instead of a veneer is an example of this. The sock can easily be replaced by any thin elastic fabric available at any fabric store. They are reasonably efficient. Any good 100 watt/channel amp will drive them to ridiculous volumes without any clipping.  The surrounds are butyl rubber and will last forever. The crossover caps may need to be replaced eventually but that is no big deal. Learn how to use a solder iron.

If you like the sound and the price is right go for it. Getting better speakers new would cost a lot more money.

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