Speaker life expectancy: How long can you buy used


I'm in the process of assembling a cost-effective second system with high quality used or demo gear for use in a relatively small room (appr. 20qm, normal height, wardrobe, big window, carpet, sofa, apart from the size of the window quite average really).
I saw a pair of Avalon Monitors, that I think could fit the bill at 30% of the original price, mint by the looks of them BUT seven years old! In spite of the good things I hear about Avalon's longevity, I do wonder whether it is wise to buy a seven year used speaker, any speaker.
Apart from considerations of wear, where would you draw the line that even a steeply discounted speaker of justified fame in its own time will likely not be able to compete anymore with new products that may cost just about the same amount of money, new that is. And are there exceptions to the rule?
Any considerations or experience you may want to share?
Karel
karelfd
"BUT seven years old!" Why do you think that is old? My experience has been that most speakers last a very, very long time. Maybe cars, computers, and TVs seem old after seven years, but most speakers are more like a wristwatch or camera - moving parts yes, but so what? Seven years is nothing with these items or with most speakers.
I have a pair of EPI from the early '70's 2 way 8 inch that sound great. I have never opened the hood on them. Got them at a thrift store 10 or 15 bucks. Heavy little buggers too, 25 lbs. each at least.
my reaction is the same as others above - 7 years old is nearly new!

"Older" speakers can be a far better value than newer - especially in this hobby where we're prone to upgrade. The price/performance far exceeds new speakers, and most of the depreciation in value is done.

I have multiple speaker sets from the '90s and earlier. I have a pair of Infinity Monitor IIa's I bought in '75 that still sound wonderful.
I would guess that a 7 year old Avalon that has not been abused should be fine for a long, long, time. Some foam surrounds on woofers had a short life, but, that was discovered a while back so your speakers should be safe.

I know a lot of people running 60 year old drivers in systems that would completely shock those who think technology has advanced the state of the art.