My Revel M20s were also built in 2003. This is my second pair as I sold my original pair back in 2009 or so to move up.
Replaced them with a pair of Dynaudio 1.3SEs. One of those mistakes that took me a few years to remedy. At this point I honestly have no desire to go any further.
When I do want a change I swap in my even older Meadowlark Audio Kestrels which I've owned since around 2001. I like the timing of this thread as I switched the Kestrels in this morning. We'll see how long the M20s sit in the closet. |
I love my B@W Matrixs 800 |
Believe my Caravelles are 2004-5.No interest in upgrading. |
My bedroom speakers are Celestion SL700, and my guest room speakers are Rogers LS3/5a. One of the systems that I assembled for my girlfriend uses SpicaTC50. All three are classics and pre-2000 although they could be older since I bought them pre-owned. |
About 25 years old. Yes, they are my primary speakers. |
My speakers are 300 yrs old. |
I bought my Legacy Classic a few months before my daughter was born. She turns 18 this coming October. |
I still use the very underrated Infinity Prelude Compositions in one of my systems. Too bad Harmon Kardon screwed the pouch on this one. Robert Harley reviewed these in Stereophile circa 2001-02; he paired them up with the Cary 300SEI, which I also bought around that time. Very good. But I like the Infinity better with my Cary V12 in Triode mode, 50watts in to a 96db, 4 ohm speaker with a built-in 300 Mash amp driving the 12 inch woofers down to 25hz. A nicely balanced speaker top to bottom, then Harmon Kardon ruined it with subsequent iteration. |
Although I no longer have them, for about 27 years beginning in 1983 my primary speakers were Pentagram P10's, the later generation version, designed by Michael Levy (whose present speaker company is Alta Audio). I briefly had various others during those years, including B&W 801's and two different pairs of large vintage Tannoys, but they were all outclassed by the P10's and I sold the others.
After about 25 years the surrounds on the woofers and bottom-mounted passive radiators developed some tears, and I had them redone by Bill Legall of Millersound.net. They are still providing beautiful music in the home of a relative.
Regards,
-- Al
|
My Meadowlark Heron's have been singing since 2002 !! |
Some years ago, Jamo did some extensive research on how long folks keep their speakers, the average from that research was approximately 10 years.
Good Listening
Peter |
My Ohms are almost 10 years old now. My Merlin VSMs are a few years older (but have been upgraded) and my Parsifal Encores are a year or three older than yours. |
My B&W Electrostatic Speakers (DM70 Continental) are from 1970. They have been reconed; Still work really well.
Quad 57's - design from '57 but the panels have been restored recently by WP and are not that old.
B&W 801's s3 were bought in '94 and were a few years old then. Still sound as good as when I brought them in initially. (will outlast me)
Acoustat Model 3 from the 70's - completely refurbished, and modded.
None of the above are my primary speakers. |
Guesstimating here but I traded a pair of Alon Lotus's for my current JMlabs Micro-Utopias back in 2006. The speakers were definitely used at that point, if I had to guess 3-5 years old so built somewhere between 2001-2003. I love them and they suit my room and system perfectly they're not going anywhere! |
Combo of 1950s-70s and modern most is about 50 years old. Have pairs from 1930-40s working wonderfully. Try that with weak chinless modern dynamic designs. |
I purchased my Aerial Acoustics Model 7 new in 2001. They are my primary speakers that I use regularly, and they are without question (at least in my mind) the best audio purchase I've made. |
The speakers in my main rig are going on 13 years now and they would be the Alon Lotus mk ll's with AlNiCo tweeter upgrades. I've gone thru 2 woofer rebuilds but since they're the 14 ohm option woofers that is something that must be rebuilt and not just replaced as they are no longer available. Absolutely no reason I can think of to upgrade. Yes I hear all the newest offerings from high end speaker manufacturers but none really match the ultimate musicality, resolution and soundstaging of the Lotus'. I also have a REL Stadium lll augmenting them so it's a true full range system but the Alon's totally disappear as sound sources and let the music speak. |
my 80s polk model 10 ($100 on craigslist) are one of the very few pieces i'd be unlikely to part with. likewise my ads 810s. |
I think about 4 years (Vandersteen 5As) and before that it would have been 16 or 17 years (Snell CIVs, which I still love). And then, before that, DCM Time Windows (gave them to one of my best friends), and before that JBL L100s (wish I still had, more out of curiosity at this point), and the very first, Radio Shack Realistic something. To me they all sounded great when I had them, an improvement over what came before. Gee, maybe that applies to most things in (my?) life. |
08-22-15: 68pete
I love my B@W Matrixs 800 they broke the mold with these truly sick speakers. So so far ahead of their time. Mine continue to amaze me every time I listen to them. |
I still own my Snell type A/ll speakers I purchased as a demo pair back in 1982.Very new to the hobby at that time but it has turned out to be a decision I have never regretted. That's 33 years and still counting. |
I sold a pair of Vandersteen 2ci speakers that I had owned and used for 24 years. |
34 years old.
Klipsch Heresy I's mfd 1981.
Crossovers rebuilt in 2011.
Bill |
My PMC Fact 12s are about 6 months old. |
My speakers are ca. 1975 HPD 315 Tannoys (12" Dual Concentric). They have been upgraded with hard edge surrounds, custom crossovers and enclosures.
They far outclass the Dynaudio Contour 5.4's they replaced, which took some doing, as the 5.4's were great speakers.
Regards,
Dan |
my JBL 4350A are from 1975..... |
Audio Physics Caldera II, i think 1998 vintage, and a set of 1978 Klipschorns. Both sound good, though the Caldera's are by far the best i have heard in my system |
My Rogers LS3/5As were purchased in 1977. Symphonic Line Legatos in 1999. |
Both 50 years old....
Tannoy GRF Professional ( also called Tudor Autgraph ) c.1965
Tannoy Belvedere Senior c. 1964
As a previous high end importer including Apogee's and Martin Logan's these are it for me. Quick, transparent and wonderful on full scale orchestral music and jazz with a coherency that is seldom matched. Crossovers are updated - revised topology, teflon boards, duellunds etc. |
Klipsch KG4's bought new in 85. You will have to pry them out my cold dead hands; they have been rarely hammered plenty party's - many cops, and have performed faultlessly all these years. |
The bulk of the speaker system is 12 years old (cabinet, woofers, tweeter, crossover. I switched out the horn midrange for a much better model which is, approximately, 76 years old. |
My Sonus Faber Electa Amators are about 20 years old. Not a chance of selling them in my lifetime. |
Meadowlark Kestrel 2's circa 2004.
Punch right in there with Maggy 3.7 I had in system for a couple weeks . |
Infinity Rennaisaince 90 from the early 90's. I bought a spare pair just in case. I also bought a spare pair of the EMIT tweeters just in case. I have never had to use any of the spare parts. These speakers are really special to me. The sound is really clear, the bass is deep and the footprint is small.
-John |
Bought my ADS 1590/2's in 1985, so that makes them 30 yrs old! Still going strong, and wouldn't even consider getting rid of them! |
My Spendor S100's are 25 ys old and still sound fantastic! |
My Spendor SP-100 speakers are 14 years old but they are my "new" speakers. The drivers and horns in my high-efficiency speakers date back to the 1960s and 1970s. |
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My Infinity IRS Betas are 25 years old. They are excellent speakers, but they are showing their age. I am looking to sell them once I get enough money to put together a speaker system that can duplicate what they can do. I'd keep them if I could find someone to totally go through them and make them new again. Parts are impossible to find for them.
. |
I owned Snell Type A ... Several incarnations as well. One of the best speakers ever made, and helped convince me that materials and technology in and of itself is irrelevant. It is about the designers execution and voicing, and personal preferences. I now have quad esl63 speakers, which are amazing. |
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Montaldo, I would not completely dismiss the importance of materials and technology in building a speaker.
. |
Not sure about the exact age of my speakers, but they must be 35 years old or possibly older. Yamaha NS-1000M. |
I had been using a pair of the Waveform Mach MC/MC.1 (about 20-25 years old) as my only speakers for a number of years.
I replaced them about two years ago with new old stock, same make and model. If I had to guess, I would say that the old Waveforms had about 85 to 90 per cent of the sound of the new Waveforms. They use Vifa drivers. |
JBL S4700s...2 years 9 months. :) |
Great Posts. Sitting listening to music at 0500 hrs before work and still thrilled by the sound of my old friends, ( Verity Parsifals ) |
42 yrs having a birthday party soon. |
Newest 1 year old, oldest 55 years old, many in between. My favorites are the oldest, and in reality there has been little progress in state of the art speaker design, but great progress in the science of marketing and getting huge sums of money out of peoples' pockets. |
Very cool thread. Great to know many of you have held on to your speakers for a long time. I had my Wilson Sophias for about 11 years until just a few months ago, when I replaced them with Sashas. The Sophias were great, but the Sashas are better. I would like to keep these for the duration. |
The oldest everyday set is my Altec "home brew".
I have some Bozaks probably contemporary with the Altecs.
One EV cornerhorn from the 50s.
Then the WE 12a & 13a probably close to 90 years young.
These are not the plywood horns. |
Merlin VSM Basic since 1997. Listening to them right now. |
Bought my Musical Fidelity MC-4s in 1987, so they're 28 years old. These are Martin Colloms designed two-ways with a see-through TPX 8" bass/mid and Elac metal dome tweeter. I enjoy rotating them through my secondary system where I additionally have Spendor SP-1s (also mid-'80s), Revel Performa M20s and Usher BE-718s. Shockingly, of the listed speakers the MC-4s "disappear" best. |
