Longevity of speakers...

Posted by: Top Cat on 13 November 2000

Hi folks,

I've had a pair of Audio Physic Virgos on loan now for around ten weeks from a acquaintance who now wishes to sell them. They are mark I models and around five to six years old. They are also grey import (he informs me that they were purchased in Germany).

Firstly, I'm delighted with the sound. I've heard a lot of speakers but nothing to touch these beasties, and therefore I cannot go back so my own Castle Harlechs must go... (offers around £600, boxed, mint, including Mana SBL stands - enquire within )

Not having bought such a high-end speaker before,
I am a bit wary of making expensive mistakes.

[FWIW, it's a Stereophile Class-A Restricted LF speaker, living somewhere on the horizon where flat-earth meets round earth, i.e. it images amazingly and it has PRaT, slam and that inexplicable something else that the best speakers have).

What I'm concerned about is reliability in the longer term (seeing as it's grey import, any new drivers will need to be sourced direct from Audio Physic in Germany).

I rarely crank the system, and I've got amps with sufficient power to cope with their 4ohm load (they are 91db/w/1m sensitivity, so they're not as difficult a load as you'd think). I'm just a bit worried that, before I shell out a little over a grand for them, the drivers might die on me six months down the line, requiring a very expensive round-trip to Germany, plus costs.

So, if anyone out there can comment on these speakers wrt. reliability and parts availability, I'd really appreciate that.

Also, is £1200 a fair price for a mint-, boxed but grey-import pair of these speakers, between four and a half and six years old??? [new cost is £3400 for this finish or thereabouts]

John

Posted on: 13 November 2000 by Mark Packer
Typically, speakers last a long time in my experience, and 2nd hand speakers can be a real bargain as they tend to be WYHIWYG (what you hear iis what you get). I'm running some 15 year old KEF 104/2 Refs which sound fine. Although, unless you blow them up I expect the decay is so gradual as to be difficult to notice.

However, drivers with foam surrounds can fail when the foam decays, typical lifespan 8-10 years, also, I suspect, crossover components go off over time. We have Naim kit re-capped after x years, I wonder what the lifespan of a X-over is? (anyone from Naim care to comment?). My brother had a pair of Tangents re-foamed and said the co. concerned did an excellent job for 23 GBP per driver.

Why not contact Audio Physic with the serial number and ask their advice? I'm sure Florian would translate for you if your german isn't up to it.ˇ

regards,

Mark

Posted on: 13 November 2000 by Top Cat
quote:
Why not contact Audio Physic with the serial number and ask their advice? I'm sure Florian would translate for you if your german isn't up to it.

...certainly isn't up to it

My worry is that these speakers might be difficult to have repaired here in the UK; at the moment, everything appears 100%, but £1200 is a lot of cash for a speaker if it can't be repaired...

I just can't face losing them (and if I were a rich man, I'd buy a new pair and not have the worries. In fact, these speakers are so good I'm surprised that no-one seems to have much to say about them either way...

John