Question Longevity of HiFi gear.

[Al ears]

Interesting discussion on another thread.
How long do you expect hifi equipment to last?
Whilst items like solid state amplifiers should do well and certain manufacturers offer a very long warranty on their kit, although these are limited to the likes of Mark Levinson etc., how about other items like C D players, speakers etc.
Will be interested to see your thoughts on how long you expect items to remain fully fun particularly those with some mechanical elements.
And by that I mean without having to do anything to it.

 

[Deleted member 201267]

Interesting discussion on another thread.
How long do you expect hifi equipment to last?
Whilst items like solid state amplifiers should do well and certain manufacturers offer a very long warranty on their kit, although these are limited to the likes of Mark Levinson etc., how about other items like C D players, speakers etc.
Will be interested to see your thoughts on how long you expect items to remain fully fun particularly those with some mechanical elements.
And by that I mean without having to do anything to it.

The more it costs the longer i expect it to last !

However the amount of usage an item gets is a factor to consider.

 

[jetblack9090]

I know it sounds cliche, but I've lived my life for a long time one day at a time, so for me I figure if I can get a decade out of a product then it's been a good purchase

 

[Cricketbat70]

Interesting discussion on another thread.
How long do you expect hifi equipment to last?
Whilst items like solid state amplifiers should do well and certain manufacturers offer a very long warranty on their kit, although these are limited to the likes of Mark Levinson etc., how about other items like C D players, speakers etc.
Will be interested to see your thoughts on how long you expect items to remain fully fun particularly those with some mechanical elements.
And by that I mean without having to do anything to it.

Bit of a cheat. I have a pair of B&W vision DS2 speakers that I bought in 1991 still working but here's the cheat they've been under my son's bed for over a decade not used. I got them out recently just to use at an after funeral get together. I was worried that they wouldn't work because about a week before I got them from under the bed, I read they have some sort of liquid in the tweeter that deteriorates after a while. Had them 32 years and only just found out about the liquid.

I also have a Denon PMA 250 mkII from the same year (my first hi-fi separates purchase) that I now use at work. It is showing signs of age, the volume doesn't kick in until I've got the dial turned a third of the way round but the service department at work says it'll just need a clean.

My current AV receiver (Yamaha DSP-AX761) I've had since 2008, still very much alive and kicking. I sometimes wish it would die then I can have an excuse to buy something more modern.

 

[aversaurus]

Amplifier 50 years+
Cd player 15 years+ depends on use
Speakers 30 years+

For starters

 

[WayneKerr]

I would expect kit to last well over 20 years.

Around 1989 I gave my sister my first hifi dating from the early 80's, an Aiwa system. When it was replaced in 2014 the only issues were a crackling volume pot on the amp, blown tweeters on the speakers, but the CDP was still going strong... so that's 30+ years. I then gave her my first Marantz set-up around 2014 and she's still using it without any issues.

I had a Kenwood system after the Aiwa. The Kenwood CDP stopped reading discs around 2009, so that's 20 years. The amp was still fine and I've still got it, but it sounds terrible compared to my my current kit.

Had the Marantz Pearl Lites in the system for around 7 years, no issues, just upgraditis. Hoping the current Ruby pair will outlast me, I seldom use the CDP to play discs it's more of a DAC transport for my ripped library. Marantz turntable and speakers should see me out too as I currently have reached a contented place.

As per the other thread all these CDPs have played gapless. I try to steer clear of expensive streamers as without firmware updates they just become expensive door-stops

 

[jjbomber]

I expect it to last 3 days; until the cheque clears!

OK those days have gone. I find that technology makes things redundant rather than things breaking down. Other than Naim screens, nothing ever seems to break down.

 

[Al ears]

Amplifier 50 years+
Cd player 15 years+ depends on use
Speakers 30 years+

For starters

To be honest I don't know any CD player that relies on rubber bands in the mechanism to last 15 years

 

[Freddy58]

I guess it stands to reason that anything that has a mechanical element is more likely to fail. Over the years, I’ve had two CDP’s fail. The first a Denon (I forget the model No) that stopped reading the disc at a few years old. This was an 80’s model and not cheap. The second was the one I currently have which had to be repaired at my cost at only 14 months old. To my mind, turntables are pretty simple. The motor just has to operate at the correct speed and all is well, notwithstanding the fact that the band/belt might need replacing from time to time. Indeed, my 80’s RP3 gave me 20 years of flawless service. I would think that amps and speakers should be nigh on bulletproof with sensible use?
So, with all that in mind…
CDP’s - 10 years if you’re lucky
Turntables - 20 years at least
Amps - 20-30 years (although might need the pots to be serviced)
Speakers - 30+ years.

 

[Gray]

To be honest I don't know any CD player that relies on rubber bands in the mechanism to last 15 years

Pretty sure my Marantz CD6000KI was bought in 2002 (couldn't resist at £200 off the £500 rrp).
Still in the rack but admittedly it's rarely used these days, still looks and sounds as new, so 21 years not out.

 

[JDL]

Interesting discussion on another thread.
How long do you expect hifi equipment to last?
Whilst items like solid state amplifiers should do well and certain manufacturers offer a very long warranty on their kit, although these are limited to the likes of Mark Levinson etc., how about other items like C D players, speakers etc.
Will be interested to see your thoughts on how long you expect items to remain fully fun particularly those with some mechanical elements.
And by that I mean without having to do anything to it.

I just removed the Crossovers from my B&W 802 Matrix S2 speakers. They're dated September 16th 1988. As far as I can tell they're working fine as the speakers sound very impressive. Nevertheless, I'm sending them to Wilmslow Audio for refurbishment and upgrade, rather than wait for them to start playing up or not.
My Meridian CD players date from around 1990 for the 206 I think and maybe the same or slightly later for the 508.20. Both CD players read faultlessly every single time I use either, never skip never do anything other than what they're meant to do. As a matter of interest, I'm sending the 206 to Russ Phillips for re-capping and services. He said that lasers aren't available for the 206 anymore but he also said that the lasers on the 206 rarely if ever, fail.
I've already had him re-cap, service and refurbish the 508 with new lasers and whatever else. I had this done as a preventative measure, not because it was faulty. Although, it does sound somewhat better now than it did before.

 

[JDL]

I just removed the Crossovers from my B&W 802 Matrix S2 speakers. They're dated September 16th 1988. As far as I can tell they're working fine as the speakers sound very impressive. Nevertheless, I'm sending them to Wilmslow Audio for refurbishment and upgrade, rather than wait for them to start playing up or not.
My Meridian CD players date from around 1990 for the 206 I think and maybe the same or slightly later for the 508.20. Both CD players read faultlessly every single time I use either, never skip never do anything other than what they're meant to do. As a matter of interest, I'm sending the 206 to Russ Phillips for re-capping and services. He said that lasers aren't available for the 206 anymore but he also said that the lasers on the 206 rarely if ever, fail.
I've already had him re-cap, service and refurbish the 508 with new lasers and whatever else. I had this done as a preventative measure, not because it was faulty. Although, it does sound somewhat better now than it did before.

Forgot to mention the B&W 805 Matrix. Again early nineties I believe, they sound absolutely wonderful. Ferrofluid in the tweeters seems to be fine, crossovers seem to be fine.

 

[Cricketbat70]

I guess it stands to reason that anything that has a mechanical element is more likely to fail. Over the years, I’ve had two CDP’s fail. The first a Denon (I forget the model No) that stopped reading the disc at a few years old. This was an 80’s model and not cheap. The second was the one I currently have which had to be repaired at my cost at only 14 months old. To my mind, turntables are pretty simple. The motor just has to operate at the correct speed and all is well, notwithstanding the fact that the band/belt might need replacing from time to time. Indeed, my 80’s RP3 gave me 20 years of flawless service. I would think that amps and speakers should be nigh on bulletproof with sensible use?
So, with all that in mind…
CDP’s - 10 years if you’re lucky
Turntables - 20 years at least
Amps - 20-30 years (although might need the pots to be serviced)
Speakers - 30+ years.

My RP3 from the same era just needed a service on the motor, recently. Started turning the platter the wrong way after about 15 minutes use. Andy at Wilkinson's Hifi just said - that's a new one on me - and he's been repairing hifi for 30+ years.

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

Amps the longest - never had one fail, other than a fuse. 30 years, I'd hope.

CDP - not as long. Only ever had one issue though, which was an Arcam that intermittently struggled not to re-eject the tray when loading - which was after 15 years or so. I'd hope for 20 years, but an issue after 10-15 wouldn't crush me.

Speakers - never had any fail, other than when I was a callow youth thrashing cheap speakers on the end of underpowered amplification. The mechanical element does mean I'd expect a shorter lifespan than for electronics, but I suppose if they are well-designed and use quality materials then experience suggests this doesn't have to be true.

Streamers should be like amps, but I suspect functionality/changes to platforms etc may be the limiting factor.

No idea about turntables - I'd expect more trouble and maintenance needed here, but it was the relative fragility of the medium that saw me abandon it.

 

[podknocker]

I expect every part of my Audiolab Omnia to last well beyond the 3 year warranty period.

The CD player should outlive me as I no longer use it, but that might change.

It's a fairly solid bit of kit, apart from the very flimsy CD tray and I want it all to work OK for the next 20years.

My QA speakers should also never fail and the only reason I chucked my KEF Q35.2 speakers away, was because I knocked one over and it wasn't very happy after that.

 

[daytona600]

Have a few turntables from the 1950/60/70s Technics SP10 , Thorens TD124 , Garrard 301

 

[JDL]

My RP3 from the same era just needed a service on the motor, recently. Started turning the platter the wrong way after about 15 minutes use. Andy at Wilkinson's Hifi just said - that's a new one on me - and he's been repairing hifi for 30+ years.

Have you tried "Mr Tech Guy Ltd" at Cambridge. The guy's called Russ Phillips. If you Google Mr Tech Guy Ltd the contact details will come up. If the player's worth fixing and you want it fixed he'll tell you if he thinks he can fix it.

 

[podknocker]

I guess it stands to reason that anything that has a mechanical element is more likely to fail. Over the years, I’ve had two CDP’s fail. The first a Denon (I forget the model No) that stopped reading the disc at a few years old. This was an 80’s model and not cheap. The second was the one I currently have which had to be repaired at my cost at only 14 months old. To my mind, turntables are pretty simple. The motor just has to operate at the correct speed and all is well, notwithstanding the fact that the band/belt might need replacing from time to time. Indeed, my 80’s RP3 gave me 20 years of flawless service. I would think that amps and speakers should be nigh on bulletproof with sensible use?
So, with all that in mind…
CDP’s - 10 years if you’re lucky
Turntables - 20 years at least
Amps - 20-30 years (although might need the pots to be serviced)
Speakers - 30+ years.

I would agree with the long lifespan of speakers, unless the cones are doped paper, or similar. They might possibly fall apart from moisture etc? Polypropylene and other materials can also perish and there are many pictures of the rubber surrounds perishing and literally crumbling away.

There are so many things to consider when buying kit and sometimes you can't think of everything. Material lifespan and moving parts are usually the most important things to consider.

Transistor amps should go on forever, but I had a faulty sealed pot on my Quad Vena 2 years ago and I didn't want the £100 repair fee. My Audiolab Omnia has buttons and no rotary volume control and I think this is a much better choice than stuff that turns and gets oxidised and full of muck. I would never have a volume knob again.

Still related, I had a Toshiba TV years ago and the optical output was vertical and became worn, so it wouldn't retain the Toslink lead. The weight and torque in the lead made it fall out, so I had to use superglue. I don't own a TV now, but how would anyone think of this, when buying a TV? If I ever buy another, I want a horizontal socket. Nightmare.

 

[Cricketbat70]

Have you tried "Mr Tech Guy Ltd" at Cambridge. The guy's called Russ Phillips. If you Google Mr Tech Guy Ltd the contact details will come up. If the player's worth fixing and you want it fixed he'll tell you if he thinks he can fix it.

Sorry didn't make it clear Andy fixed it, just a service on the motor needed. Andy had never seen one run backwards in all his years of fixing hi-fi.

 

[nopiano]

Sorry didn't make it clear Andy fixed it, just a service on the motor needed. Andy had never seen one run backwards in all his years of fixing hi-fi.

I’ve heard of it. Isn’t there a capacitor or something that kicks the motor in the right direction of rotation? But it fails eventually.

 

[Cricketbat70]

I’ve heard of it. Isn’t there a capacitor or something that kicks the motor in the right direction of rotation? But it fails eventually.

Yeah I think it was a cap he replaced

 

[Cricketbat70]

All kit has a variety of caps and resistors etc. Amps have loads and they are used in crossovers. They are the bread an butter of the modern tech sector and many people are unaware these things can fail. They can swell and pop and that's not good. There are many high quality cap companies, but these things can't be used in cheaper products. I've heard some speakers use Mundorf caps and some of these can cost a fortune. Scary.

MCap® Supreme EVO SilverGold Oil

www.mundorf.com

A friend of mine recently gave me a none working Roksan Kandy KA1 mkIII. I took it into work and it was a single cap that had gone. Once repaired I used it at the same after funeral do I used my B&W speakers. My wife's now fuming that I've got this amp just taking up space in the house. I did promise I'd put it on eBay.

 

[podknocker]

All kit has a variety of caps and resistors etc. Amps have loads and they are used in crossovers. They are the bread and butter of the modern tech sector and many people are unaware these things can fail. They can swell and pop and that's not good. There are many high quality cap companies, but these things can't be used in cheaper products. I've heard some speakers use Mundorf caps and some of these can cost a fortune. Scary.

MCap® Supreme EVO SilverGold Oil

www.mundorf.com

A friend of mine recently gave me a none working Roksan Kandy KA1 mkIII. I took it into work and it was a single cap that had gone. My wife's now fuming that I've got this amp just taking up space in the house.

I bet so much decent kit gets thrown away because of these issues. It comes down to repair cost and many people would rather buy new than take the hit of an expensive repair. I've been there. The labour cost to replace a £3 cap could run into hundreds with many brands. If your amp or speaker needs a £600 cap replacing, it's an even more expensive repair. I now know why some kit costs a fortune, but if they use expensive parts, you'd think failure would be a very rare occurrence.

 

[Cricketbat70]

All kit has a variety of caps and resistors etc. Amps have loads and they are used in crossovers. They are the bread and butter of the modern tech sector and many people are unaware these things can fail. They can swell and pop and that's not good. There are many high quality cap companies, but these things can't be used in cheaper products. I've heard some speakers use Mundorf caps and some of these can cost a fortune. Scary.

MCap® Supreme EVO SilverGold Oil

www.mundorf.com

I bet so much decent kit gets thrown away because of these issues. It comes down to repair cost and many people would rather buy new than take the hit of an expensive repair. I've been there. The labour cost to replace a £3 cap could run into hundreds with many brands. If your amp or speaker needs a £600 cap replacing, it's an even more expensive repair. I now know why some kit costs a fortune, but if they use expensive parts, you'd think failure would be a very rare occurrence.

That's the beauty of working where I do. I've had a number of repairs done including the Kandy for nothing. The only repair I had to have done at a hifi shop was the RP3, our engineer just wasn't comfortable touching something so delicate. I mentioned in another thread earlier in the year he had 2 technics DAT recorders from the late 80's in from a customer, one was repaired with a 3D printed gear our engineer sourced from a bloke in Portugal. The other one again only needed a part replacing.

 

[podknocker]

That's the beauty of working where I do. I've had a number of repairs done including the Kandy for nothing. The only repair I had to have done at a hifi shop was the RP3, our engineer just wasn't comfortable touching something so delicate. I mentioned in another thread earlier in the year he had 2 technics DAT recorders from the late 80's in from a customer, one was repaired with a 3D printed gear our engineer sourced from a bloke in Portugal. The other one again only needed a part replacing.

I think 3D printing will be the saviour for many old devices, where part supply has dried up. Amazeballs!