how long do studio monitors last?

Personally I monitor at relatively reasonable volumes. I can't speak to the folks that always are at max bump and need to see woofers move for 18 hours a day. I could see that type of usage severely limiting an amplifier's life as well as the cones. But I've never blown out anything that wasn't utter cheap shite, 60 watt home receivers and the like ...

Metatron72 wrote:Personally I monitor at relatively reasonable volumes. I can't speak to the folks that always are at max bump and need to see woofers move for 18 hours a day. I could see that type of usage severely limiting an amplifier's life as well as the cones. But I've never blown out anything that wasn't utter cheap ****, 60 watt home receivers and the like ...

Yep, that was me in the studio. I never pumped up the volume for long periods of time. I used mostly headphones and just turned the volume up on the monitors, as needed, for 'reference'.

yeah i always play at a reasonable volume

maybe it's just because my stuff is much more bass heavy these days than in my more lofi past...headphones just always sound way better than my monitors, particularly on my newest song.

Most modern speakers get better after some time as the materials wear in (cone, suspension etc) but after that general wear in stay there unless damaged.

The problem on most vintage speakers are foam surrounds where the foam degrades and rots, this is easily replaced though.

The corrugated paper surrounds are also a bit of a issue on some vintage Tannoy's where they harden (made worse by the air con in the studios blowing on them 24/7) so have a loss in low end.

Components in crossovers can degrade with time or be damaged by faulty amps feeding them DC

Tweeters can go bad with age depending on their design i.e. Ferro fluid tweeters are famous for leaking their shit and or the fluid going gunky over time making the tweeter sound worse than it did new.

Nothing lasts forever but how long it does is really based on it's components and design.
I've seen Altec 604's that were stored well and still going well and sounding good, the 604 originally came out in the 40's! Some of you probs better know it as the Urei 813.
On the opposite side of things the HHB Circle 5 which came out in the 90's who's driver was made by Harbeth, the cone material reacts to UV light and all of them have cracks.

Personally I wouldn't touch KRK's with a 10 foot barge pole

vinyl_junkie_1620 wrote:...
Personally I wouldn't touch KRK's with a 10 foot barge pole

I wouldn't be surprised that you would say something like that. But those very popular KRK monitors has to be better than my JVC UX-1 mini component system.
I know you have a few good pairs of monitors, but I cannot afford those! I have JBL 4311, but they are too big for my small room.

Ya see, I'd kill for some 4311's hahah The pro version of the equally famous L100

Those kind of American speakers are rather rare in the UK and cost a lot more than they would usually do in America.
So most of the speakers we have here stem from BBC designs/background which isn't a bad thing but I love how those big American speakers sound.

vinyl_junkie_1620 wrote:Ya see, I'd kill for some 4311's hahah The pro version of the equally famous L100
...

I paid only $300 for the pair in good shape (as far as sound is concerned, decent cosmetic condition), I have to say I was lucky for once on Craigs List trade. It is impossible to find such low price in Japan no matter what condition it is. In Japan, JBL 4311 has cult following and it is still sold. (There is even small version of 4311 exclusively available in Japan!)
JBL 4311 sound great to me, even with my budget Pioneer receiver (sorry audiophiles out there), but that maybe that is why Yamaha NS10 became industry standard monitor (hush sound if you don't mix properly, great mastering tool, not great sounding speakers.)
Not related to this thread, but I used to like Bose 301 (first and 2nd version) and Bose 101. I cannot believe they've discontinued those models (in the U.S.) I'm not sure about their current products.
I've been looking for active monitors that kind of act like NS10, but easier on my ears.

JVC wrote:

vinyl_junkie_1620 wrote:Ya see, I'd kill for some 4311's hahah The pro version of the equally famous L100
...

I've been looking for active monitors that kind of act like NS10, but easier on my ears.

Not sure how well you can find them in the US but the Acoustic Energy AE22's were made to be a modern NS-10 also still a sealed box design so good transient response as in the NS-10.

They come in active or passive versions and if you are in the UK you can try them in your own home before you buy for a small cost.

http://www.acoustic-energy.co.uk/Defaul ... udspeakers

Never heard them but they are very highly regarded here.

12 years on my Event 20/20s and still going strong.

vinyl_junkie_1620 wrote:

JVC wrote:...
I've been looking for active monitors that kind of act like NS10, but easier on my ears.

Not sure how well you can find them in the US but the Acoustic Energy AE22's were made to be a modern NS-10 also still a sealed box design so good transient response as in the NS-10.

They come in active or passive versions and if you are in the UK you can try them in your own home before you buy for a small cost.

http://www.acoustic-energy.co.uk/Defaul ... udspeakers

Never heard them but they are very highly regarded here.

It's interesting that popularity of monitor speakers differ greatly in each region. Yes, JBL 4311 used to be any professional studios in the U.S. and Japan as well (so I heard.) but UK and US have their own preference, almost.

I was told that many recordings in 70s are bass heavy because they were monitored on JBL 4311 that were suspended from ceiling with chain, so a lot of low frequency would cancel out... My 4311's have small holes in the back too, I think they were used in a recording studio too.

I've never heard Acoustic Energy, and I don't know if their product lines are available in the U.S.

My brother has a pair Fostex PM0.3 (he's not using it for music production though) and he's quite happy about it. (I've never seen any one here mentioned Fostex monitors.)
(He bought a pair of Beringer monitors and he returned in 3 days.)

Event 20/20 seems to be super popular among hip hop artists. And the company knows it (check their website.)

Yeah I do play at decent levels, only blast them when I'm on the final mix. During sessions its loud as another person talking to me. Not loud talk either just enough to hear everything. Blasting them is like a reward after tedious work, like a chocolate bar.