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Speaker decay

#1
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4/11/09 at 7:46pm
  • Joined: April 2009
  • Location: Colorado Springs
  • Post Count: 27
Many moons ago I bought a Yamaha RX-V890, 2 Infinity 625 main speakers, 2 Infinity 325 back speakers, Infinity RS Video center speaker and a Klipsch subwoofer (not sure the model) to go with my then fairly new Sony 32" trinitron.

Well after 13 years or so, the TV died. So I brought up one of my sons gaming 27" TVs (an RCA digital compatible) that was just a horrible thing to view.

Sooo - after 3 months of researching and looking at various HDTV's we bought a SV420XVT 120hz Vizio - and love it (I will post my thoughts in the display devides forum after this)

So now I have the bug... And a horribly costly bug it is

Now my question is, how do I check to see if my 13+ year old speakers are worn out? While they sound fine to me - I am used to them.

I do not plan on replacing these anytime soon, but I am interested on what you experts know on speaker aging and decay.

...gene

Receiver: Yamaha RX-V890
HDTV: Vizio SV420XVT
DVD Player: Sony DVP-NC615
Blu-Ray Player: Panasonic DMP-BD60
Cable Box: Motorola DCT6412 (Comcast)Center Speaker: Infinity RS-VideoL/R Speakers: Infinity 625Rear Speakers: Infinity 325Subwoofer: Klipsch SW-8 II

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#2
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4/11/09 at 8:44pm
  • Joined: June 1999
  • Location: Central Arkansas
  • Post Count: 2,540

Re: Speaker decay

If they sound fine to you with no pops, clicks, scraping noises or other bad sounds, and do not have any cracks or holes in the cones or surrounds, they should be fine.
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#3
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4/11/09 at 10:06pm
  • Joined: October 2002
  • Location: Houston, TX
  • Post Count: 3,165

Re: Speaker decay

I agree with Clinton.

Age-wise, the only component in a speaker that usually can audibly affect the sound are the capacitors in the crossover network. Based on what I've seen owners of vintage speakers report at audiokarma.org, after around 20-25 years, some types of electrolytic capacitors start to go bad, and the result of that is decreased output from the midranges and/or tweeters.
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#4
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4/12/09 at 5:26am
  • Joined: March 2007
  • Location: Boynton Beach FL
  • Post Count: 193

Re: Speaker decay

Use a setup disc with test tones in various frequencies. While the discs are usually used to calibrate your system while using an SPL meter they are also useful to check your speakers to see if they are broadcasting a full range of frequency. Find a calibration disc like Avia that rotates to each speaker individually and then plays a graduating frequency range.

When my Bengal cat decided to "take a ride" on one of my old JBL's I used this method and quickly confirmed what I suspected. The speaker was not emitting a full range.

.....this is truly an illness

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#5
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4/20/09 at 10:57am
  • Joined: April 2009
  • Location: Colorado Springs
  • Post Count: 27

Re: Speaker decay

OK - what is a setup disk and how do I get one? Also - I read alot about sound meters, are they worth it and where can I find one on the cheap.
...gene

Receiver: Yamaha RX-V890
HDTV: Vizio SV420XVT
DVD Player: Sony DVP-NC615
Blu-Ray Player: Panasonic DMP-BD60
Cable Box: Motorola DCT6412 (Comcast)Center Speaker: Infinity RS-VideoL/R Speakers: Infinity 625Rear Speakers: Infinity 325Subwoofer: Klipsch SW-8 II

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#6
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4/20/09 at 11:13am
  • Joined: May 2003
  • Location: Eastern NC
  • Post Count: 1,759

Re: Speaker decay

For sound meters, there aren't too many choices. The most popular one is the Radio Shack analog meter, shown here:
RadioShack.com
For calibration disc, Avia is one of the more popular ones, seen here:
Amazon.com: Avia II: Avia 2: Guide to Home Theater: Movies & TV

Another thing to check on the speakers is the foam surround, to make sure it's not dry rotting and falling apart when you touch it. You can buy kits and fix them yourself, if you're handy with that kind of thing.
Samsung HL61A750 (LED DLP)            Onkyo TX-SR805
Oppo BDP-83 Blu ray                                  Polk Audio LSi9
Polk Audio LSiC                                  Sony SS-MB100H
JBL PSW1200 (Sub)                        ...
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#7
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4/20/09 at 11:14am
  • Joined: March 2007
  • Location: Boynton Beach FL
  • Post Count: 193

Re: Speaker decay

SVSound - Parts & Accessories

This is one source for a setup disc and sound meter. Radio shack carries sound meters as well. Otherwise you could Google for them. I am sure other here have suggestions on where to get setup/calibration discs as well.

.....this is truly an illness

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