do speakers deteriorate gradually?

Some things, like sneakers and plasma TVs, wear down with use and die gradually, meaning the more you use it the less effective it becomes at what it does. For example, plasma TVs will become less bright the more they are used, and will eventually dull to a point where it needs to be replaced. Do speakers do something like this too? For example, do they become less loud or less responsive the more you use them?

And what about with abuse? If you abuse a speaker, such as by playing it much beyond its power rating a lot or distorted noise, but it doesn't actually stop working, will it work just as well as it ever did until the day it fails? Or will its performance gradually deteriorate over time?

Thanks in advance

As with anything mechanical, yes, it will eventually break. It will usually be the spider, or (more likely) the surround that will fatigue and eventually break.

As far as other "impending failure warning signs"? There aren't any, the driver will just eventually, one day, be broken, or break during use. The surround would be an obvious failure, you'll see it broken. The spider would be a not-so-obvious failure, but you'll hear the voice coil start rubbing.

As far as abusing the driver? Possibly you could accellerate this aging process with mechanically overpowering, but I couldn't say how much faster it would happen. Mechanically overpowering a driver is usually fairly obvious to the listener, LONG before impending failure.

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It all reminds me of something that Molière once said to Guy de Maupassant at a café in Vienna: "That's nice. You should write it down."

Agreed..yes as well. My JL10w6 , which is over 10 years old...still plays..but time and age are causing the surround foam to slowly deteriorate. One day I heard it making noise..and thats when I noticed the surround coming apart. Anything that moves, and even many things that don't will wear out one way or another over time.

Most of my customers that come in stating that thier factory speakers sound "crackly"...I find upon inspection that the surrounds have simply crumbled apart. I touch it and my finger goes through with very little force. The cheap paper cones from the factory do not last near as long as aftermarket replacments made of superior materials..however..they too will not last forever.

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Someone once told me that cranking up the treble in our work truck, '04 Colorado, would cause the tweeters in the co-axials to literlally rip apart due to the high freq's. Is this true, to an extent?

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2013 Kia Rio -90a alternator
DDX470HD GTO14001 GTO1014D (x3)
Big3 in 1/0G
1/0G to GTO14001

jmelton86 wrote:

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Someone once told me that cranking up the treble in our work truck, '04 Colorado, would cause the tweeters in the co-axials to literlally rip apart due to the high freq's. Is this true, to an extent?

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In a word, No. That someone will NEVER install a stereo in my skateboard, let alone my car.

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It all reminds me of something that Molière once said to Guy de Maupassant at a café in Vienna: "That's nice. You should write it down."

Okay. Yeah he's an older guy, like 50 and he's played in like 20 rock bands in between the early 80's and mid 90's so I figure he might be on to something. -I guess they just sound broken through his horrible hearing. Thanks

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2013 Kia Rio -90a alternator
DDX470HD GTO14001 GTO1014D (x3)
Big3 in 1/0G
1/0G to GTO14001