How long should a loudspeaker last?
At the start of the month, we found ourselves stepping back in time when we were asked to examine a pair of drivers from the 1980s!
The model number showed that they were in fact the first ever model that Volt Loudspeakers designed – the B250. These drivers were used in a pair of Profile Model 10 speakers that were first launched in the late 1970s. The pair we received were 34 years old.
After examination, the voice coil of one of the units had degraded but we were proud to discover the other components of this driver were in full working order and the second driver was faultless.
Inevitably loudspeaker production has evolved since the 1980s and today we manufacture the B250.8 which although based on the B250, incorporates the latest materials and adhesives that are quite different to those used thirty years ago. Luckily, this meant that we could recone the software so that the performance wouldn't differ but cosmetically things had changed! We decided that reconing both B250s would be the best solution to ensure they looked identical. However the chassis and magnet assembly of both drivers’ were preserved.
Have a look at the before and after photos – we've asked the customer to contact us in 34 years’ time for an update!
