Hyperion wrote:Ru9,
The foam is not as susceptible to humidity as typical foam surrounds and Living Voice told us that they are guaranteed to last significantly more than their warranty period.
From a dealer in Singapore
Hi,
They can last longer if in a good environment; however, we don't want to
misrepresent the durability. The reference for these speakers are their top
models, the horns, which are among the fastest in the world. Hence, the use
of foams, to approach the speed and transients of the horns as much as
possible. You can compare it to many speakers, and it will be evident,
especially with rock music, although they are really excellent all-rounders
for any music. If it's slow, it is a limitation of the amp or source used.
During the driver's lifetime, they will give you a lot of pleasure. Nobody
in Singapore has ever sold their Living Voice yet, except to trade in for
the next higher model. That speaks a lot.
At any rate, the drivers are not expensive, all 4 drivers can be replaced at
about USD 350 only. You only need to save USD 100 per year. I believe it's
a small compromise. Why go for a slower less exciting speaker,
and be less happy for the whole warranty period, or change the whole speaker
again later anyway ? Think of it like people who use tube gear, tubes
definitely will not last, but they still play with tube gear. Some tubes
can be more expensive than USD 350 within 4 years
Other speakers that
need replacement drivers regularly are Avalons (their midrange), Martin
Logans, Magnepans, Apogees, Lowthers, even Wilson Watt Puppy 5 last time.
There is no change in the drivers for the Mark 2 version, but improved sound
from changes in the crossover.
From Living Voice
Dear Louie,
Thank you for your email.
Your question is reasonable and often asked. All we can say is that so far, and to our knowledge, no
drive units have perished because of humidity. We have been exporting into countries with tropical
climates for coming up to ten years now, and have therefore been pleasantly surprised.
It is reasonable to expect a foam surround drive unit to survive for about ten years or so in a
temperate climate, such as ours. We therefore judged that 4-5 years would be about the limit in a
climate such as yours. But so far we have been proved wrong.
Just briefly - a few years ago we took measures to pre-empt this problem, should it arise and had
some drive units made with an additional special coating which seemed a good idea. However, the
sound quality was so severely hampered that we dismissed it as an option out right.
All drive units in the Auditorium range are made for us in Denmark by Danish Sound Technology
(Scanspeak).
I hope this helps with your concerns.
Kind regards,
Lynn Scott