How long should speakers last?

[nk24]

I replaced the factory speakers with Polk 522 speakers about four years ago and recently found some issues. One speaker has a cracked frame, another has a loose tweeter.

Cracked frame:

Loose tweeter:

My garage does get extremely hot in the summer, easily over 110°F on a daily basis and probably pushing 120°F on some days. I can see how the glue on the tweeter could fail after long periods of hot temperatures, but I don't understand how the speaker frame could crack. I don't listen to music loudly, don't have an amp, and never cranked these up at all. They were never exposed to water either.

How long should speakers last? Is four years all we should expect out of a set?

 

[Zorba]

I have a speaker that is fully operational - and is about 85 years old...

 

[WallyWest]

The high temps are an issue, but I would expect something made for car audio to be designed with that in mind. I would assume what you're seeing there is heat related, looks like some of the adhesive has just given up.

In general well designed speakers last a long time. I have a pair that my dad bought in the 60's. They're fine. I did have the surrounds replaced about 15 years ago. That's the soft foam edge that connects the cone to the frame. Those will wear out eventually, start to separate or tear. It's a simple thing to replace though.

 

[2001slvrstntj]

Inside cars in the summer heat and sun likely gets hotter than 120 so would expect that to not be an issue

 

[nk24]

Inside cars in the summer heat and sun likely gets hotter than 120 so would expect that to not be an issue

You’re right, the interior would get much hotter than that in direct sun down here.

The high temps are an issue, but I would expect something made for car audio to be designed with that in mind. I would assume what you're seeing there is heat related, looks like some of the adhesive has just given up.

In general well designed speakers last a long time. I have a pair that my dad bought in the 60's. They're fine. I did have the surrounds replaced about 15 years ago. That's the soft foam edge that connects the cone to the frame. Those will wear out eventually, start to separate or tear. It's a simple thing to replace though.

I have had a speaker failure in another vehicle here where the cone detached from the frame. That was on a 15 year old vehicle with stock speakers after being in AZ for a decade.