Lifespan of 'new' (old stock) in box panels

[RTR001]

Hi all,

Just curious how long you would expect new old stock panels to last? I have an aging set or Aerius speakers which I love and am looking to refresh. As luck would have it, a set of new in box Aerius panes is available about a 2hr drive from my place for ~$500 USD. The serial numbers printed on the carton date them to 2007. I know they shouldn't suffer from the powder coating process issues of my 93' panels but they are still 15 years old...

Would these still be any good?

 

[amey01]

Hi all,

Just curious how long you would expect new old stock panels to last? I have an aging set or Aerius speakers which I love and am looking to refresh. As luck would have it, a set of new in box Aerius panes is available about a 2hr drive from my place for ~$500 USD. The serial numbers printed on the carton date them to 2007. I know they shouldn't suffer from the powder coating process issues of my 93' panels but they are still 15 years old...

Would these still be any good?

The primary reason why panels degrade is due to contamination. In a box (in plastic), they are free of contamination, so I would expect them to last indefinitely. Make sure they have been stored in a stable environment (not too hot, like a garage or attic) or they may suffer from adhesive issues.

 

[TomDac]

+1 on what Amey said. Should be ok if they were stored correctly.

 

[sleepysurf]

I wonder if ML's replacement panels are "new old stock", or newly fabricated on an "as ordered" basis? If the former, they too, would be older production in storage.

 

[RTR001]

Thanks guys. It's a bit of a gamble regarding storage I guess. The guys I'm buying off are a dealer so one would assume they've been stored reasonably well. At the very worst it'll be a spare pair of stators that I can refurbish without pulling apart my originals.

 

[RTR001]

I pulled the trigger. Ended up paying $500AUD (~$380USD) which is a pretty good price I reckon. Hopefully they've been stored reasonably well...

 

[amey01]

The guys I'm buying off are a dealer so one would assume they've been stored reasonably well.

You didn't mention that bit.

You've got statutory warranty, so try them straight away, and if they're no good then send them back. Simple! If they are good, box them up and keep them until you need them.

 

[JonFo]

I pulled the trigger. Ended up paying $500AUD (~$380USD) which is a pretty good price I reckon. Hopefully they've been stored reasonably well...

Congrats, that's a good price. I have one SL3 panel from 2006 that I have unused in the original box, and I checked it a year or so ago, and it looked perfect.
Only if there were VOC's or high humidity would I worry. The powder coated stator should last forever, and the Mylar, as long as its not exposed to UV or to airborne contaminants should also be fine for decades, only the foams and adhesives are the question.

Amey's advice to immediately test is a good one.

And I'll follow that up with a suggestion to just leave them installed and keep your old ones as backups. These new ones should last 20 or more years, and you'll get to enjoy 'as new' performance from them as of now.

 

[Tosh]

There was a pair of Aerius for sale recently in our area that had replacement panels made in 2007 which were the better Gen2 clear spar type, so hopefully that's what yours are too.