044Ti Longevity

[audiomaniac]

I'm looking at buying some 120Ti speakers but have become concerned about the longevity and durability of the 044Ti tweeters. Assuming they sound good now, what are the chances that I will have problems in the near future? I know that the 044Ti is no longer available and apparently not repairable. If worse comes to worse, is the 052Ti an option if it is mountable in the cabinet? Any other ideas?

[4313B]

I think we've determined that the main culprit resulting in them sounding bad is the deterioration of the little foam plug behind the dome.

One JBL engineer has said that twenty years is an awfull lot to ask of that tweeter while another has said that they should never wear out so long as the fatigue threshold (titanium) isn't crossed. I would think that it would be pretty hard to cross that threshold in a 120Ti with a fully functional network.

If they were aluminum diaphragms then we might have a problem... especially in the 18Ti.

[audiomaniac]

I think we've determined that the main culprit resulting in them sounding bad is the deterioration of the little foam plug behind the dome.

One JBL engineer has said that twenty years is an awfull lot to ask of that tweeter while another has said that they should never wear out so long as the fatigue threshold (titanium) isn't crossed. I would think that it would be pretty hard to cross that threshold in a 120Ti with a fully functional network.

If they were aluminum diaphragms then we might have a problem... especially in the 18Ti.

Sounds like it might be worth the risk. I don't think I would push them that much, as I have small listening room. Plus, I tend to lean toward jazz...