6 Signs It’s Time to Upgrade Your Speakers

Main points

• Speakers’ sound quality will degrade over time and their volume will decrease – it might be time for an upgrade.
• Visible damage to the outside may indicate that the speaker is worn and you may want to consider replacing it.
• Battery life decreases as you charge more — if your Bluetooth speaker doesn’t hold a charge, it’s time to get a new one.

As with most audio technology, speakers don’t last forever and will eventually need to be replaced. If you use Bluetooth, portable, or bookshelf speakers regularly or have used them for a long time, you may be wondering when you should finally replace them.

Whether you have new needs that require new speakers, or your regular speakers have significantly deteriorated with use and time, purchasing new speakers is expensive and difficult to justify personally. I’m here to tell you some signs that you may need to upgrade your speaker setup or replace your old speakers so you know when to take the step.

1 Your sound quality or volume is decreasing

Internal damage occurs over time

One of the most obvious signs that you need to upgrade or replace your speakers is when you notice that the sound quality has degraded over time, or that the volume is no longer what it once was. This is a sign that your speakers are worn out from use.

Cracking and tearing the speaker cone from long-term continuous use will eventually make the speaker sound worse. The foam around the edges of the speaker cone degrades over time, becoming hard and brittle, eventually leading to cracks and cracks. This limits how far the speaker can move, i.e. the way it produces sound, and can affect the sound quality and volume of the audio.

Cracking and tearing the speaker cone from long-term continuous use will eventually make the speaker sound worse.

Additionally, internal electronic components degrade over time and use, resulting in poor sound quality. While these components are technically repairable, it’s too much of a job for the average person to do, and at this point, it’s more worthwhile to replace the speakers.

2 They have obvious external damage

Maybe you dropped it too many times or your cat chewed on the cable

Maybe your kitchen smart speaker has broken down from eight years of continuous use, or your designated beach speaker has been damaged from hitting the concrete too many times. If your speaker has very serious visible damage, it’s a sign that you may need to replace it. Visible damage doesn’t necessarily indicate internal damage (although it can be correlated), but it definitely means your speakers have been used and worn enough to consider replacing them.

Another obvious damage issue that indicates you should buy new speakers is damaged or frayed cables on any fixed speakers that don’t have replaceable speakers. Cables with exposed internal parts can be a fire hazard, so it’s better to pay for new speakers up front than to set your home on fire.

3 Shortened battery life

A charge can only last so long

Battery capacity decreases over time with each charge cycle, which is an unfortunate reality of all battery-powered devices. So if you find that your Bluetooth speaker no longer charges, it’s definitely time to buy a new one.

The best way to prevent this from happening is to not use a Bluetooth speaker, but it’s understandable that there are many situations, especially when you’re outdoors, where you’ll want a portable speaker. Choosing speakers with easily replaceable batteries will ensure the speakers last longer, but since repair rights are not widespread among manufacturers, they may be difficult to find. The next best thing is to buy a speaker with a larger battery capacity so that you will have to go through fewer charging cycles while you own it, which will make the speaker battery last longer.

4 You need different connection options

Until we develop a common standard, your connectivity needs may vary

Your speakers may have served your needs before, but getting a new game console, media player, TV, or music subscription means you’re looking for new connectivity options. This might mean looking for a speaker system or soundbar with HDMI ARC support to simplify audio cable setup in your living room.

Or you might want a speaker that supports a specific ecosystem or service, such as Apple Music support, or you might want a speaker that’s compatible with specific other speakers in your home, such as a Sonos ecosystem to add to your home. You can’t easily retrofit non-smart speakers to perform smart operations, so if you have new connectivity needs, it’s only fair to upgrade your speakers.

5 Features you want to update

When it comes to unique features, the options are endless

In addition to connectivity, there are many other features you may need from a speaker that you may find yourself lacking. If you have a home theater setup and realize you need Dolby Atmos support or 7.1-channel surround sound, you may want to upgrade your speaker setup to accommodate that need. You may also want a louder setup or a wider variety of drivers, such as a soundbar with tweeters, more drivers, or an external subwoofer.

You may also want a speaker that better meets your audio quality needs. If you want to listen to lossless audio, you can’t do that via Bluetooth, and you want to make sure you can hear the entirety of the track as well. In this case, you need a wired speaker or one that supports a Wi-Fi wireless connection and is sound good enough to actually hear the nuances present in lossless audio.

6 You have new speaker needs in your physical environment

Different use cases require different speakers

If your current everyday speakers are portable but not dust and water resistant, and you’re just starting to really start hiking, going to the pool, or have a splashy kid, you may want another speaker that better meets your needs .

Or maybe you’ve moved into a larger home and need a soundbar that blends into the new space better than your current room. As we go through life and change, our needs change and this can also be reflected in our speakers.