Are advances in technology making speakers better?

@cd318

You are too kind!

I wish I knew as much about speaker design as most of you here do, but I am a pretty "thick" when it comes to hardware. It interests me but it is also too elusive, these are just pretty boxes to me.

I am so hands-on, I can’t learn from books. It only sticks with me if I get to peak inside and hear the difference. Your perspective on education is very true and also depressing.

Half or us are below average :)

I personally tend to focus on development of high efficiency designs because I prefer the sound of low-powered amps, particularly certain tube amps.  In that realm, there have certainly been some recent developments/refinement of drivers that I would consider major improvements.  I like what is being done with full/wide range drivers, like the 8” AER BD series, Voxativ drivers, etc.  Although the basic technology is not new, I am sure that modern technology played a big role in refining the design.  In recent years I have heard several very good systems employing such drivers (e.g. Charney single driver systems, Voxativ single and multiway systems, Songer single and multiway systems).

At the Capital Audiofest, I heard Andrew Jones talking about his design of the Mo-Fi speaker that is getting very favorable notice (I think it is very good for the money).  While the basic design of the co-axial drivers is old school—paper cones, pleated surround, silk dome tweeter—the way it was designed employed modern technology, such as using 3D printing of prototype parts.  It would have been pretty hard to get to the low price point of these speakers without modern design tools.

Hi jumia 

Thanks for the question.  In a word, yes.  Through my personal journey, maybe the greatest advance to loudspeaker technology is general knowledge of room/speaker interaction, placement and room tuning.  Later, came the pro-world of electronics, lossless sources and modern design and technology DIY loudspeakers.  Add to that, highly skilled DSP to 1/100th of a decibel, tailored to the room.  

Today's computer aided designed materials...drivers, crossovers, open & box designs, interior dampening, suspension and isolation solutions forge modern speakers unmistakably towards a progressive, ever analog future.  

More Peace          Pin               (the bold print is for old eyes)

The Ferguson Hill FH001 and FH002 and FH003 Horn speaker System with Horn Acrylic Baffles and Acrylic bass subs !

Based on the Lowther Hegeman but much improved !

Maybe the World’s Best Sounding Speakers Ever Made !

They have Dealers here in the USA now

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvYEiSE8g8w 

https://www.fergusonhill.co.uk/fh001/

@phusis ​​@larryi , magnificent? Hardly. They were awful and they still are awful. If you want to wax poetic over an antique speaker try the KLH Model 3. Not great either, but a lot more listenable.