Are advances in technology making speakers better?

Of course people can disagree on what is good sound.  But, I don't think one can categorically dismiss older systems, or modern systems built on such older components without offering some specifics of what one has heard.  From what you have listed so far, I would agree.  That stuff is highly colored and not my cup of tea.  But, a well implement system using WE 555 compression midrange, and a horn like a 15A, a WE 597 tweeter and M18 woofers would be a completely different thing.  I've primarily listened to modern systems using such drivers or modern clones and drivers inspired by the old WE drivers and these are NOT like common Altec or Klipsch horn systems.  Their are RCA drivers, International Projector Company, and other vintage manufacturers that are also quite rare (and expensive) that sound great.  Some modern stuff by G.I.P. laboratories, Cogent, ALE, and Goto sound quite good too. 

In the wide range cone driver camp there are surprisingly good drivers by the likes of Voxativ, Lowther, AER, Cube Audio, and a number of other drivers I've heard whose manufacturer I could not identify.  But, if I were building around a wide range driver, my choice would be an old Jensen/ERPI M10 fieldcoil driver (13" paper cone) and a WE 597 tweeter.  Such a system might not have deep bass, but, it would be so musical and enjoyable that I don't care (I've heard systems with the M10, but with lesser tweeters and those sounded terrific).

@mijostyn wrote:

The big theater systems were never intended for home use and in home environments they SHOUTED at you.

Be specific, which of them in particular are you referring to? My own EV pro cinema speakers are placed ~11ft. from the listening position, and they don’t in the least shout at me. If anything going with the bigger, large format MF/HF horn from a smaller ditto made them even more relaxed sounding, and yet fuller and more visceral. Additionally I’ve heard big JBL and Vitavox theater systems, among others, in domestic settings that weren’t at all shouty, as you put it, but I guess to some presence of presentation (as opposed to placid ’laid-back’) equates into "shouty." No, big theater systems weren’t intended for home use, but that’s not necessarily to say they can’t be successfully integrated in a home environment.

Certainly, they grabbed your attention. It is the speaker that does not grab your attention that requires more listening.

I’ve heard enough speakers through the years to know exactly when they have my attention for the very right reasons. Implying that people who like big theater segment speakers are just in for a fun, empty calorie, adolescent thrill ride is, how should one put it, a less informed stance.

Interestingly, with modern digital signal processing it might be possible to make some of those old EVs and Altecs sound passible. Did he mention digital? Shoot the bastard!

No extra processing needed for my actively configured EV’s via the DSP, other than basic filter values, gain structure, a few HF-notches and a peak suppression. Delay settings are vital, obviously.

Most who’re into high efficiency speakers, not least of the vintage kind, seem to dig passively configured setups with low wattage tube amps, oftentimes with an analogue source. Myself I use a digital source exclusively (HDD-based, no less), active config. via DSP and a differentiated SS amp approach with lower wattage class A (30W), class A/B (>1kW) and class TD (>1kW). Not least I use high eff. subs, which seem to be a rarity here.

@phusis , by all means enjoy your EVs. 

phusis , by all means enjoy your EVs.

@mijostyn I am assuming that you do not abide legacy speakers from a 1/2 century back as being within the spirit of the thread with “Advances in technology” in the title?
 

@holmz wrote:

@mijostyn I am assuming that you do not abide legacy speakers from a 1/2 century back as being within the spirit of the thread with “Advances in technology” in the title?

To some the question mark in the thread title is less of a factor..