Speaker Technology over the last 10 years

""crossover from 1969 is inferior to one designed in 2009 ?
""

no crossover parts will help if basic of speaker(drivers matching, xover topology) is poor, but short answer is-YES new xover components is by 10-20% better(and now much more widely used than at that time) and as a bonus by 300% more expensive.

>does anyone think great strides have been made in crossover technology, especially with the availability of a such a variety of capacitors and resistors.

The passive components don't matter that much.

Inexpensive computers which can make gated measurements to provide anechoic measurements and approach a target transfer function have made a big difference.

Linkwitz also didn't publish _Passive Crossover Networks for Noncoincident Drivers_ until 1978.

There are a few companies using field coil technology again these days.

Some vendors that have been around for awhile have offered evolutionary tweaks to their designs that perhaps offer more refinement.

You can certainly spend more than ever on new speakers these days if you like.

Nothing really revolutionary though that moves what is possible to a new major level that I can think of.

"SOME SAY SPEAKERS MADE IN THE LATE 60's TO MID 70's WERE THE BEST SPEAKERS EVER MADE....SOUNDWISE".... "AlNiCo DRIVERS"

mapman I have field coil drivers from 1928. Crossovers have not made major gains but parts quality has as has computer design for crossovers. This to me is both good and bad makes it easyer for designers but you end up with same old same old sound if you only use programs for design.