Speaker Technology over the last 10 years

I agree with Trelja and I will take it a step further by suggesting that our modern American products, for the most part, are designed to perform well on the sales charts and not necessarily in the area where they function. Products in these times are meant to separate us from our money on any pretext and they rely more on their cosmetics, ad campaigns and reviews than on actual design, to get this done. No wonder there is a growing fascination with retro items.

My company is US based. And I design for 1 thing only performance and price acordingly even WAF has little effect on my designs;) Limitations mostly fitting through standard door openings. I can list a bunch more US companys designing for performance 1st. Maybe in the mass market you might be correct. But in mass market your dealing with imported builds. Not much US built in those. I think today many are looking past the big brand names and looking for real performance at fair prices.

Johnk,

I like what you said.

This country needs more people who think like you!

Quote Trelia[I have to say that putting trust into something that is designed and built by humans is a recipe for failure] We do this all day long. I would say putting trust into something souly designed by computers is a recipe for failure. I can wing out a loudspeaker design without any computer help and it will sound great. If I only use a computer it will sound like sh-t. I designed my new home without a computer at all its passive solar passive geothermal and works wonderful. Humans designed for far more years than we did on computers. I do agree crossover designs complicated and most dont understand. Look at all the folks moding crossovers without electrical testing results,just saying this brand sounds better than that brand;) pretty much proves your point.

I would say putting trust into something souly designed by computers is a recipe for failure.

This makes sense to me. Consider, for example, Totem, which makes a big deal of how their speakers are designed and tuned by ear, how they don't use the facilities of the big, government-supported acoustical research labs in Canada. Totem speakers are highly regarded for their musicality.

On the other hand, I remember when I first started following high-end audio in the 1980's how TAS and other high-end publications scoffed at the writing of Julian Hirsch and others whose reviews prominently features graphs and response curves, as if those measurements really told you all you needed to know about the quality of a speaker.