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Loudspeakers have we really made that much progress since the 1930s?

Since I have a slight grasp on the history or loudspeaker design. And what is possible with modern. I do wonder if we have really made that much progress. I have access to some of the most modern transducers and design equipment. I also have  large collection of vintage.  I tend to spend the most time listening to my 1930 Shearer horns. For they do most things a good bit better than even the most advanced loudspeakers available. And I am not the only one to think so I have had a good num of designers retailers etc give them a listen. Sure weak points of the past are audible. These designs were meant to cover frequency ranges at the time. So adding a tweeter moves them up to modern performance. To me the tweeter has shown the most advancement in transducers but not so much the rest. Sure things are smaller but they really do not sound close to the Shearer.  http://www.audioheritage.org/html/profiles/lmco/shearer.htm
128x128johnk
93rubyz
23 posts
 
A member I consider to be very knowledgeable with speakers often said something to the effect of "there have been no major advancements in loudspeaker design since the 1930s, other than making bad speakers sound better (i.e., direct radiators)." In other words, the best designs of that era would still sound as good as the best designs of today.  The statement sounds pretty far-fetched at first glance, but I think I tend to agree with him.

Take for example, the Klipschorn that was introduced in the 1940s.  That speaker with the same basic design is still made and sold today.  Match up a Klipschorn with the right upstream components and a good room, and the sound you get will be about as good as available at any price.  I have experienced this myself.
tofudevil
3 posts
 
The design of the loudspeaker has sufficiently evolved so that we are allowed to bring them into the living room.
johnk's avatar
johnk OP
1,975 posts
 
Atmasphere cant do bass right! Maybe wee ones dont but full sized sure do. Less detailed maybe if you dont add a tweeter keep in mind these designs were only good to 8khz. Dont handle power well! What the heck dude that one boggles my mind its so so wrong come visit so I can prove you wrong on all accounts lol.
johnk's avatar
johnk OP
1,975 posts
 
Vintage designs have proven there reliability modern has not. Functioning after near 80 years to atmasphere doesn’t show reliability? Then I dont know what standards hes using. Also arent you involved with marketing Classic Audio Reproductions? So maybe as Upton Sinclair said it { “It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it.”} 
whart's avatar
whart
3,047 posts
 
The epiphany for me, as regards "bandwidth" was hearing the original transcriptions of Benny Goodman's 1938 Concert at Carnegie Hall, in the process of being restored by an archivist. I listened to the flat transfer and to his cleaned up version of Sing, Sing, Sing. The bandwidth, running through a phone line to a cutter some blocks away from the Hall, was around 8Khz. The cleaned up version had dynamics and air on the drums, propulsive and alive sounding. It made me reconsider the value of digital for historic recordings- if done well, in addition to appreciating how much could be extracted from such an old recording. 
Last night, I heard Los Straightjackets do a cover of Sing, Sing, Sing at a small club nearby- in their inimitable surf-pysch rock style. That was great too. :)
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