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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
ozarktom
12 posts
 
Zellatons from 1939 and Acoustat X from 1978 makes a good argument here.
213runnin
914 posts
 
Good points, Mike, modern speaker designs are way beyond what was tinkered with back in the 30s, 40s or 50s.  

And of course the speaker cabinet's material depends on the price point.  Soundsreal seems to think that every speaker being made today is employing MDF, which could not be further from the truth.


fossda
112 posts
 
no question, much better today particularly state of the art. Much more accurate, better materials and construction techniques. One downside is they can shine a light on weaknesses in other parts of your system and also less forgiving of poor recordings. 
tmare
44 posts
 
I own modern speakers and I have never heard any real vintage speakers. I’m very curious how they sound because I have a few 60’s vintage guitars, guitar amps and vintage microphones, which sound so much better than any of new ones for some reasons. For musical instruments and microphones, there is probably no improvement, only retrogression, even the technology should be much better today, and I’m always wondering why...
dragon_vibe
430 posts
 
Classic Audio Loudspeaker with Field Coil drivers. Is something you may want to look into if you want Vintage looking speaker that has been improved on for decades. I know no one else who has been doing what John Wolff has with his company.

I must Say all the comments about Horns being shouty and harsh is not true if you have listened to Classic Audio T1.5 speakers Field Coils. Make you think how bad horns were implemented in the early 1900s and up.

People often disregard new horn speakers claiming ATM and Ribbon are better but after spending years with AMT and Ribbons and listening to modern day properly implemented horns I must say Horns to me are still something I find more satisfaction with.
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