NO!
Speakers: Anything really new under the sun?
After a 20-year hiatus (kids, braces, college, a couple of new roofs, etc.) I'm slowly getting back into hi-fi. My question: is there really anything significantly new in speakers design/development/materials? I'm a bit surprised that the majority of what I see continues to be some variation of a 2- or 3-way design -- many using off-the-shelf drivers -- in a box (usually MDF at it core) with a crossover consisting of a handful of very common, relatively inexpensive components. I'm asking in all sincerity so please don't bash me. I'm not trying to provoke or prove anything, I'm just genuinely curious. What, if anything, has really changed? Would love to hear from some speaker companies/builders here. Also, before one of you kindly tells me I shouldn't worry about new technologies or processes and just go listen for myself -- I get it -- I'll always let my ear be my guide. However, after 20 years, I'm hoping there's been some progress I may be missing. Also, I unfortunately live in a hifi-challenged part of the country -- the closest decent hifi dealer is nearly 3 hours away -- so I can't just run out and listen to a bunch of new speakers. Would appreciate your insights.
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Interesting discussion. I would have thought that the "materials science" factor, mentioned by a couple folks here, would have answered the question as "yes," but apparently this factor is just a minor one in the eyes of some. Hmmm. I guess I really don't have a good grasp on what, overall, makes a speaker design "different" in a significant way. |
@holmz Not sure what you're saying. Are saying something like, (a) "There was such a thing as "materials science" back then? That's too obvious a point for me to assume you're making. The other option is that you're implying something like, (b) "Not a lot of progress has been made in materials science as it applies to audio." Do you mean (a) or (b) or something I'm missing? Thank you. |
- 129 posts total