Vintage vs New

Interesting discussion. There may never be a consensus of what constitutes the best loudspeaker due to psychoacoustics, HRTF and confirmation biases. That said, here’s what we know has and has not changed over time:

What has:

• materials (drivers, circuits, components, enclosures, damping)
• design technology (CAD -- construction and measurements)
• digital recording and playback (bits)
• room acoustical design and implementation (studio and home)

What has not:

• anatomical design of the ear (biology)
• vibrational excitement of a medium (how sound is produced)
• wavelengths of audible signals
• unique emotional responses to sound from listeners

I’m sure the above list is not comprehensive, but it represents some of the obvious variables which affect why we might like, or not like, what we hear from a loudspeaker. On the bright side, it’s such a subjective topic that there will always be something to talk about. :-)