Modern hearing aids combined with testing and the ability to help 5-15% of the human population with hearing deficiency. Of course, most audiophiles here might not want to admit they have this dreaded physical impairment.
What in your mind represents real technological advancement.
To be a real advancement the technology must improve the sound quality. Just extending the bass or the high end can't be call an advancement if it doesn't sound better. If the bass goes " lower " but is muddy or the highs go higher but are " bright and forward and irritating " then that does not improve the listening experience. So the question is what improvements make a speaker more enjoyable to listen to.