Are advances in technology making speakers better?

I probably missed it above since this is a really long string, but the open baffle speaker is a technology that’s now getting a lot of focus from a few really good designers.  Steve Guttenberg, New Record Day and Thomas and Stereo on YouTube have reviewed some notable ones.

 I switched to open baffle for both my tower speakers and subwoofer about a year ago and it’s stunningly good.  Both GR-Research kits.

The theory is that the lack of back pressure in the cabinet allows the drivers to react faster without overshooting.

Everyone who has heard mine want them.

My Lotus Alon (2004) are open baffle tweeter and midrange with enclosed woofer and my Decware/ Caintuck Lii 15 in. open baffle speakers are "different sounding" ...I wouldn't say the sound better that my Tecktons or Klipsch Heresy IV's....just different....Which speakers are hooked up most of the time....Not the open baffle speakers.....they just lack something in the "Heft" department.

I had an older set of BMW 804s, my ex stereo shop repaired them with not matching or original parts. Hopefully not because they didn't care but due to age had to use what was available. Shop for new speakers that give your ears what they need

Difficult question.

They probably are better generally all things being equal, but the difference might not be as much as you're being told.

My Tannoy Berkeley's were built in 1978 and I'd say they still outperform 90% of speakers built today. But they were a fairly high end design back in the 1970s.

On the other I had a pair of Heybrook HB1s back in the late 1980s and I doubt whether the £170 cost back then would amount to more than £500 today.

What I don't doubt is that the HB1s would hold their own against anything this side of £500 today.

Of course both those speakers were pretty special for their time and no doubt there was a lot of crud back then too.

So perhaps it's fairer to say, mainly because of advances in measurements and testing, that there's just a lot less rubbish out there today?

If I was you, I wouldn't bother with any supposedly incremental upgrade.

When the time comes you might want to look at something that promises a serious undeniable improvement. Depending upon what you have already it could be something from B&Ws own speaker lineup or a different brand.

@jnovak 

The next time you're at a hi fi show walk past a pair of $100.000.00 speakers and have yourself a little chuckle.

Quite true.

But preferably not in front of its designer if you can help it.

When you think of technological advancements within the realm of dynamic speakers I don't think much has happened of consequence. Yes, drivers and crossover components have undergone technological transformation over the past several decades but these do not necessarily mean that speakers employing such refinements will automatically outperform those without them. For example, there are lots of speakers with fairly old school paper cone woofers and mids coupled with traditional soft dome tweeters that will give those with exotic drivers a run for their money (I know, I own a pair). The place where technological improvements are best realized is with planer, electrostatic, or omni-directional designs that employ different materials and approaches to playback of recorded sound. Speakers that employ approaches different from a bunch of dynamic drivers in a box are where one best sees significant sonic gains from new or novel technologies. Just MHO.