Have speakers really improved within the last 20 years??


Question:

  • If there is one measurement that would prove that speakers have indeed got better over the last 20 years, what would it be? 

I dont just want one example of a speaker from today that has a better measurement than another speaker from 20 years ago because that could just be a coincidence. I want to see IRREFUTABLE PROOF that most speakers today have a measured performance in at least one area that is better than most speakers 20 years ago.

When I look at a typical bookshelf speaker from 20 years ago versus one from today i see little difference. All i see is a wooden box, typically mdf with a pair of drivers in 'em. There would be a small crossover circuit inside and a bit of foam inside the box and that would be the end of the story. I would like to believe that speakers have gotten better but I see no reason to believe it. All I see is that speakers may have gotten brighter and brighter with time to dupe us into thinking we are hearing more detail. 

This challenge is open to any audiophile or speaker designer reading this.
kenjit
Sigh--on and on we go--yes, Kenjit, you have the right to believe that measurements are the only way to know if a speaker is good or has improved over the years.  But your obsession with measurements is misplaced--why?  Because your ears don't process sound the same way a microphone does.  What a microphone hears, and measures, is nothing like what your ears process and filter.  Therefore, relying on measurements is pointless--it's only a first step filter to weed out really bad speakers with poor FR--which your ears could do anyway--after that it's up to your golden ears entirely--and merely your opinion...
Measurements are relatively meaningless compared to the sound.
IME, there are only a handful of speakers that sound “real”.
I believe the biggest factor is the matching of drivers and crossovers. The designer’s knowledge of what music sounds like is key. And their ability to transfer that to their design.

I really tire of certain overly frequent posters (you know who you are) who seem to specialize in sandbagging us with presumptive (not actual) knowledge; gaslighting us with false knowledge; and bait & switching us with presumed facts that promote only their P.O.V.s (not helping anyone who might need help).

It really doesn't have to be like this. We've all been in group discussions where we came away having learned or realized something. This kind of post is the opposite. More than anything else, it's tiresome to get lured down the same old rabbit holes* by the same people.

*apologies to the rabbits, who do no audio harm that I'm aware of