New speakers are often better. The best, newest drivers are a LOT better than those from even ten years ago. Design software has come a long way too. The problem us audiophiles have is that for a lot of speaker manufacturers the design target has become home theater, not acoustic music. Nonetheless, speaker technology has progressed a lot in the past decade.
Of course, buying used rather than new allows you to get perhaps twice the speaker for your money, assuming you're willing to take the risk associated with used equipment. It is an interesting question... which is a better value for $3500, a 7-year-old speaker that retailed for $7000-8000 when it was new, or a new one currently retailing for $3500?
Of course, buying used rather than new allows you to get perhaps twice the speaker for your money, assuming you're willing to take the risk associated with used equipment. It is an interesting question... which is a better value for $3500, a 7-year-old speaker that retailed for $7000-8000 when it was new, or a new one currently retailing for $3500?