Are advances in technology making speakers better?

@roxy54...either way, it worked. ;)

The baseline is still ones' perceptions about the devices being questioned having improved over time, and whether 'trickle down' works to 'lift all boats'...so to speak.

There always seems to be 'exceptions to the rules' in pricing v. performance in what seems to be any given (examples stated...or not) in nearly anything proposed.

Specs get poo-pooed, blind tests questioned as to veracity, 'new' gets greeted with huzzas or bronx cheers, 'old' is 'quaint' and needs new this, that, or dumpstered.

One can toss the towel and just enjoy what you've got until you don't, and return to the upgrade treadmill at the price point you pick.

Please carry on, though....tired of watching and trying to ignore the election returns. ;)

I agree Jerry, and +1 on the election returns.

If one likes the quite processed sound quality of B&W speakers, their various design iterations have been getting better.

If one doesn't, they've been getting worse.

Better spanners don't necessarily make a better mechanic.

Sometimes the latest, greatest super duper material that supposed to be better than the previous version turns out to be a dog ten years down the road. One of the best things I like about B&W is that their old speakers hold up and sound great YEARS later. OP, stick with what you have! 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. Joe

Good horn loaded speakers were designed & made in the 40’s, 50’s &60’s(Klipsch, Western Electric, Altec),  electrostatics in the 50’s, Good acoustic suspension & ported woofers in the 50’s & 60’s, (AR, KLH, Advent, JBL) AMT tweeters from the early 70’s (ESS), good planars & ribbons in the 70’s & 80’s (Magnapan , Infinity)good dome midrange driver in the late 70’s (ATC), good full range driver in the 70’s ( Ohm) to name just some of the technology that have all stood the test of time. 
 

Cabinet technology, crossover design & component quality, internal wiring & binding post improvements have all added incremental sound improvements but unfortunately at often substantial cost increases beyond simple inflationary reasonability.