So, I have been looking through issue after issue of Stereo Review Magazine from 1986 and I am up to 1990. I had half of the issues between that time. After reading through these, it occurred to me that all the ideas and tech are the same today. Maybe drivers are better, slightly, and certain other things but for the most part they had stuff figured, man.
Makes me wonder what the hell we are doing. Shouldn’t we be putting that old stuff to shame by now?
36 years from 1990. Now I feel old.
Well.. Once a science matures, any improvements are in granularity. So we just refine within the already established framework.
The glory days are in defining that framework.
Yeah, man, seems that way. Just shocked me that the stuff we do now was figured out then. Maybe we need a huge break through to make a significant difference in this thing we call " sound reproduction".
You see the same in photography, since the advent of digital. Capitalism dictates annual model releases, but the tech advancement really just crawls. Sans auto-focus, many 50 year old lenses will get you present day results.
In audio, if I were building a system from scratch, and I could get NOS, I’d probably have each generation from 1975 to the present represented. My speakers would be post 2010 tech though. You people have influenced me too much. 
At my age the limiting factor is our hearing, so do we really NEED that much better tech?
Sounds about right. I had a Minolta in the early 80s. Took pictures like nobodies business.
The iPhone camera and earbuds have replaced the traditional camera and home hifi for most “normal” people.
Yes, and it is horrible.
I love this topic and will have something to contribute once the bourbon, scorch, and beer wear off
It is Tuesday after all.
Get it buddy!
Every night can be Saturday night once you retire in the woods, alone . . .
Not alone, not full retired (allegedly), at least partially in the woods.
No worries 
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, new drivers should not have crappy FR responses or break-up issues with technology today.
That said, sure the fundamentals are pretty well sewn, but driver advancement has happened. Magnetics/motors are better and soft parts are too. Granite fancy materials have become ridiculous. With the advancement of modeling software manufacturers should be making better use of it to design better drivers.
I went to a local grocery store and asked if they had vacuum cleaner bags. She had no idea what I was talking about.
IMO the “bagless” tech is pretty trash. The cyclone separator works for some things, but not others. Leading to the filter getting clogged quickly. One of those cases of new tech being regressive. So I stick to my Eureka bag vac.
Some new tech is good, other stuff not: LED lighting’s a great example of new stuff being an improvement. Uses less power, lasts much longer and is much safer than incandescent or halogen globes.
An old “Kelvinator” steel fridge, made by General Motors Holden in the 60s, lasted forever but was heavy, inefficient and iced up like Antarctica. New fridges last maybe ten years, then die, but use fewer resources and have less environmentally damaging refrigerant. Our old “Electrolux” barrel vacuum lasted 30 years before croaking; a new Dyson, which didn’t work as well, six years.
Modern cars are safer and often more comfortable than old, don’t rust as much, but are more complicated to operate, harder and more expensive to fix - if you can - and don’t last as long. I love my LPs, but CDs are much more convenient, etc etc.
My cyclone stick vacuum works great for about 5 minutes, then the filter is completely clogged and needs to be cleaned with…the Eureka Mighty Mite bag vacuum lol. Total waste.
