I find it ironic that at the end of our audio chain lies some really ancient technology based primarily on magnetism.
Loudspeakers, with few exceptions, are moving coils of wire in magnetic fields: technology invented hundreds of years ago by names like Michael Faraday, Nikola Tesla, and Thomas Edison.
The system that powers those ancient technology speakers is state-of-the-art: microscopic bits of silicon.
Of course, there are exceptions: electrostatic, and the rare ionized gas oddities, but for the most part, we’re using magnets and copper to move air.
This effective blend of old and new is fascinating to me.
Perhaps it’s accurate to suggest it’s on occasion difficult to improve on a good idea.
