[Matt Ion]

John Durbin wrote:
I am sure the typical distortions of the oval drivers of those days were
enough to push them towards round cone designs. If they had the design
tools & manufacturing processes currently available that might not have
happened or might not have happened as thoroughly. Today an engineer can
use FEA tools to predict & control cone flexing, surface distortions,
etc. The cone can be injected with varying thicknesses as needed to
support the design, shapes can be created that allow the designer to
dictate dispersion patterns in the midrange frequencies, etc. Lots of
different ways to address what you guys are talking about.

Which was precisely my original assertion: yes, good-sounding oval
speakers CAN be made, but there are too many design, engineering, and
therefore related cost issues to make it worthwhile in most designs.