I guess someone would have to define what innovative means for today's speaker manufacturers. I don't think that building a speaker incredibly well makes you innovative. To me, to be innovative means you have to bring an entirely new concept to the table that hasn't been tried before. When was the last time that we saw something completely new in speaker design? For the most part, we are still using cones and domes and they have been around forever. Electrostatic speakers have been on the commercial market since the 1950’s. Ribbons have been around for quite awhile too. Ditto for Ohm Walsh type speakers.
Drivers have improved, crossovers have improved, cabinets have improved, diaphragm material for stats and ribbons have improved, computer modeling software has improved, but the key word is “improve.” Speaker manufacturers are improving on existing technology. The way I see it, everyone is standing on the shoulders of the giants that came before them. And this is no different for any other part of our hobby.
In summary, I guess for me to call a speaker company innovative, they would have to bring something entirely new to the table that we haven’t seen before. Perfect automotive paint finishes on your speakers doesn’t count.