2 way vs. 3 way speaker design

Midnite Mick

I am wondering what are the advantages and disadvantage of 2 way designs vs. 3 way designs. Pros and Cons of each, trade-offs, etc. Which do you prefer and why?

Mike

(originally put in wrong category)

VR3

2 way is more simplistic...which is most of the time better unless its designed really good.

pearsall001

Yo Mike,

I thought you were running Usher speakers? Your sig shows Polk's. Both are excellent by the way. I still like a 2 way design. To me they just seem more musical & precise in their musical presentation. I like keeping things simple. On a side note how are the NuForce amps doing?

Phil

Flash21

All else being equal, the fewer "ways" the better...but all else is not equal. The trick is to have the smallest possible source that can cover the full range for best imaging. Easier to say than do...here are a few simplistic factors;

Multiple drivers require crossovers designed to limit each speaker to its best range. Crossovers can cause their own issues with phasing and timing. But sharper cutoffs on crossovers can be necessary to avoid driver overlap.

Multiple drivers have issues with blurred imaging by spreading out the source. Making sure that different size drivers are exactly in sinc is difficult.

So a 2-way has a theoretical advantage over a 3-way. BUT, can the two-way drivers actually handle the entire larger range they must cover? Some will have a bit of a dip in the middle where the ranges meet, which is also right about where human voices reside. Sometimes you can hear this dip in the midrange on a 2-way listening to vocals. Also, 2-ways tend to be a little less efficient than 3-ways, because the drivers must work harder to emit the full range of sound - though this is usually a minor concern.

Those are just a few of the issues faced by designers. Generally, though, the better speaker manufacturers have found ways around these issues, and they become less problematic (for a price).

Midnite Mick

Phil, I do not have Ushers. I have Lsi 15's. You may have seen some pics over at The Next Level Forum of me standing by some Ushers, but those were Andrew Pratt's.

However, I am currently building some mains. One of the reasons I chose the kit that I did was because of the Usher tweeter. I chose the Exodus 2641 from DIY cable. I posted the question because I am enjoying the process for now (down the road I may hate it) and would like to do other designs as well.

I have not had any problems now with the amps. Whew.

Flash, I guess then if one was to have a 2 way design then it would require premium quality drivers and a more powerful amp to get the most out of the advantages of a 2 way design. Something, to think about. Maybe some Seas drivers then?

Thanks guys,
Mike

unc2701

Seas and scan speak are good choices. In a two way the lower speaker can be the hard choice. Idealy you want to go from 41hz (the low note on a bass) to 2khz (outside most vocals and where most tweeters can handle) There really aren't many drivers that will do that well, so you gotta compromise, or pay a lotta cash.

check out www.madisound.com

venomclan

I just said screw it and bought some 2.5 way speakers. Sounds good to me.
Venom

Midnite Mick

Unc- sounds like your building some SP Tech speakers there-just add the waveguide:D . It was a speaker that I was looking at so those drivers do appeal to me.

Venom- a compromiser I see. Undecided so take the mean value?:D

One other DIY I considered was the SEAS Thor. Also designed by a guy that designs the Ushers. The thing that has lead me away from 2 way designs is that they don't seem to go as low. Even the Usher 6371, which is an incredible speaker for the money says that it is flat to 30 Hz but it just didn't seem like it when I listened to them. Granted was not in a bass friendly room at all. Also, the cavities were left hollow. Maybe filling them would produce a deeper sound?

So many options.

Mike