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2-Way vs. 3-way speakers

Hanleyster

Hanleyster

ambitious but rubbish
Can anyone explain to me if 3 way is always better than 2 way speakers?

For example:

Cerwin Vega D2 speakers have a 10" woofer and a horn style tweeter.
Cerwin Vega D3 speakers have a 10" woofer and a 3" min and a horn tweeter.

How on earth can a speaker with nothing but a 10" woofer and a horn tweeter sound good?

The same with old ADS speakers.

Some have just a woofer and a tweeter, some also have a mid.

Would you say in general a 3 way is going to sound better, or do they sound the same by means of some electrical engineering wizardry.

Thank you
 
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Well - in the case of the C-Vs, no clue.

In the case of these, though, a 15" woofer and a horn tweeter sounds just fine - it's a matter of intent, design, and execution.

 
2-Ways versus 3-Ways? Both ways can and do sound VG! I have found it depends on what you want from your/those Speakers as to size/looks/power rating and so on and so forth.I have both as well as 4-Ways and they all are good and I use them accordingly to what Power I'm using or more accurate,what style/gendre I'm listening to at the time! Anything more technical than that I leave for others to ponder,other with more knowledge/wisdom than I have! I only care about what I hear myself out of what I have and that it makes me happy not someone else! Better,well who knows what ways are better than another once again? Decide for yourself if you can,that's why we have Ears:)
 
BOUXY said:
...I have found it depends on what you want from your/those Speakers as to size/looks/power rating and so on and so forth...
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I think this sums it up. There are trade-offs, both sonically and financially to both choices.

My personal choice is the less-is-more route. In theory, the less speakers playing the full spectrum, the less stuff to cock up, so to speak. Keep it simple. And, a good ten inch woofer can be designed to handle a pretty broad spectrum when coupled to a well-designed cabinet and good crossover.
 
Big 15" two ways, like JBL, EV, Altec and some others sound very good, there are also some well designed 6.5", 8" & 10" ways that sound exceptional. The fewer passive components, like in many two way passive networks, tend not to offer phasing and other anomalies that many 3 ways posses.
# way systems if properly designed can offer quite good sound- more depends on what you like hearing than anything else........
DC
 
Generally it can be more difficult for a woofer to cross over to a tweeter, especially a large woofer. Of course it can be done effectively but it costs money to do it right. Look at the price of Tannoy speakers. Its easier to have a midrange fill that space but then you have two crossovers. The ultimate imo is a full range speaker that doesnt suffer at either end and there are no crossovers to deal with.
 
Hanleyster said:
Would you say in general a 3 way is going to sound better, or do they sound the same by means of some electrical engineering wizardry.
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As others have said, it is a matter of compromises. A 3-way design will typically allow for better extension at both ends. I confess that I am not a fan of two ways using large woofers because a critical factor for me is coherency. Large woofers unavoidably start beaming at crossover frequencies that most tweeters find comfortable.

Ideally, a driver is not asked to deliver frequencies shorter than its piston diameter. Huh? First of all, a 10" woofer might have an actual piston size of say 8.5-9 inches. Audio frequencies have wavelengths that are easily determined by using calculators like this: click here

So, you would really want a tweeter crossed over around 1500 hz or lower to keep directivity more or less constant with that example. The challenge is that common dome tweeters are intended to be crossed over around 2-2.5 kHz. Which is why a lot of vintage two ways like the Advent used 2.5 inch tweeters. They could cover a lower range even if their top end response was compromised.
 
As you can see, there's no single universal answer. This is like asking of a 6-cylinder car is better than an 8-cylinder.
 
Hi ,
Have read the responses. My opinion is as follows.
The more speakers the greater the chance for issues.
I have two different types of speakers, 2 way and 4 way.
Two way are typically more efficient , four way seems to be better at a full range of sound.
However how old are you..... If you are over 40, you can't hear all the " additional sound that 3way or 4 way can produce.

At 58 my two way frazier dixielanders provide enough for me.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Hanleyster said:
Can anyone explain to me if 3 way is always better than 2 way speakers?

For example:

Cerwin Vega D2 speakers have a 10" woofer and a horn style tweeter.
Cerwin Vega D3 speakers have a 10" woofer and a 3" min and a horn tweeter.

How on earth can a speaker with nothing but a 10" woofer and a horn tweeter sound good?

The same with old ADS speakers.

Some have just a woofer and a tweeter, some also have a mid.

Would you say in general a 3 way is going to sound better, or do they sound the same by means of some electrical engineering wizardry.

Thank you
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Meh!!! Time for an unpopular answer!! I used to say this to every customer who came in to buy speakers:

Ignore the name, ignore the price. Just sit down and LISTEN. In the end,m they have to please YOU. Doesn't matter if they are 2 or 3 way, 4 or 5, passive woofers, ect. They just have to please YOU. That's all that really matters. I've heard some 'cheap' KLH speakers that blow away names that cost 5 times as much.

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" - or the ears of the listener.....
 
I prefer 2-way to 3-way, in fact all of my speakers on all 3 setups, including my quad setup, are 2-way. But I know nothing other than what sounds better to me. And to me, you don't need anything more than a woofer and tweeter.
 
IMHO, the best 3-way is a big 2-way backed up by a massive subwoofer....or 3. :D
 
In some cases 1 driver is preferable to 2 or 3! You don't need a crossover muddying things up and the inevitable imperfection of crossover points. Speaker design is an exercise in compromise probably more than any other component. Single driver you compromise extension 3 way you compromise simplicity and 2 way a little of both.

I recently discovered a compromise that works really well for me. 4" full range for the highs and mids and 15" woofer for the bass. Both run point source with an active crossover. IMO the best I could get of both worlds.
 
GD70 said:
I have both types and love them all.

Let your ears decide.
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^^^ This.

Why on earth anyone would listen to something they actually didn't prefer, just because someone else told them they ought to prefer it, is beyond me. I don't ask others what flavor of ice cream is best. I try them and decide for myself. That's the best flavor - for me.
 
loonze said:
the fewer crossover points the better says I.
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I like Zero crossover points best. ;)

IMG_20130613_074313.jpg
 
If the op is actually considering the speakers he mentioned than go with the D3s.
There are better 2-way CVs, mostly older ones. Surprised no one has mentioned 2.5 way speakers. They seem to treat me pretty well.
 
I'm beginning to like 2 ways better with a sub picking up the bottom end. I used to think 3 ways were all that but as many have mentioned here, try them and see what you like best. That's the only thing that matters.

Frankly I never thought I'd like 2 ways as anything other than a stop gap to getting a good 3 way. However as my tastes and experiences changed, so did my preference. But I wouldn't have known that unless I was willing to try different ideas and test them for myself. Others viewpoints and experiences might give you a starting point. However that's all it is. A place to start and until you find out for yourself, you'll never know how YOU feel about it.
 
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