3-way vs 2-way speakers. Can 2-way speakers sound just as good as or better than 3-way speakers?

[PashkaTLT]

Hello everyone,

I want to discuss something.
I'm biased toward 3-way speakers. I've always felt that on average 3-way speakers will sound better than 2-way speakers, because each driver will have a narrower range and it should be easier to play this narrower range with fewer distortions.
Am I wrong to have this bias?
Can 2-way speakers have amazing and reference sound and make me feel they don't need a 3rd driver?

 

[Power Pop 23]

Hello everyone,

I want to discuss something.
I'm biased toward 3-way speakers. I've always felt that on average 3-way speakers will sound better than 2-way speakers, because each driver will have a narrower range and it should be easier to play this narrower range with fewer distortions.
Am I wrong to have this bias?
Can 2-way speakers have amazing and reference sound and make me feel they don't need a 3rd driver?\

Short answer yes

Amir has noted that some 3-way designs he has measured display a wider vertical dispersion than 2-way designs.

With their coaxial drivers, KEF offers bookshelf and tower loudspeakers with 3-way designs.

 

[DVDdoug]

There are too many variables and trade-offs make generalizations. Cost is usually a factor so you'd have to compare 2-ways and 3-ways that cost the same. The midrange adds cost that you'd have to cut-out cost somewhere else.

The "best" speakers & monitors are usually 2-way plus a subwoofer (essentially 3-way) or 3-way with or without a subwoofer.

One "trick" is to use multiple small woofers which can go higher than a single larger woofer. That means you can use a higher crossover and get into the tweeter range without a midrange in-between.

 

[PashkaTLT]

There are too many variables and trade-offs make generalizations. Cost is usually a factor so you'd have to compare 2-ways and 3-ways that cost the same. The midrange adds cost that you'd have to cut-out cost somewhere else.

The "best" speakers & monitors are usually 2-way plus a subwoofer (essentially 3-way) or 3-way with or without a subwoofer.

One "trick" is to use multiple small woofers which can go higher than a single larger woofer. That means you can use a higher crossover and get into the tweeter range without a midrange in-between.

Let's say we compare 2-ways & 3-ways which DON'T cost the same, and the 3-way costs more (by the cost of the 3rd driver, additional MDF, etc., etc.). Would 3-way sound better?

 

[boxerfan88]

Just compare the distortion profile of these two monitors, which are pretty close in performance & pricing.

One is a 2-way, the other a 3-way. Same brand.

You kinda know which one would "sound better"
Both sound pretty close to each other, but there are subtle differences especially when played loud.
/

 

[rynberg]

Can they? Of course. But a 2-way has significant limitations compared to a 3-way in terms of dynamic range and good directivity behavior.

 

[Ssss]

How does the (passive) crossover, between the midrange & bass drivers affect the sound/performance?
I tend to prefer the sound of a 2 way + high quality subwoofers.

 

[DWPress]

From my observation it's more the vertical directivity that most 3 ways do better at. I've heard some excellent 2 way speakers within their SPL limits but I'm biased towards 3 drivers in a box. I don't think just the cost should be a fair comparison, money buys a lot of things like name recognition and bragging rights but not necessarily good engineering. Even with 3 way speakers, good chance you're going to need a sub, or 2, or more....

 

[Newman]

Let's say we compare 2-ways & 3-ways which DON'T cost the same, and the 3-way costs more (by the cost of the 3rd driver, additional MDF, etc., etc.). Would 3-way sound better?

Firstly, surely you should boost the cost of the 2-way to match the 3-way. Otherwise you might as well ask if 3-ways sound better than cheaper 3-ways.

Secondly, even with the more limited question you asked above, how well the speaker is designed will be the #1 determining factor. How good is the chosen midrange unit as a driver? Is its power handling sufficient at the low end of its range? Is the 3-way crossover well designed? Do all three drivers have well matched dispersion at their relative crossover points? And, looking at it the other way around, how well was the 2-way designed in the first place? Was it a beauty, or were there issues that a third driver can fix?

In general terms it is simply a much better idea to look at the measured performance of each speaker being compared.

 

[Penelinfi]

Purify two ways are pretty nice.
It's likely easier to get lower IMD with a three way as you don't need a special or large woofer.

 

[Sokel]

Depends on the built and application.

Speakers is a set of compromises (same with room). If cost is no object someone could go up to mains monitors range with normal stuff like big 3-ways or more exotic ones like Genelec 8381A and minimize these compromises to a degree.

 

[Sokel]

...and we must also define the kind of speaker.
Cause there are 2-way big horns around that can blast someone off its chair.

 

[boxerfan88]

Purify two ways are pretty nice.
It's likely easier to get lower IMD with a three way as you don't need a special or large woofer.

Or better still, the Purifi 3-way...

 

[respice finem]

Let's say we compare 2-ways & 3-ways which DON'T cost the same, and the 3-way costs more (by the cost of the 3rd driver, additional MDF, etc., etc.). Would 3-way sound better?

They might, and they should, but how much of it is really audible, is another question.
Listening is not constantly comparing gear directly, and no one hears everything that can be measured.

I have the comparison between my "setup 1" (3-way) and "setup 2" (2-way), and subjectively, on the "consumer" side of things, the 2-way is good enough, especially considering the price difference. If you are mixing or composing, etc., the 3-way will be the better choice.

The money saved is best invested into treating the room IMHO.

 

[test1223]

...and we must also define the kind of speaker.
Cause there are 2-way big horns around that can blast someone off its chair.

Yes! And can also play very good overall.

2 way speakers example:

Acapella Hypersphere

Acapella Audio Arts At Munich High-End Audio Show 2025 – M & S | Ultimate High-Fidelity

www.monoandstereo.com

Each crossover from one driver to the next introduces some compromises but on the other hand each separated way can provide benefits. So finding the best compromise for your application is the hard part for every speaker designer.

 

[kharan]

Ooof, one of the worse looking speaker ever produced imho.

 

[Sokel]

Ooof, one of the worse looking speaker ever produced imho.

Yep.

Horns should either be as industrial as hell or as nice as these:

 

[Puddingbuks]

3 way should be better. Less bandwidth per speaker, 3 speakers can handle more power than 2, 3 way makes driver design more suitable for the job (woofer that doesn’t have to play mids).

But then, is four way even better? (Playing with the Kef LS60 with subwoofer)

 

[DanielT]

Of course that can be the case. Think speakers that are supposed to appeal to young people, young men, with a big ass bass woofer BUT these young men don't have much money so what do they get? A crappy three-way speaker with a crappy 12-15 inch bass woofer. Plus the rest in such a speaker is also garbage, bad drivers, pitiful crossover, paper-thin walls in the speaker box and so on. You know exactly what kind of speaker I'm referring to.

If we assume that they are in the same price range:That crappy type of three-way speaker vs a "normal" two-way speaker. Less that can go wrong with a two-way speaker so the output leans in one direction.

 

[Puddingbuks]

But that is not the question. Is a three way with the same sort of cabinet, components “class” better than a two way?