2 way, 2.5 way, 3 way.....Which way is the best?

[admin_exported]

Does anyone know what all these 'way' terminology meanings are in terms of loudspeakers? I'm assuming that the more 'ways' there are the better the speaker, but tecnhincally i don't have a clue. I own a 3 way floorstander but tbh I don't know how it works. Please show me the right way. Thanks.

 

[matthewpiano]

Basically, a 2-way speaker has 2 drive units, a 3-way 3 and so on. The absolute ideal is a one way speaker because it provides a single point source and avoids problems of integration between the different drive units. However, it can introduce issues itself, particularly in terms of frequency range. Its less of an issue these days with superior drive integration on most speakers so it really doesn't matter how many 'way' a speaker is as long as it sounds right to you.

 

[Anonymous]

It makes no difference to how good the speaker is.

2 way means the cross-over has been designed for one split in the cross-over: It means there is one tweeter and one mid/bass driver.

2.5 way means the cross-over has a two way split again, but there is more than one driver using the same frequency range as the others - my Wharfedales are 2.5 way floorstanders; there are two 6.5" drivers - one does the midrange and one does the deep bass, but they get fed exactly the same signal, it's just the different design of the driver which determins the limits of the frequencies it outputs.

3 way means the cross-over has split the frequency range it is being fed into three seperate frequency ranges. One for the tweeter, one for the mids and one for the bass. This usually yields a wider frequency range (if suitable drivers are implemented) but it introduces timing errors and cross-over distortion.

Hope that helps!