# 2 way or 3 way



## mikey15 (Apr 5, 2008)

Im in the process of redoing my whole audio system. It will be 90%HT.Planning an LLT for the sub.
My questions are 
1. What real advantage does a 3 way(WWMTM) give me. The design I was going to build was 8'sfor the W and 6s for the M.
My current system is KEF IQ3's and it just seems to lack balls.
Thanks
Mike


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## Bill Fitzmaurice (Jun 14, 2008)

The advantage to 3 way is being able to use larger woofers to eliminate the need for a sub. If you're running a sub there's no advantage to 3 way IMO. If you prefer think of a 2 way with sub as a 3 way, mounted in separate cabs.


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## BoomieMCT (Dec 11, 2006)

Also it is easier to keep the crossovers out of the sensitive 1-3 kHz region of hearing. 

Also it is easier to keep driver's operating in the ranges where they are less likely to beam.


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## mikey15 (Apr 5, 2008)

BoomieMCT said:


> Also it is easier to keep the crossovers out of the sensitive 1-3 kHz region of hearing.
> 
> Also it is easier to keep driver's operating in the ranges where they are less likely to beam.


Why is it easier to keep hem out of the 1-3 kHz. If I am eliminating the sub speaker and still using the same M&T. This will be my first so I'm glad to hear that I can eliminate the 3 way. From what I have read it really complicates things.


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## Bill Fitzmaurice (Jun 14, 2008)

mikey15 said:


> Why is it easier to keep hem out of the 1-3 kHz. If I am eliminating the sub speaker and still using the same M&T. This will be my first so I'm glad to hear that I can eliminate the 3 way. From what I have read it really complicates things.


I don't thnk there's a problem with a crossover at 2.5kHz or above, nor do most other professional loudspeaker designers. There are many 6.5s good from 80 to 2.5kHz with very good dispersion, and many tweeters good from 2.5kHz on up.


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## mgboy (Jan 17, 2007)

I think it's partly to alleviate the mid/woofer from the lower frequencies that would cause more excursion that would muddy up the higher frequencies it has to play at the same time.


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## Brian Walter (Aug 11, 2006)

mgboy said:


> I think it's partly to alleviate the mid/woofer from the lower frequencies that would cause more excursion that would muddy up the higher frequencies it has to play at the same time.


This is true and by doing so it also allows one to use a smaller diameter mid bass/midrange which minimizes beaming and often times pushes cone breakup higher up in frequency thereby allowing for a higher mid to tweeter crossover. But there is a practical limit to how high you can cross over to the tweeter before lobing becomes an issue. Generally, if you push the crossover point over 3000 HZ you need to start looking for a tweeter with smaller diameter face plate. It's all about trade-offs and picking your own poison so to speak.

Brian Walter


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## Bill Fitzmaurice (Jun 14, 2008)

mgboy said:


> I think it's partly to alleviate the mid/woofer from the lower frequencies that would cause more excursion that would muddy up the higher frequencies it has to play at the same time.


That, and the need for a larger woofer to handle the lows that wouldn't run smooth up to a tweeters range, was the prevailing reason for 3 ways when they ran from 40 Hz. But with subs handling the 40 to 80 Hz range and MTM alignments reducing the excursion demands on midbasses the benefits of keeping things simple generally prevail.


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## looneybomber (Sep 20, 2006)

We really have two things going on in this thread, 2way vs 3way (WMT) and MT vs MTM. 3 way's help with output (SPL) due to each driver doing less work by operating in a more limited bandwidth. 

...and IMO 3way speakers should still use a subwoofer for movies. With music, you can get away without, but it depends on the woofers and how much output you're looking for.


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## Guest (Aug 19, 2008)

I agree with Looneybomber and other who have written here. I have heard well designed 2-way speakers that perform better then poorly designed 3-way and vice versa. What I think it comes down to is the speakers you choose. I've used some woofers with frequency ranges that go all over the place above 800Hz that is a woofer that needs to be designed into a 3-way because no tweeter that I know of can go down below 1Kh without some major distortion or blowing! So the speakers you choose for your design will play the major role in the decision of 2-way vs. 3-way.

Anyway, it doesn’t matter 2-way or 3-way if it is not designed properly it will function poorly. Also I recommend a sub no matter what you go with. I've designed 3 ways that perform better then most average subs but still they can't go quite as low as a high quality sub. If you just listen to music then having a sub is your choice. I know for the music I usually listen to it is rare that it sees any action. However, when I watch movies that is where the sub really comes into its own!

Some people may disagree with what I've just wrote but to each his own.


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