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Is the 2.5 way speaker the ideal home speaker?

Time for what I hope is another fun thread. 

One type of speaker which is actually pretty common but which gets little press / attention here on audiogon is the 2.5 way. 

A 2.5 way speaker is almost a 3-way, but it isn't. It is a speaker with 3 drivers, but instead of a tweeter, midrange and woofer (TMW) it lacks a true midrange. The "midrange" is really a mid-woofer, that shares bass duties with the woofer. Often these two drivers are identical, though in the Focal Profile 918 the midwoofer and woofer were actually different drivers with the same nominal diameter (6"). 

The Monitor Audio 200 is a current example of the concept, but I am sure there are many others. It's also quite popular in kit form. One of the most high-end kits I know of is the Ophelia based on a ScanSpeak Be tweeter and 6" Revelator mid-woofers. I haven't heard them, but I am in eternal love with those mid-woofers. I believe the original plans come from the German speaker building magazine Klan Ton. 

However many other kits are also available

But regardless of kit, or store purchased, are you a 2.5 way fan? Why or why not? 

Best,


Erik 
erik_squires
erik_squires OP
16,051 posts
 
@prof - Yes indeed. :)
rlb61
789 posts
 
The Perspective has two midrange/woofer units. That appears to be different from the 2.5 way described by the OP, which has one midrange/woofer and one full woofer. So, is the Perspective a true 2.5 way or some hybrid variation?
erik_squires OP
16,051 posts
 
Hi @rlb61 - Sorry for the confusion!

Whether or not a speaker is a 2.5 way is characterized by the crossover, not the woofers.

In a 2.5 way, the two woofers have low pass filters ONLY, but set to different points and slopes. This can be implemented with identical drivers (like the JA Perspective and Klan Ton Ophelia) or like the Focal Profile 918 which used different drivers for each.

The missing 0.5 in the equation (2.5 + 0.5 = 3 way)  is a high pass filter on the top woofer.  This would reduce the bass the mid-woofer plays, relegating it all to the bottom woofer. Without this, both woofers play the deepest octaves.


Best,

E
rlb61
789 posts
 
@erik_squires ... thanks for the info. I really have learned a lot from your insights. 
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astewart8944
499 posts
 
Since I own Joseph Audio Perspectives, and I like them a lot, I guess that makes me a fan. I do run my Perspective speakers with two subwoofers and have them integrated with the mains via a DEQX Premate. IMO it is a powerful pleasing combination. FWIW I heard the Joseph Audio Pearl 3s at AXPONA this past Sunday and I thought they were terrific too. Same family; fuller presentation than the Perspectives running without subs. Yet I suspect that if I owned Pearls I would still run the stereo subwoofers and simply recalibrate the subs via the DEQX to integrate properly. @erik_squires are you of the opinion that the 2.5 provides the opportunity to "outperform" a "full range" because a sub (or subs) can more than compensate for what the full range otherwise provides? This is of some interest to me. I would hate to "upgrade" to the Pearls only to find I already created a more complete combo with the Perspective/subs/DEQX combo. Your thoughts please.   
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