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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
helomech
1,673 posts
 
Eric,

The only 3-ways I currently own are Klipsch Heresy IIIs. I just looked up their crossover point, it's a rather high 5kHz. These speakers still lack coherency unless listening from a distance of 11' or more. I would guess that is most likely due to horn beaming, though the others I mentioned also benefit from such distance. I sit about 9' from the speakers in my main rig. Of all the 3-ways I've tried, none work for me in such proximity. I imagine a design like the Elac Adantes might work.
erik_squires OP
16,052 posts
 
I tend to crossover at 2 kHz or slightly lower since I have only really made 2-ways so far, and don't have an issue with any coherency. One pair sits on my desktop. The near field listening is a real treat given my living room is an acoustic mess.
linnie01
8 posts
 
Although I own 30 year old, 3 way Thiel 3 way speakers (CS2) and still enjoy them very much, when friends have asked me what speakers to buy in recent years, I recommended Spendor...the A5 (now discontinued) and the D7 (current).  Both are 2.5 way speakers and both owners love them.  I do too.  What’s not to love?

At the end of the day, it’s about what sounds good to you, regardless  of speaker design or price (assuming you can afford it?)
linnie01
8 posts
 
The Spendor’s also pair quite well with Linn and Naim gear, which my friends and I all own.  It’s a classic combination, which certainly make a difference, along with the room.
kijanki's avatar
kijanki
4,428 posts
 
Erik, Few questions.

1. Isn’t crossing at 2kHz or lower in the range of female voice, that has fundamentals between 350Hz and 3kHz?

2. Isn’t crossing below 2kHz to close to resonance of most tweeters? I’ve read recommendation to keep crossover frequency at least 1-2 octaves above tweeter’s resonance.

3. Break-up modes for typical woofer might be around 5kHz. Isn’t cutting at 2kHz too close - especially for 6dB/octave? In comparison my 3-way speakers cut at 230Hz and 3kHz - outside of "sensitive" zone.

Also, I agree with you that small sweet spot, caused by beaming, might be advantage in acoustically bad rooms, but that’s only if you listen alone. For me wide sweet spot is very important. If I’m not mistaken beaming for 6.5" drivers starts around 1.5kHz. Crossing at 2kHz or lower might help but you need tweeter with very low resonance frequency. I’m not sure what it is, since I don’t design speakers but suspect that it is around 1kHz. My speakers should beam (6.5" midrange) but they have wide sweet spot. Perhaps weird design of the midrange makes a difference (ferrofluid instead of spider web suspension and the wide flat disk instead of dust cap)

http://www.hyperionsound.com/Images/HPS-938.jpg


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