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Speaker of the Century Award Goes To ....

The 2.5 way speaker.


You guys probably thought I was going to fanboy over a brand, and I'm not. I'm going to fanboy over a speaker design. IMHO the 2.5 way speaker is THE ideal high end speaker for the majority of enthusiasts.


First, what is a 2.5 way? It is a speaker with 3 drivers, but the mid range lacks a high pass filter, so  it shares output with the woofer.  It has a number of advantages over smaller and larger speakers:
  • Similar footprint to stand mounted 2-way speakers
  • Ideal bass output for apartments and modest homes
  • Easier to integrate than big speakers
  • No subwoofer
  • High sensitivity compared to a 2-way using similar drivers
  • Reasonably priced


A number of brands have taken this approach including:
  • Focal
  • Joseph
  • Monitor Audio
  • DIY kits like the Klang Ton Ophelia, and Zaph Audio

So for the average enthusiast who is not a San Francisco billionaire I argue here (for the sake of an argument) that the 2.5 way speaker should be considered one of the great technical innovations in terms of users and results.
erik_squires
erik_squires OP
16,123 posts
 
Mike,

I don't think that being a 2.5 way makes a speaker better sounding, but more convenient! :)


Best,
E
teo_audio
2,197 posts
 
Many three driver speakers these days, with a tweeter on top with two woofers below... can be looked at as likely being 2.5 way-ish.

A large number of the paradigms that have been built in this fashion are 2.5 way speakers.

Again about the planars folks, don’t get me wrong, I like them all too. Dr West makes some fabulous ones...and if you want to talk about complex designs, there’s a good place to start...
yogiboy's avatar
yogiboy
5,701 posts
 
I’ve owned Spendor that was a 2.5 way design and they sounded outstanding. My friend has the Proac D48R and it is another great sounding 2.5 way sounding speaker!
douglas_schroeder
3,281 posts
 
My answer to the original post is: None 
In order to be a "speaker of the century" it would have to be a lot better than anything currently being manufactured. There are so many wonderful transducers, it would have to show dominant superiority, and currently there is no such technology.  Imo, a 2.5 way is a nonstarter for such an award.  YMMV  

erik_squires OP
16,123 posts
 
Sorry DS, that's not the criteria I am using. :)

The "Speaker of the Century" is about what's best for the median enthusiast. What speaker is great sounding, affordable and live-able.
Under these criteria, the 2.5 has a lot going for it.

The whole point of this thread is to put entry to mid level enthusiasts front and center. Leave the super speaker reviews to the rags. :)
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