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

That's interesting, usually three way speakers are considered ideal due to the midrange covering the entire human voice and much of the piano without the crossover involved.

I wonder if your hearing more bass boominess from 3 way designs?
 

Yes, some 3-ways have a single driver covering most of the midrange (though many still crossover to the mid around 2kHz, largely negating that advantage) , but even though the crossover point may not be smack in the middle of the midband, it still requires a more complex crossover with additional components in the signal path. The whole signal path of the midwoofer need be considered when it comes to signal purity, not just the crossover points.   

I can't tolerate much bass boom, so no, that's not the issue. I have a room that can accommodate very large floorstanders. I prefer large 2-way standmounts with subs to augment the bass.

Another issue I find with many 3-ways is their small and/or recessed vocals. A vocalist simply won't sound as full and present through a 3" cone as they will via a 7+" cone, nevermind the beaming argument. This is why some designers, B&W for example, refuse use small mid cones. 

I understand the theory behind the proclaimed advantages of 3-ways. It's just that in many cases, my ears cannot detect a practical advantage outside of maximum loudness capability. They can play louder before compression kicks in, or before complex music trips them up, but it comes at the cost of lower resolution at moderate volumes. That's been my experience. 
Two-and-a-half-way fan here!  I've had a few in the past and currently have a pair (JBL Studio 590's).  I think the advantages of the design mainly fall in the value factor.  And I'm all about the value! :)
To my ears, my 2.5-way Spendor D7’s sound swell. They have fairly sophisticated rear ports, but I still need to bring them out into the room (which is a large room) or I get a little too much bass. That said, I supplement with REL S/5 to get the bass in the 20-30 Hz range, but I dial it way back on the sub crossover (to about 35 Hz) and volume (just about 5 clicks of 40 I think).


Haven’t yet ventured into room treatments and I know there’ll be hell to pay from my better half if I ever show up with some gawd-ugly looking foam treatments for the walls but if I know myself eventually I’ll go there and risk the wrath ...

So... at the risk of complicating things further and having my head handed to me, can I throw another newbie question into the mix?  
If I used a 2.5way + a sub w a high-pass filter ,removing everything below maybe 80hz that goes to the mains, would that help not only dig deeper (since the 2 mains woofs are only 5.25"-ers) but also clean up the mid-bass, since that driver would be relieved of the larger excursions needed to produce the lowest bass and could (just like in a 2-way w that sub) create cleaner/more "present" mids? That would keep the cabinet relatively small/narrow compared to a big 3-way, even if the sub takes up room, (And in my case it would keep upgrade cost down, since I already own a sub w a variable high-pass filter.)  The specific 2.5 I'm looking at is the Elac Carina FS247.4 if anyone has direct knowledge of it.) Thanks for your thoughts. 

Hey @mmmikeymike 

 

That's a fine idea.  I suggest you plug your main speakers though.  It will further reduce excursion, and may make integrating with the sub easier.