Is the ideal multi-way a 3-way with limited bass?

45hz and down is a good place to start... NOW get rid of all of it...
unless space is a serious issue. 250-300 hz and down.

The larger the driver surface the more prone it is to distortion. IF you control what comes back to hit the cone surface (phase plugs), AND narrow the driver baffle surface, thing change a LOT in bass region.
Larger drivers work great.  Still have a baffle to contend with. It's hard to make that box go away.. I'll give it a -6 not -3 for baffle (bass) gain, with a 6 db first order. 24db with a low notch maybe a -3  (the baffle is a pain). and a huge contribution in the distortion column.

I'll try it.. simple enough.  Opps, Forgot.. I already did, yup sure did...
separate boxes and columns, MUCH better SQ, just a bit more real estate.

Your speaker description reminds me of the monitors of 70-80, huge bass drivers, double mids, double highs.. I still have a few.. QSO 808s by VMPS..

Infinity with their SM series...they were everywhere...

Regards

 

It is only in your mind.Take a week off.

Of sorts. Using dynamic drivers the best approach IMHO is a two way with subwoofers. You only need one crossover (not including the sub) and you can usually put it up around 2500-3000 Hz where it will not be as audible. With a two way you can do an open baffle design, easy to make. Use two midbass/midrange drivers and one tweeter in a D' Appolito configuration. 12 db/oct Linkwitz-Riley crossover. Two double 15" subwoofers and you are off to the races.
With Horns I think you are stuck with 3 way and a sub.
But, with ESLs you can do one way with a sub. Some people will opine you do not need the sub and with very large ESLs this is true. But, distortion levels are even lower if you use a subwoofer system correctly. And you can increase your headroom at least 10 dB. That is double the volume!

Imo, more impressive soundstage is only one advantage of larger speakers. Having owned several small/bookshelf speakers and small floor standers over the decades, there is no way I would opt for them in pursuit of superior sound and experience. They are a fundamental compromise, imo too often made out of fear of bass issues. I would far rather struggle with bass (the exception being a perfectly square, small room) than divorce all the benefits of bigger speakers. It's literally like eschewing half the glory of HiFi.  

It's much more about the size of the listening room than the size of the woofer(s). As you've got two variables in play, I don't see how you can arrive at any firm general conclusion.  Rather you'd have to say, for a room of X size, Y size, etc.