2-Way 3-Way Debate

There is no debate... each can be very good, what makes one better than the other is the designer, what parts they choose, crossover points, slopes etc. I have built more than most. I love,love a good 2 way, its easy to achieve great results with a wide array of parts... in 3 ways, I've had the best results keeping the crossover point out of the vocal range, also, there are alot of 4, 5 & 6 inch midbass drivers that can be crossed down near 100 hz and still run fairly flat out to 2 to 3k. This keeps the hard bass off this driver, limits excursion and over working the driver, keeping vocals smooth and accurate as well as giving you a wide variety of tweeters to blend well, you will find that typically (not always) very good 2 ways have the tweeter crossed low... on the 2 way mtm's that I use now, I crossed at 1.7k, with a 3 way you will find countless quality tweeters that can cross at 2.5 to 3k, but even going down to 1.7, your choices narrow by 50 or even more.... For what ever reason, I've had a tougher job finding great matching components in a 3 way.
Even though that I typically prefer 2 ways, on a very well thought out design with good parts, a 3 way should be better, but all in all, parts choice, crossover frequency, sloped etc make all the difference, so its all in the hands of the designer

>I am fairly new here and would imagine that this debate has taken place previously. Sorry if I don't have time to scroll back through all the speaker topics but can a 2- way spkr really provide the definition of a 3-way? If the bass/ mid driver is 6" or 7", how can it handle the upper mids?

With increasing directivity approaching the cross-over point which puts progressively less energy into the first reflections. This does not contrast well with the near hemi-spherical radiation of an acoustically small dome tweeter which puts an abundance of energy into those reflections in the 2-4 KHz range following the cross-over with the contrast perceived as harshness.

That directivity mismatch makes it physically impossible to build a 2-way with most dome tweeters on flat baffles that has both natural sounding polar response and any semblance of bass that plays cleanly at reasonable output levels.

You can kludge around the problem with a dip in around the cross-over point (as in the BBC dip), although the perceptual effects will vary depending on room + placement and you're better off building a three way.

Even a 6" midrange has an appreciable directivity increase by the typical 2-3 KHz cross-over point.

>I am assuming that the front port does more than just relieve internal pressure and it actually provides additional bass sound, leaving the bass/ mid driver a little less congested.

It gives you another 1/3 octave of extension without compromising box size or efficiency, although signals below the pass-band will have more severe intermodulation distortion effects (excursion becomes what it would be with no box until you pass the driver's high pass poles) compared to a sealed box (excursion doubling for a given signal input level with each octave lower between the two high-pass poles and constant below the lower frequency pole) and in extreme cases can run the driver out to its mechanical limits at which point permanent damage may occur.

>What about bi-amping with a 2-way compared with a 3-way?

If you can afford to bi-amp a 2-way you can afford a well-engineered 3-way.

I don't think you can limit the discussion to 2-way vs. 3-way, because each design often carries other things with it. For example, a great number of 2-ways today are mini-monitors, which have the additional advantages of a minimal front baffle--which improves in-room dispersion and imaging--and a lower level of cabinet resonances because there are no large enclosure panels that can resonate.

Yes, there are large 2-ways as well, and if they aren't extraordinarily braced, the extra bass extension of the larger cabinet is offset by the larger front panel and more prominent panel resonances.

For these reasons, I think some of the best sound for the buck comes from stand-mounted 5" to 6.5" 2-way speakers augmented by one or two subs. The satellites retain that immediacy and room-filling dispersion while the subs add that bottom octave or two and keep the violent backwaves of deep bass from exciting the main cabinets. Also, it optimizes the amplification for each kind of duty--choose the amp that sounds best with the minimonitors while the built-in sub amp controls the bass.

Of course there are many great-sounding 3-ways, but (assuming you take the time to fully integrate the subs with the sats), you can put together a monitor/sub system at $5K that will equal the performance of a $10K pair of floorstanders because the cost of building and bracing the cabinet is so much less, as is the challenge of getting 30Hz performance when you add the advantage of a built-in 1200w amp.

You can get real bass from a 6-1/2" 2-way, but it either takes a powered woofer or a large, very well-braced cabinet that removes all pretense of WAF. Case in point: my mid-'90s Mirage M5si speakers. 6.5" 2-ways in a ported bipolar configuration, in beastly 51"h x 14"w x 8"d cabs that weigh 85 lbs. each. But they make honest bass down to 26 Hz. And that bass is lively and quick thanks to the woofers' small, light diaphragms.

I wish I had the funds and crossover knowledge to find out just how good that design could sound with some of the drivers available today, such as Vifa ring radiator tweeters and the incredible range and power handling of the better 6.5" mid/woofers.