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Whats better a 2 way speaker or a 4 way speaker

I am having an argument with a friend about this. I say fewer drivers and less complicated speakers will make for a purer sound and less kind of distortions. Plus the crossover network having to work extra hard with 4 speakers.

He says the 4 ways will give a fuller sound and fill the room more up. He says the bass extention will be better and will play louder. I told him you could get a sub for the 2 ways to fill in the lower notes. He said that is less accurate than having the speakers built into the cabinet.
I say with fewer speakers there are less distortions and less resonance. I know there is not an easy answer to this question but any Imput would be appreciated.
taters
pbnaudio's avatar
pbnaudio
1,613 posts
 
There's good 2 way speakers and there's good 4 way speakers, a 4 way by nature requires a more complex crossover than does a 2 way, but a 4 way crossover does not have to "work harder" than a 2 way crossover, but usually your amplifier has to work a little harder with the more complex 4 way crossover.

Your friend is correct about extension and loudness.

Cramming a 4 way tower into a small bedroom is not a good idea neither is a small two way in a large room

Good listening
meiwan
399 posts
 
Depends on what the 2 way is trying to do. If the 2 way is trying to reach the depths, in all likelihood it will compromise the midrange. If it is properly designed and rolled off no problem.

More drivers means more complicated crossovers which, again depending on design could be a disadvantage. As Pbnaudio says, they are designed for different purposes.
roxy54's avatar
roxy54
7,986 posts
 
To begin with, why were 3 ways left out of the discussion?
There have also been 2 ways which are capable of considerable extension in the bass, and 3 and 4 ways that required a subwoofer for some listeners. In the end, it's the same old answer. Listen, and trust your ears and preferences.
mechans
3,048 posts
 
The quality of sound from a speaker is not a function of the number of drivers but as you have read it is the cumulative success of engineering all of the elements that go into the final product.
Some people prefer the 2 way speaker and others like line arrays. You just can't generalize so both of you are right and wrong. Right because there are fantastic 2 ways like the Merlin floorstander but wrong because there are fantastic multi driver line arrays such as the Infinity IRS V . I heard a pair of both of these on multiple occasions at friends homes. You should look at the McIntosh and Genesis speakers as other examples of line arrays.
My own "big rig" speakers are 4 drivers Focals, which I think sound fantastic of course after getting the right electronics for them. My living room system speaker are 3 way front firing VR-2s which have a mid/tweeter ambience driver firing on the backs.
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