Sonic Differences Between 2-Way and 3-Way Speakers


I have owned a succession of 2-way loudspeakers. I have read comments suggesting that there are certain things 2-way speakers excel at and other things that 3-ways do better. What have I been missing?
Ag insider logo xs@2xdrubin
I think in most people's price range a 2 way speaker makes more sense, it is better to have fewer high quality components.

That being said often people have a subwoofer to flesh out the bottom end, so in a sense a sub satellite system is 3 way anyway.

It is always the old compromise, do you want a better quality midrange or a full range system? I know I can not afford both.
I believe the closer you can get to "The One-Way way" the better off you are. Nothing is perfect.
My current speakers are one way. Acoustat 2+2s. All panels run full range with no crossover. Excellent sound. I have also owned Dahlquist DQ-10s, a five way speaker. Also excellent. Depends on who engineers them. Jim Strickland (Acoustat) and Jon Dahquist are both terrific speaker designers. Don
The obvious:simpler crossover,smaller enclosure=better imaging...I am also looking into the very efficient "one way" designs TWL and others speak very highly of...this is the future of hi-end speaker design IMHO...
While all of the comments above are true, three ways when done properly may offer more extended range, dynamics and speed.