Time for Two Ways !


There are as many types of speakers are there are human languages and dialects, but we have to agree one of the most popular formats is the two way system, with a tweeter and mid-woofer.

Sure, they are imperfect, often limited in bass or dynamic range, but they have major advantages as well:

  • Small Footprint
  • Small baffles
  • Single crossover point
  • Easier to integrate with a room’s acoustics

These are some general ideas. Of course, you don’t have to like 2-way speakers. You may prefer full-range single driver, ESL or 5-way beasts, but I hope we can please keep this thread 2-way friendly!

I’d love to hear from others about 2-way speakers you adore. Are you a 2-way only kind of audiophile?  How do you like yours? Horn loaded? Transmission line? Desktop?
erik_squires
The only 2-ways I've ever owned have been old ESS AMT speakers with 10" drivers. I still own my first gen AMT1's and use the almost every day, but they don't. Hold a candle to my Focal 936's. 2-way doesn't always equal small baffle and small foot print. Take the DeVore Orangutan series for example. Huge baffles. Huge footprints. I listened to the Focal 906's and those are well integrated speakers. The reason I chose the 936's over the 1008Be's was bass. These were going to be living room speakers and the bottom end wasn't a compromise I wanted to make. Ultimately that's a major weaknesses in so many 2-ways. The 936's take up no more space and with a lower crossover point of 150 or 280 Hz depending on who's talking, integrating the bass with the speaker as a whole makes more sense than stand mounts and subs to me. 
The Harbeth P3esr is my favorite of all of the many that I have owned. I like the LS3/5a type of speaker ( sealed two way) design. After trying others I always come back to the Harbeth, I'm on my third pair. I'm finally off the speaker Merry-Go-Round!
I currently own a pair of Esoteric MG-10s which I am very happy with. Use in a 12'x15' room, driven by a BEL 1001 MK5. I have them placed on 16" stands. 
Totem Forests.
-Solid imaging and wide sound stage.
-Amazing bass from a (~6" driver/) - esp. as driven by a Taranis Class D amp.
-Metal dome tweeter provides excellent hi freq extension but can sound harsh with badly recorded material.
-Source, amplification and balanced ICs have tamed that tendency.
-Clear Day Speaker Cables and a Harmonic Tech ProSilway II IC contributed greatly to sweetening the sound.

Have had the Forests since 2007.
Not tired of listening to music from them.
Wharfedale Denton, I'll wrap it up quick and fast in 3 factors: musical sound, heritage build, and affordable price!