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Is the 2.5 way speaker the ideal home speaker?

Time for what I hope is another fun thread. 

One type of speaker which is actually pretty common but which gets little press / attention here on audiogon is the 2.5 way. 

A 2.5 way speaker is almost a 3-way, but it isn't. It is a speaker with 3 drivers, but instead of a tweeter, midrange and woofer (TMW) it lacks a true midrange. The "midrange" is really a mid-woofer, that shares bass duties with the woofer. Often these two drivers are identical, though in the Focal Profile 918 the midwoofer and woofer were actually different drivers with the same nominal diameter (6"). 

The Monitor Audio 200 is a current example of the concept, but I am sure there are many others. It's also quite popular in kit form. One of the most high-end kits I know of is the Ophelia based on a ScanSpeak Be tweeter and 6" Revelator mid-woofers. I haven't heard them, but I am in eternal love with those mid-woofers. I believe the original plans come from the German speaker building magazine Klan Ton. 

However many other kits are also available

But regardless of kit, or store purchased, are you a 2.5 way fan? Why or why not? 

Best,


Erik 
erik_squires
erik_squires OP
5,268 posts
 
+1 @rlb61 - This is also one of my top methods for exactly those reasons 

amg - I think you have to separate the enclosures, to avoid having the lower woofer interact in weird ways with the upper woofer. 


erik_squires OP
5,268 posts
 
I think one of the main benefits of a 2.5 way is foot print vs. bass extension and dynamic range as well as overall speaker sensitivity.

2.5 way speakers tend to be made with 6" drivers, so you end up with a rather narrow speaker overall.

there are some close variations, like a T - M - W - W, true 3-way speaker, but with two woofer.
amg56's avatar
amg56
666 posts
 

It may have been a 80/90s Duntech design when John Dunlavy was building in Canberra. They could be the PCL-25.

prof
1,741 posts
 
Isn't the Joseph Perspective a 2.5 way?
grannyring's avatar
grannyring
4,637 posts
 
I think they certainly can be. Look at the Dali Epicon 6 speakers.

The EPICON 6 relies on a 2½-way system. It features an additional woofer kicking in below 600Hz. However, for the highest frequencies the EPICON 6 also incorporates a ribbon tweeter as part of the hybrid tweeter, in reality turning the speaker into a ‘2½ + ½-way’ construction.

This is a nice sounding speaker that also fits well in most home spaces. Close to full range also.

One benefit can be they have more of that “voice of one” coherence compared to a three way. 
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