Difference Between 2 Way And 3 Way Speakers

Whether you are a musician or just a guy who loves listening to high-quality sound, you need a quality set of speakers.

But, if you don’t know how speakers work, which one is best to suit you, and what is 2 Way And 3 Way Speakers, then you have a chance to get a bit of a loss when it comes to buying it.

There are lots of different types of speakers out there, and you can find there a perfect fit for you by keeping a close eye on them and understanding the difference between 2-way and 3-way speakers. But it may take a lot of time when you are fully uneducated about this.

So, in order to help you understand things about two-way and 3-way speakers, I have written a depth article for you.

Let’s start with some basics about speakers.

What Is A 2-Way Speaker?

A two-way speaker is also known as a coaxial speaker. As it names, a 2-way speaker contains two drivers named woofer and tweeter that combine sounds together.

The woofer is designed for a minor frequency, handles the low frequencies of the speaker, and the tweeter is designed for high-frequency, and controls the higher frequencies of the speaker.

Restraining from nature and the materials that are used for making the drivers assist in producing more sound at a certain frequency. However, engineers are now able to make better represent the sound for human hearing using more than 2 speaker drivers.

As I mentioned above a 2-way speaker has two drivers, frequencies that are above 2000 Hz controlled by the tweeter whereas the woofer manages the rest of the frequencies at the same time. Moreover, a crossover takes away specific parts of the arriving audio signal and sends it to the accurate driver. The accepted driver may be the tweeter if the frequencies are 2000 Hz.

A 2-way speaker can reproduce better sound than a single speaker driver due to its dedicated tweeter. Connecting a dedicated tweeter allows the sound more air clarity and live.

When it comes to the woofer, it has limitations to reproduce a wider range of sound. In the meantime, the lower basses fill it up and help to maintain good sound quality. That’s why 2-way speakers seem to rarely have strong-sounding basses.

What Is A 3-Way Speaker?

The three-way speaker that is also known as a tri-axial speaker typically has three speaker drivers woofer, tweeter, and mid-range. In this 2-way speaker, sounds are divided into three ranges where as the first range is controlled under the woofer which ranges from 200 Hz downwards, the second range( read mid-range) is controlled under 200 Hz to 2,000 Hz frequencies, and the third range is controlled under the tweeter.

Mid-range that covers 200 Hz to 2,000 Hz frequencies is specifically for voice, trumpets, and percussive instruments. And, the third range (tweeter) is for tambourines, cymbals, and something like this.

The 3-way speaker can come with both form a coaxial or component system whither the coaxial system has three drivers in a single box and the component system has three individual boxes for three different drivers.

However, they produce individual sounds and are combined together. As you know woofer is for low frequency, and the tweeter is for high frequency, the mid-range driver works midway which actually helps to keep them properly balanced. Though this type of balanced sound is more natural and more suitable for most people, there are many people who find this speaker unsuitable for them.

Difference Between 2 Way And 3 Way Speakers:

Price:

The 2-way speaker is less expensive than a 3-way speaker. This is because a 2-way speaker required a fewer number of materials whereas a 3-way speaker needs more accessories. Besides, a 2-way speaker required an easier crossover circuit that also makes it cheap.

Sound:

A 2-way speaker produces a low quality of sound, whereas a 3-way speaker creates a better sound. It happens for working togetherly bass and the mid-range driver. In a 2-way system, the bass, and the mid-range driver reproduce the sound into the woofer but a 3-way system produces the sound separately.

Bass Reproduction:

The bass system of a 3-way speaker is better than a 2-way speaker system. In general 3-way speaker handles 20 Hz to 2000 Hz frequencies, on the other hand, a 2-way speaker handles the rest of the frequencies. Bass is an important part of a good quality sound.

Power:

A 3-way speaker has the ability to handle more power without distortion compared to a 2-way speaker. This is the advantage of having a separate driver from the bass.

Crossovers:

to make a 3-way speaker worthwhile, it is required a well-built cross over. But a 2-way speaker can easily be powered with a low-quality crossover.

Installation:

When it comes to installing the speaker, the 2-way speaker is easier than a 3-way speaker system. It takes more effort to install a 3-way speaker.

What Is A Component Speaker System?

A component speaker refers to a speaker that has individual tweeters, woofers, crossovers, super tweeters, and subwoofers, which are designed to produce optimal sound quality. All drivers are physically separated and are positioned in such a way that they can cover the entire audio spectrum.

Installing the component speaker is a bit complicated. But it provides a better, higher, and wider sound. By using this component speaker that is separated driver (tweeters, sub tweeters, and other components) represents a very clear and high-quality sound compared to a full range speaker.

This is because the component speaker is specifically designed to produce better music. It uses 250 watts of peak power and 110 watts of RMS power to handle the speakers, whereas a coaxial speaker uses 200 peak power and 75 RMS power.

Verdicts:

When it comes to crossover, it requires several crossovers in order to send frequencies to tweeters and sub-tweeters. These drivers are received specific frequencies and reproduce splendid music. But a regular full-range speaker does not require any crossover to operate their task.