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Speaker of the Century Award Goes To ....

The 2.5 way speaker.


You guys probably thought I was going to fanboy over a brand, and I'm not. I'm going to fanboy over a speaker design. IMHO the 2.5 way speaker is THE ideal high end speaker for the majority of enthusiasts.


First, what is a 2.5 way? It is a speaker with 3 drivers, but the mid range lacks a high pass filter, so  it shares output with the woofer.  It has a number of advantages over smaller and larger speakers:
  • Similar footprint to stand mounted 2-way speakers
  • Ideal bass output for apartments and modest homes
  • Easier to integrate than big speakers
  • No subwoofer
  • High sensitivity compared to a 2-way using similar drivers
  • Reasonably priced


A number of brands have taken this approach including:
  • Focal
  • Joseph
  • Monitor Audio
  • DIY kits like the Klang Ton Ophelia, and Zaph Audio

So for the average enthusiast who is not a San Francisco billionaire I argue here (for the sake of an argument) that the 2.5 way speaker should be considered one of the great technical innovations in terms of users and results.
erik_squires

Showing 2 responses by richopp

richopp
760 posts
 
ANYONE who plays a musical instrument and likes either horn or box speakers has a hearing impairment.

Go out in front of the current orchestra that you play in/attend concerts by and LISTEN to the MUSIC in the room they are playing in.  THEN, go to another room and the same MUSIC played by the same orchestra will sound different because of the room.  Conductors know this and make adjustments.  Even some amplified bands know this, or at least the people who run their shows know.  MANY do not, and thus live amplified concerts are mostly a waste of time and money except for rabid fans who don't care about the music.

ROOMS are more important to music than speakers.

Having typed that, I suggest that everyone go to your dealer and pick up a few pair of various kinds of speakers, take them home to YOUR ROOM and listen to them.

Buy whatever sounds most like the orchestra to you and be happy.  I predict that those who play and/or attend concerts often will choose what sounds closest to live.  But maybe not...some musicians I used to serve at my shop were not really LISTENING to the entire orchestra, but only their own section.  Error!

Cheers, and enjoy the MUSIC!
richopp
760 posts
 
What are YOU hoping to hear on a recording??  Depends, right?

https://reverb.com/news/the-unconventional-recording-tricks-behind-6-classic-drum-sounds?utm_campaign=20190519+Sunday+Content&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=MarketingCloud
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