3 way vs. 2 way

"Let a hundred flowers blossom, let a hundred schools of thought contend." In a true forum, like Audiogon, the person who asks a question greatly benefits by having a broad range of opinions and thoughts to consider...and yes...the dealer has made some very good points. Don't stop breathing when you read a dealer's opinion, as everyone writing in does have experience and an opinion. When the dealer became the dealer, the sky didn't open and the angels didn't come down with a set of Golden Ears. A dealer's first bias is that selling you something is the basis of his livlihood...and beyond that...Guess what, even the dealers have a bias when it comes to sound...because we are all human after all. Also keep in mind that a dealer can only sell what he carries, so that may or may not be in tune with your own ear.

If you think more drivers equal better sound, try the Omega Super 3 XRS single-driver speakers, especially in your small listening room. They are amazing, especially with tube amplification. If these don't float your boat, stick with a 2-way because of the better driver integration. I have Opera and Spendor 2-ways and love them but the Omega Super 3 XRS's made a believer out of me when it comes to single driver speakers. I own a pair and they are keepers.

Duke,

Once again I find myself in total agreement with your comments.

Ditto Eldartford and Jaybo.

These forums can be extremely informative.

Back to the original question

I notice may of the Totems have only a tweeter and a driver. Can I get as good sound out of smoething like that as compared to a speaker with 3 or 4 in the cabinet

I would say that if you have no price restrictions and you can build the ideal sized room to suit the speakers - then the answer is generally NO - you can't get as good of a sound in a two way. If you simply look at most globally respected acoustic suspension speaker manufacurers product offerings then you will notice that their top of the line tends to be larger three way+ designs and not two ways (so I am kind of stating the obvious although I expect many will still disagree...facts tend to get ignored here)

However, practially speaking two ways are a sensible way to go in the middle price range (two way is often better than a smilar priced three way), for smaller rooms and for near field listening positions. (After all, if you can't change your room it is best to use something that works within your space...for example, a big expensive B&W three way looks overkill for your room, IMHO)

"When the dealer became the dealer, the sky didn't open and the angels didn't come down with a set of Golden Ears."

Egads man, you've totally exposed me and my fellow bottom-feeders!

Seriously, Mcpody, you are absolutely correct - "dealer" doesn't mean anything beyond the fact that I stood in line and got a business license, and "manufacturer" doesn't necessarily mean much more (do I even design or actually build my own products? Who knows?). My ears are probably average at best, and I hope I haven't implied otherwise. If anyone finds merit in something I say, hopefully that's based on the content rather than the hat I wear.

Incidentally, I have somewhat mixed feelings about proclaiming my industry affiliation on a regular basis. It's a judgment call as to whether that constitutes "advertising" on the one hand, and whether non-disclosure constitutes "shilling" on the other. In a recent thread on the subject of industry members disclosing their affiliation, one person commented that he'd like to know when he's reading the words of someone who may have a vested interest, and that sounds reasonable to me.

Thanks for the thumbs-up, Jndean and Shadorne.

Duke

In a small room, big speakers will overload the room, have boomy bass, and sound bad.

But assuming you have the space, and assuming you like DYNAMICS, unfortunately there is no 2 way in existence that can sound like a large speaker.

Something like a Verity Parsifal monitor will have a great midrange, spot on image, and other great qualities - but unfortunately even a SOTA 2-way like this will never sound like a Wilson X2, Pipedream line arrays, Avantgarde Trios, or Dynaudio temptations. The sheer scale of sound presentation of one of these large and well-built speakers is unfortunately unmatchable in a 2-way monitor. The physics simply don't allow it.

2 Way monitors by all means have their time and their place - but if you are serious, and you are looking for BIG orchestral dynamic swings and rock-arena scale, you need a BIG speaker.