2 or 2 and 1/2 way speakers

[Moh]

I have Klipsch RP5000F. Some manufacturers use 1 and 1/2 way speakers for better sound. At this price, why does Klipsch use only 2 way speaker instead of 2and1/2 way ?

[garyrc]

44 minutes ago, Moh said:

I have Klipsch RP5000F. Some manufacturers use 1 and 1/2 way speakers for better sound. At this price, why does Klipsch use only 2 way speaker instead of 2and1/2 way ?

 

"For better sound" in what way?  The ultimate test is to find the contenders and listen to them for several hours.  For dealers who are willing and dedicated, this may mean allowing you to take the speakers home to listen to them in your room.  They may require a deposit or other security, although I was offered the privilege of taking "anything" home from Saturday night to Monday morning (store was closed on Sundays), without putting anything down.

 

One supposed advantage of 2 1/2 way over 2 way is sensitivity ("efficiency").  But, the RP5000F already has a sensitivity of 96 dB/2.83v (1 watt into 8 Ohms) at 1M in a "typical" living room, and probably 92 dB in an anechoic chamber.   A 2 1/2 way B&W 704 that costs almost three times what your RP5000F costs, has a sensitivity of only 88 dB anechoic.  Taking just the anechoic sensitivity into account, to get the same SPL you would get with a 100 watt amplifier (about 103 dB at 13 feet in a 4,300 cu.ft. room of average liveness) you would need about a 266 watt amplifier.  So, with your speakers you have 4 dB greater sensitivity, without going to 2 1/2 way.

 

The following was posted on AVS forum by TurboFC3S, who is apparently a speaker designer.  Just thought you should see this. The Bolding is mine.

"The primary advantage of a 2.5 way is increased sensitivity. As far as a corporation is concerned the advantage of a 2.5 way is they're much easier to market and sell than a 2 way, simply because they're more impressive to look at. As a designer though, 2.5 ways suffer from unacceptable performance issues - the same drivers put into a 2 way MT or MTM will almost always sound better."

 

Listening is the best test.

[Moh]

I thought in a 2 and half way one of the woofers only plays below a certain frequency (say 600 Hz) thus making the base cleaner and tighter as it is not playing the higher frequencies that the other woofer is playing. 

[jjptkd]

1 hour ago, Moh said:

I thought in a 2 and half way one of the woofers only plays below a certain frequency (say 600 Hz) thus making the base cleaner and tighter as it is not playing the higher frequencies that the other woofer is playing. 

Here's an interesting video from GR Research where he discusses the issue with a pair of RP-6000 speakers: