Expectations from an inexpensive 3-way

[peter_m]

Hello everyone,
being a complete noob in DiY speakers, I'm just bouncing around a few ideas in my big empty head. Please be gentle

1)Based on the fact that 300hz to 3500hz are the most important to human hearing, would an inexpensive 3-way (with a dedicated mid-range for the 300-3500hz) sound better then a similarily priced 2-way speaker? Let's assume the budget for drivers is about 100$ per channel.


2)Would a transmission line eclosure out perform a sealed or ported enclosure? What limitations or dissadvanteges does the TL have? Anyone know of a link for a direct comparisson?

Thanx

[aceinc]

Peter,

One thing to take into consideration with a 3 way is the cost of the crossover. The cost of the inductors and capacitors for a low crossover point is noticeably more than the components for the higher crossover in a 2-way, and you need the higher crossover components as well. You can end up paying more for the crossover than for the drivers.

One way around it is to find drivers that works well from 80hz-7,000hz, and do a two-way that crosses at 3,500 with a subwoofer.

Life is a compromise, so the next time someone tells you to get a life, tell them "No thanks, speaker building has too many compromises already."

Paul

[sreten]

Hi,

For 1) the general answer is no. 2 good drivers are best.

(Also add a pair of small good sealed 2 ways + subwoofer is really 3 way)

For 2) its generally a question of box size. TLs need big boxes
for the driver size. Typically box size sealed = x2 vented, x4 TLs.

/sreten.

[Willitwork]

Like aceinc says crossover parts would be expensive and they'd be a lot more of them because a midrange driver requires two crossover points, high-pass and low-pass. Decent 3-way speakers are notoriously challenging to design and as a result they are very pricey, I don't think I've ever heard of an audiophile quality 3-way selling for under $3,000. Thanks to the arrival on the market of high-quality yet relatively affordable drivers such as Hi-Vi (Totem uses those) you could probably find appropriate drivers for a good 3-way speakers for about twice your budget but even then you'd still have to build crossovers and cabinets of sufficient quality to suit your need so the total investment would likely fall into the $800 - $1000 range.

[planet10]

Originally posted by sreten
[For 1) the general answer is no. 2 good drivers are best.

And 1 better speaker can trump that (and if you find the need, more bottom & more top can be added as budget allows...)

dave