Quote Originally Posted by BillyB
What is your opinion about speaker choices under $3000.Do you agree that you get better quality sound out of a high end 2-way than a bigger 3-way with more drivers.I'm not a huge bass fan so the dropoff in bass with smaller speakers doesn't phase me.I know this isn't a simple question but I'd like to get your opinion.Thanks
Yes and no.

A lot depends on the ability of the designer and where it is manufactured. Common sense dictates that higher quality parts are better than lesser quality, therefore it's easy to buy into the argument that less is actually more in the 2 way vs. 3 way debate. However, I'm sure we can both note a few occasions whereas a talented designer has taken mediocre parts and produced magic. In addition, what happens when the parts are made in low-cost areas such as China? I know most "audiophiles" love to turn their noses up at anything from a supposed third world country, but I assure you that a lot of audio products coming from the Far East easily surpass the quality of those from either the "Old World" (or "New World") for that matter. The bottom line is that there are simply too many variables involved to make such a blanket statement, IMO.

To me, the biggest challenge once you venture beyond the realm of 2 ways is the crossover design. Naturally, the more drivers you have, the more ways you have to split the signal (unless you're Reference 3A, which doesn't use crossovers). In a world that considers off-the-shelf transducers from Peerless, Scanspeak, Dynaudio, or Focal as the norm instead of the exception, it's often the talent of the designer and their crossover design that separates the wheat from the chaff.

As for your question regarding what is the best $3K speaker? The honest answer is that I have no idea. I can say that if I were looking for speakers in the $3-4K range, I would want it all. This means I want a speaker that is full range and I really don't care how it does it, whether 2 way, 3 way, ribbon, radialstrahler...whatever. I have a hard time outlaying that kind of coin and ending up with a rig that requires an additional sub out of neccesity. Uhh...no thanks, I'll take the zero.

Some of the speakers that I have heard and will consider when I build my next rig are the Gallo Ref 3, Von Schweikert VR4 and VR4jr, Maggie 3.6, and JML Electra. Right now, the VR4jr's would probably be my first choice although I haven't heard the Ref3 with the plate amp, which I understand makes a profound difference. I would also want to audition speakers from Usher, Tyler Acoustics, Dali, EFE Technologies and AN just off the top of my head. Speakers that aren't my cup 'o tea but you should consider are Vandersteen, Sonus Faber, Vienna Acoustics, and Dynaudio. BTW, if you like ProAc, you'd likely enjoy Spendor, Harbeth, and maybe Reference 3A as well.

The key is to not get too wrapped up in the design and instead consider the speaker as a whole. After all, we don't listen to the individual transducers. We listen to the entire speaker, right? As long as your toes are tappin', who cares how they go about it?

Hope this helps.