If this is your first time shopping for new speakers for your home theater or studio, chances are you will hear a few unfamiliar terms, such as 2 way. What does 2 way mean in speakers, anyway? How does it affect your choice of speakers?
What are 2 Way Speakers?
Two-way speakers are made up of two types of speakers, namely the tweeter and woofer. A woofer is the kind of speaker that helps produce bass sounds and low sounds, while a tweeter generates high-pitched sounds like treble. Tweeters and woofers are blended together to form a 2-way speaker.
Through the years, 2-way speakers have become easier on the pocket. The primary purpose of a full-range speaker is to produce most of the possible audible frequency range with just one driver. 2-way speakers, on the other hand, are better than their full-range counterparts because these combine mid-range frequencies with a tweeter for handling the higher frequencies and a mid-woofer for handling the bass.
Components of 2 Way Speakers
To have a better understanding of what 2 way means in speakers, it is important to know the different parts of 2-way speaker sound systems. As stated earlier, 2-way speakers consist of a tweeter and a woofer.
Tweeter
A tweeter is a driver that can produce high-pitched sounds like treble. Signals are sent to the tweeter by placing a dome made of metal, plastic, or cloth in front of a magnet and a small voice coil.
Woofer
A woofer is another driver that can produce low sounds and mid frequencies in an enclosure. There are instances when you will find a magnet that is in charge of sending the signals to the other driver, the woofer.
Categories of 2 Way Speakers
Two-way speakers have three broad categories, namely high-frequency, mid-range, and full-range drivers.
High-Frequency Drivers
High-frequency drivers are speakers with the ability to handle higher frequencies like treble as well as pick up instruments like snares and cymbals. These drivers cannot play bass frequencies, and this is why you need to combine them with another wooer that can only handle low-frequency sounds.
Full Range Drivers
Full-range drivers are speakers that can cover the whole audio spectrum. These include midrange drivers, woofers, and subwoofers. However, they cannot simultaneously play high frequencies and low frequencies or bass together. These should be separated into two distinct drivers, the tweeter and woofer.
Mid-Range Drivers
As the name suggests, mid-range drivers are speakers that cover midrange frequencies. These cannot play treble or bass but can handle midrange frequencies like instruments and vocals.
What are the Different Types of Materials Used to Make 2 Way Speakers?
Speakers are produced using different types of materials such as titanium, aluminum, silk, and paper. Every material has its own set of pros and cons, so each is used according to its strengths. The most common material used is aluminum because it is strong yet lightweight, making it an ideal choice for tweeters. Paper, on the other hand, is most suitable for woofers.
Common Uses of 2 Way Speakers
Just like other types of speakers out there, 2-way variants also have specific uses and applications.
Uses of Tweeter
Since tweeters are the type of speakers that handle high frequencies, these are best suited if you want to listen to songs with high-pitched sounds like pop, jazz, and classical.
Uses of Woofer
Woofers are speakers that produce the bass sounds. This means that you can use a woofer when listening to songs with heavy bass like R&B, dubstep, and hip hop.
Advantages of 2 Way Speakers
Using 2-way speakers is a sensible decision because of the advantages they offer, such as the following:
Easy Usage and Maintenance
One of the most common reasons why a lot of people prefer using 2-way speakers is because they are easy to use. These speakers feature simple controls that let you easily and quickly switch between different frequencies as needed, making them an ideal choice for everyday use.
Smaller Speaker Size
Thanks to their smaller size, installing 2-way speakers is also easier even in tight spaces. These speakers look perfect in cars and smaller houses with limited space. These speakers have also been designed to be significantly more lightweight than usual, allowing you to move them around easily or replace them when damaged.
Easier and Cheaper to Make
Although 2-way speakers may sound like they are complex systems, these are actually easier and cheaper to build than other systems. Despite having two drivers rather than the normal three or more, this doesn’t mean that they cannot handle low frequencies, something that many 3-way speakers cannot do at all.
High-Quality Components
Two-way speakers use high-quality components and crossover to guarantee accurate and smooth sounds. It makes the system so much better in terms of the quality of output compared to other similar sound systems.
A crossover is used to split the audible frequency range among the various speakers. The best crossover setup can contribute to improving your speaker’s overall sound quality.
Better Quality of Sounds
2-way speakers can also provide the cleanest and clearest superior quality of sounds possible. it is because they help distance every speaker to a particular frequency range that lets them produce better output quality with less distortion. The narrow dispersion pattern of 2-way speakers also produces tightly controlled coverage areas with no issues whatsoever.
Disadvantages of 2 Way Speakers
As expected, 2-way speakers are far from being perfect, which means that they also have a few drawbacks, including the following:
Inability to Handle Loud Noises
The small size of 2-way speakers makes it hard for them to handle loud noises. Since low-frequency sounds are relatively lower than that of pitched high-frequency sounds, it might be difficult for 2-way speakers to give you accurate output most of the time.
Only a Small Frequency Range Can be Handled
Even though 2-way speakers are quite versatile, these can handle a rather limited range of frequencies. It means that you cannot enjoy some songs due to the low bass or high pitches that might not come through correctly.
Now that you know what 2 way means in speakers, you can decide whether this option is suitable for you or not.