? 2 Way Vs 3 Way Car Speakers | 5 Major Difference

Automotive By Alice / December, 22, 2024

Without music life is boring, whether we are feeling low, feeling high, depressed, etc in all moods, music acts like medication for us, likewise listening to music while traveling is also a mood soothing therapy.

We can not imagine traveling without playing music in our cars, it really sounds boring. But there might be a question in your mind before you go to purchase speakers: which type of speaker should I purchase?. Really a tough question it is, as your all experience of travel indirectly depends on it, so good quality of sound is very important.

2-Way Vs 3-Way Car Speakers

5 Major Difference You Need To Know First

You might wonder which type of speakers, 2-way, or 3-way? Will be more perfect for you.

To answer this question we are here with the perfect guide for you-

So before going into details we first need to know about the main components of a speaker which makes the real difference between the 2 way and 3-way speakers:

  • Tweeter
  • Woofer
  • Midrange
  • crossovers

Tweeter, woofer, and midrange these all are different types of drivers of a speaker, and work of a driver is to convert the electrical signals into the physical vibrations by moving a diaphragm or flexible cone back and forth to produce sound, while on the other hand, a crossover is also an essential component whose function you can read below in detail.

Kenwood KFC-1696PS 6.5 Inch 2 Way Car Speakers with 320 Watts Peak Power (Pair)
Kenwood KFC-1696PS 6.5 Inch 2 Way Car Speakers with 320 Watts Peak Power (Pair)
6.5 2-way speaker pair can be installed in a variety of vehicles; Fitted with a polypropylene woofer cone with rubber surround
$76.95
JBL CLUB6520 6.5' 300W Club Series 2-Way Coaxial Car Speaker (1 Pair)
JBL CLUB6520 6.5" 300W Club Series 2-Way Coaxial Car Speaker (1 Pair)
High-sensitivity design; High quality product; Manufactured in Mexico
$45.95
Sale
Infinity Reference REF-3032CFX 3-1/2' 2-Way Car Speakers - Pair
Infinity Reference REF-3032CFX 3-1/2" 2-Way Car Speakers - Pair
Edge-driven textile tweeters for smooth, clear highs; Newly engineered baskets are optimized to fit most factory speaker locations
$89.95 −$44.00 $45.95
JBL Gt7-96 Gt7 Series 6'x9' 3-Way Car Speakers, Black
JBL Gt7-96 Gt7 Series 6"x9" 3-Way Car Speakers, Black
Power Handling: Peak: 420 watts per pair / 210 watts each; Power Handling: RMS: 140 watts per pair / 70 watts each
Sale
JBL GTO939 GTO Series 6x9' 300W 3 Way Black Car Coaxial Audio Speakers Stereo
JBL GTO939 GTO Series 6x9" 300W 3 Way Black Car Coaxial Audio Speakers Stereo
6 x 9-inch three-way loudspeaker pair.; Plus One woofer cone with rubber surround; Adjustable mylar-titanium tweeter and supertweeter with level...
$169.95 −$50.00 $119.95

Last update on 2022-01-05 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Tweeter

Tweeter is a speaker driver that produces frequencies of higher range, a tweeter driver is smaller in size than any other types of the drivers but produces the most high-frequency sounds while the other ones produce lower frequency sounds than a tweeter.

Woofer

Woofer is another type of speaker driver which works in the same way as a tweeter does but it is much larger in size than a tweeter and produces the low-frequency sounds, the size of a driver also depends on the frequency of sound it is producing like you can think that a larger component will produce fewer vibrations, and thus produces sounds of low frequency.

Midrange

As the name suggests it is a type of speaker driver that produces frequencies which are more than a woofer can produce and less than a tweeter can produce, its size also lies in the mid-range of a tweeter and a woofer.

Crossover

A crossover acts as an electronic filter that splits an audio signal into the different frequency ranges which helps in sending the correct types of frequency to the correct drivers for their processing to produce rich quality sound.

Now that you are familiar with the most important terms it will be very easy for you to understand the difference between the 2-way speakers and 3-way speakers and their working totally depends on these things only.

Sound Quality

So basically a 2-way speaker consists of 2 types of drivers mainly, which are tweeter and woofer and I guess you already know now what a tweeter and a woofer are, they do not contain any midrange driver for the frequencies whose range is between high and low distinctly while on the other hand, the 3-way speakers consist of all 3 types of drivers tweeter, woofer and also midrange to handle the mid frequencies distinctly.

Now by this, you can guess whose sound will be clearer and precise and if you think its 3-way speakers then you are definitely correct because a 3-way speaker will distinguish the different ranges of the frequencies more precisely as it has distinct components to handle 3 frequency ranges while a 2-way speaker just has two.

Now you will think that definitely a 3-way speaker would be better for you because of its distinct 3 components but wait there is a fun fact also that there are some more factors too that decide the quality of sound and having 3 drivers is just not enough for a speaker to suit well for you.

The factors which can affect the quality of sound in a speaker: 

  • Setup of crossovers: The correct setup of crossovers in a speaker also depicts its quality, so if the crossovers are not working properly then the sound will not split correctly into a different range of frequencies and thus will affect the quality of speakers, so choosing a speaker with exact setup of crossover is an advantage in itself.
  • The sound quality of a speaker also depends on its cabinet design and matching of their components with each other.
  • Lastly, the quality of the components of a speaker also affects the sound quality factor.

 A 2-way speaker can outperform a 3-way speaker in terms of sound quality if these other factors are well in it.

Kenwood KFC-1696PS 6.5 Inch 2 Way Car Speakers with 320 Watts Peak Power (Pair)
Kenwood KFC-1696PS 6.5 Inch 2 Way Car Speakers with 320 Watts Peak Power (Pair)
6.5 2-way speaker pair can be installed in a variety of vehicles; Fitted with a polypropylene woofer cone with rubber surround
$76.95
JBL CLUB6520 6.5' 300W Club Series 2-Way Coaxial Car Speaker (1 Pair)
JBL CLUB6520 6.5" 300W Club Series 2-Way Coaxial Car Speaker (1 Pair)
High-sensitivity design; High quality product; Manufactured in Mexico
$45.95
Sale
Infinity Reference REF-3032CFX 3-1/2' 2-Way Car Speakers - Pair
Infinity Reference REF-3032CFX 3-1/2" 2-Way Car Speakers - Pair
Edge-driven textile tweeters for smooth, clear highs; Newly engineered baskets are optimized to fit most factory speaker locations
$89.95 −$44.00 $45.95
JBL Gt7-96 Gt7 Series 6'x9' 3-Way Car Speakers, Black
JBL Gt7-96 Gt7 Series 6"x9" 3-Way Car Speakers, Black
Power Handling: Peak: 420 watts per pair / 210 watts each; Power Handling: RMS: 140 watts per pair / 70 watts each
Sale
JBL GTO939 GTO Series 6x9' 300W 3 Way Black Car Coaxial Audio Speakers Stereo
JBL GTO939 GTO Series 6x9" 300W 3 Way Black Car Coaxial Audio Speakers Stereo
6 x 9-inch three-way loudspeaker pair.; Plus One woofer cone with rubber surround; Adjustable mylar-titanium tweeter and supertweeter with level...
$169.95 −$50.00 $119.95

Last update on 2022-01-05 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

The Type of Music you Listen

The type of music you listen to is a very important factor that you should consider while making a choice between a 2 way and 3 way speaker.

If you are a type of person who loves listening to soothing music with less base then you must definitely go for 2-way speakers without any second thought as they produce a very balanced type of sound because the tweeter and woofers in them also balance each other’s sound, that you will love, and if you are a person who loves listening to rocking types of music with the high base then the 3-way speakers will be the best fit for you, also an advantage of having 3-way speaker is that you can control the frequency filters according to you.

Costing Factors

It is so obvious that a 3-way speaker is costlier than a 2-way speaker because it consists of more components and also has extra circuits and a better crossover.

But the cost is not a deciding factor for the speaker, purchase the one according to your requirement as it will be better for a good experience.

Speaker system of your car

If your car has a coaxial speaker system then there is not so much advantage of buying a 3-way speaker because you will not get all the benefit of it with a coaxial system, 2-way speakers will be the best fit for a coaxial system.

If your car has a component speaker system then you should definitely go for the 3 way speaker system as it will even improve your experience of music more, a 3-way system can even handle more power.

Ease of installation

Installing a 2-way speaker in a car is a very easy task, on the other hand, the installation of a 3-way system is much more complex.

What are some top 3-ways speakers?

These are some best 3-way speakers 
1. Kenwood, 3-Way Car Speakers.
2. Sony XS-GS1631C.
3. Planet Audio, TRQ413 Torque 3-Way Car Speakers.
4. BOSS, Audio 3-Way Car Speakers.
5. Pioneer, TSA1676R 3-Way Car Speakers.
6. Pyle, 3-Way Car Speaker.
7. JVC, CS-J6930 3-Way Series.
8. Kicker, D-Series 3-Way Car Audio Coaxial Speakers.
9. Crunch, CS65CXS Full Range 3-Way car speakers.
10. Rockford Fosgate Punch Coaxial Speakers.
11. JL Audio C5-653.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Is it worth it to purchase an expensive speaker?

Purchasing an expensive speaker is worth only when you are listening to extremely high-quality media, if you are buying an expensive speaker then first know its all functionalities properly otherwise you will be unable to take all of its benefits.

Q2. Where should I install a 3-way speaker for the best experience?

Do not install a 3-way speaker at the rear of your car otherwise, you will not be able to listen to the sound properly when you are sitting at the front, so it is a good idea to install them in the front for a better experience.