car audio help!

[BMW3]

what is the different between 2 way and 3 way speaker system? is the hk system in the 3 series 2 way or 3 way?

[kenc]

HK is 3-way.

[laziemofo]

whats the difference?

[BMW3]

i need some help setting up my headunit ... what number should i plug into the table for the cross over control in the 3 series? or do u need to be in the car listening to the music to adjust the crossover? thanks

[BMW3]

also what should i turn on to get the best sound? no one sits in the back ... i just want the front to sound good ... i have the stock hk system ... thanks

[kenc]

whats the difference?

3-way = using 3 sets of drivers (speakers) to reproduce sound
2-way = using 2 sets ...

3-way IN THEORY would sound better than 2-way, because each speaker has less frequency range to handle.

Here's an analogy. Think of a task you need to accomplish: You can either split the task into three subtasks, and assign 3 specialists to work on each one; or split the task into two subtasks and delicate the job to 2 specialists.

The first option would be better (at least in theory) because you can split up the task more precisely and have an expert working on each. However, what happens if the 3 "specialists" aren't really effective in what they're supposed to do? Perhaps splitting the same task into just 2 subtasks and delicating it to 2 more knowledgable specialists may be more effective.

So, 3-way does not necessarily mean better sound than 2-way. It depends on a lot of variables, such as quality of the drivers themselves, crossover, location of the drivers etc etc. A properly tuned 2-way system can easily outperform a poorly implemented 3-way system.

[laziemofo]

3-way = using 3 sets of drivers (speakers) to reproduce sound
2-way = using 2 sets ...

3-way IN THEORY would sound better than 2-way, because each speaker has less frequency range to handle.

Here's an analogy. Think of a task you need to accomplish: You can either split the task into three subtasks, and assign 3 specialists to work on each one; or split the task into two subtasks and delicate the job to 2 specialists.

The first option would be better (at least in theory) because you can split up the task more precisely and have an expert working on each. However, what happens if the 3 "specialists" aren't really effective in what they're supposed to do? Perhaps splitting the same task into just 2 subtasks and delicating it to 2 more knowledgable specialists may be more effective.

So, 3-way does not necessarily mean better sound than 2-way. It depends on a lot of variables, such as quality of the drivers themselves, crossover, location of the drivers etc etc. A properly tuned 2-way system can easily outperform a poorly implemented 3-way system.
thanks kenc!