2 way, which are the best designs?

Unfortunately hard to find on the other side of the lake. Like many others.

x2 on the Wavetouch Audio Antero (and Grand Tetons) being the best stand mount monitors youve heard...  but... with the Proac RD2’s, ATC’s, Gamut’s, Legacy Audio’s being close, but at much higher prices.

Kenjit, the later version have several voicing settings, mine have two. Flat and Nice. According to Thomas there’s about 0.5db difference. Actually, i tried now and perhaps i like the "Nice" better when using Nuprime Evo dac. With my Wadia 381 flat were very good.
Oh, i guess you hate top of the line Focal speakers?
A Swedish custom loudspeaker builder measured a few Focal speakers and they were not linear.

Pay Kenjit no mind, he's only here to lay his troll turds. 

rird, I run a simple sytem with Sonos Connect toslink to Martin Logan Unison (for ARC) toslink to Anti-mode 2.0 (for digital eq.) toslink to REM ADI-2 dac and finally xlr to Quested V3110/ATC 150 ASL. The RME will soon replace the Anti-mode for eq. A Trinnov would replace the whole package Unison/Anti-mode/RME.

You probably had me to find a PMC IB2S or SE soon :-)

Maybe something offering a quite different soundstage would interest you, like a MBL or other omni directional speaker.

Oh, i guess you hate top of the line Focal speakers?

i heard the diablo. Are they top line? It wasnt very good. Just like most high end speakers ive heard. Not surprising since theyre not custom tuned to your ears are they? 0.5db is a joke

Kenjit, the later version have several voicing settings, mine have two. Flat and Nice. According to Thomas there’s about 0.5db difference. Actually, i tried now and perhaps i like the "Nice" better when using Nuprime Evo dac. With my Wadia 381 flat were very good.
Oh, i guess you hate top of the line Focal speakers?
A Swedish custom loudspeaker builder measured a few Focal speakers and they were not linear.

Kenjit, studio mid-field monitors at this level sounds incredibly good if they are mated with a fine source. That's what we want. We don't listen to crappy Motley Cru recordings on them. For that we have Gamut speakers.

Kenjit, if you think MM 27 are harsh, i wonder if you've heard the latest gen 2 and not gen 1?

The barefoots are not designed for pleasing sound. They are designed to sound bad. Thats what the studio engineers want and thats what studio monitors deliver. 

Gosta, i think the IB 2S is a superb speaker. You'll for sure adore the fast punchy bass. It's no boom but full of detail. Actually, in an A/B, they would hammer my MM 27. Overall it's probably a better speaker.
Ofcourse, i drove these with Krell FPB 600c, Plinius SA-102, Classe CP 47.5 pre and Krell FBP 25SC. Stand alone cdp was Meridian 588.
I sold the Krell combo and bought FPB 700C, KCT and KPS 28c.
The cdp was not to my liking. I should have had my Wadia instead in this combination. I sold all my hifi and went clean for a few years. I was tired of the sickness. Never ending quest and it went too far.
When i began again i bought Monitor Audio PL 300, Jeff Rowland Continum 500 and Wadia 381. I couldn't stand the tweeter of PL 300. It was simply to much focus on this region.
I felt a need to go as minimal as possible to avoid hifi hysteria.
So i bought MM 27 and used it with my Wadia.
But again, PMC's best speakers are IB 2S and MB 2. But MB 2 demands a room of size. MM 27 is easier as it allows a more near field. I think with PMC's, you should have 3 meter.

What can I say. Would be great to listen to these. Quested I think would bring you the british voicing compared to Barefoot’s american. A very fine combo. Quested has a very fine 10" Volt woofer driven directly by 700 watts. That gives some power...

For "cheep" money you could buy the ATC 19. A little more "home" voiced compared to the 20. No brand will give you the same quality drivers for less money. Far from. Compared to ordinary high quality speakers they present the music without any "curtains". Too clear for many audiophiles of the old school it seems. And they can play loud.

Mucho interested in your opinions regarding the PMC because I have for a rather long time been looking to add some pro PMC to my collection. What is your thoughts on the transmission line bass? Did you have an active or passive version?

Kenjit, if you think MM 27 are harsh, i wonder if you've heard the latest gen 2 and not gen 1?
No way gen 1 is too harsh. If you think so i don't know, but you simply must hate all hifi speakers and if so, why aren't you hanging at a DIY forum? 
I don't say this to be rude, i've probably owned 10+ speakers.
I can't keep count on everything i've heard over the 27 years i've been around. 
I suggest you look up studio monitors, the big ones and listen a bit.
Perhaps you'd get a view of what the best of them sounds like.

I should also say, i don't say anything to be rude. That's just ridiculous.
I've never understood those seeking forums to be a rude idiot.
I am merely seeking interesting ideas and to have an open mind is always good. It doesn't mean we have to agree on what others like.
But learning others ideas and preferences is no heavy burden to bear.

I hope you find your nirvana in your own design!

Gosta, well, i have had PMC IB 2S and those i liked.
I got a good price for them, so i sold them.
But perhaps you're correct saying i'd better stick to a 3 way design.

Folks don't seem to bother to look what MM 27 really is.

For those that read this, it's 2*10´ bass drivers and 2*5´mid/bass drivers and 1´soft dome tweeter and they are monitors.

So anything smaller than an 8' driver is not going to happen.

I went with studio monitors simply because "hifi" is too expensive.
Had Barefoot been deemed home audio toys, the price had been way up.
I spoke to Tony Gee (acoustics) about a custom build speaker like MM 27.
He told me right away, it's impossible to build anyting like that for those money.

D2girls, i listened to K2 9800 i think they were named.
I liked those, but to big in my room. Part from that, i could never afford those.

OP, if you’re used to an active 3-way there’s no way back :-) Standmounted 3-ways are for me the most interesting speakers today.
Try the ATC 50, 100 or 110, Quested v3110, PMC IB2i, IB2SE, Kii 3, Dutch & Dutch, Sp Acoustics, Geithain or similar. Quested being a little (100 pounds!) favourite for me..
If you still want a 2-way you have the active ATC20 and the Quested v2108. Any 2-way passive or active will naturally need subs if you'd like to feel the bass.

'Best 2way'...hmmm....MHO, mine.  No boxes, either....

But I'm hopelessly biased....*G*

There is a saying "If you owe me $100 dollars, it's your problem.  If you owe me $100K dollars, it's my problem".

If you argue with Kenjit, I wonder whose problem that is :-)

Its true though. Anybody could have tapped the egg and stood it up. Same with building speakers. In fact Im not even suggesting you get out a saw and start sawing. You just get a cabinet maker to do it. Which is probably the same thing some speaker companies do. 
Even the cabinet size is done on a computer simulation. Same with crossovers. Its not rocket science. Its just laziness that prevents people. 

dweller +1

Love ATC active.  

http://atcloudspeakers.co.uk/professional/loudspeakers/scm20asl-pro/

When Christopher Columbus returned from the new world, he was honored at a Royal dinner. Some of the "ignorant/arrogant" people in attendance felt his accomplishment was not so great. "All you did is sail West until you hit land, and then sailed East until you returned home. No great accomplishment, I could have done that..."

(Does that ignorant/arrogant voice remind anyone of someone?)

So, Columbus requested a boiled egg to be brought to the table.

He handed the egg to the people at the dinner and asked them to stand it on its end. The egg went around the table and no one could do it.

When the egg returned to Columbus, he gently tapped the tip of the egg on the surface of the table, cracking the shell ever so slightly.

He stood the egg up on its end.

Well, there was an uproar of course. The ignorant/arrogant ones in attendance exclaimed "Well, I could have done that!"

Columbus replied "Yes, but I did it..."

@rird 

nobody here knows your MM27. They are very harsh speakers. 

Gosta, no they’re not. But i don’t get what that has to do with my question?
I’ve actually never used a 2 way design.
Lately I’ve been curious to listen more closely to a few. The mentioned ones above are rather small compaired to MM 27. Hm, forgot. I had a small PMC monitor 2 years. But it was hardly full range. If I would buy a set now, they have to better MM 27

My Focal Sopra 1’s are the best two way speakers I have heard in my system.  Still have them and probably always will.

OP, your Micromain is certainly not a 2-way.

Joseph Audio Pulsars.

Alta Audio Celeste.  At a different price point than the Fritz (which is very good).  No mention of Watkins?

I've never heard, but have read great reviews on these cheap drivers in a crappy box made by Buchardt, the S400's 
Interesting test with very high end gear on this youtube video.You may have to fast forward in some places as some of the music has been remove for copyright reasons

Watch "Buchardt S400 test run and review." on YouTube
https://youtu.be/4RTekjijV2I

Check out the review of the Proac D2R in this month's Stereophile.

+1 on ignoring trolls and attention mavens

For something different,  Selah Audio Tempesta, a three way monitor speaker . This speaker is very well designed, wonderful sounding and will work with any number of amps. The Tempesta is now a MK2 version. ...I had the original MK1 and have not heard the updated  version. ...just for full disclosure.  

As always, Magneplanars, of course.

Cheers!

These are 2 I am not familiar with, BUT, they are highly praised


GR Research (but I think you have to buy precut wood assemble, and finish yourself

LAS (exclusive to Emerald Physics) 10 Signatures

hth

Boston Lynnfield 300L.

I can definitely recommend the Magico S1MKII. As good as the A1 is the S1MKII are even better. I picked them instead of the A3. The mid range and highs are incredible. There is something about the coherence of a great 2 way. Plus you can always add a sub to fill out the bass. 

Check out Bob Crites "Cornscala D" speakers.

https://critesspeakers.com/crites-speaker-style-d.html

Maybe not allow the troll to derail the thread.

Not the epitome but always liked the Focal Diablo.

 Physical limits on driver size and dispersion that are difficult to fully overcome forcing drivers in a 2 way to be overly wide range while having less than ideal dispersion. 

Jbl 4367

Bob Gross of Speaker Art had a knack for designing spectacular 2 ways.

Buchardt S400 for value.
Alta Celesta:FRM-2 for full range minis.

I auditioned these! Stunning to my ears!
Buchardt speakers s400

@Mapman
+1. I heard them at Axpona 2019 and was very impressed, even without taking price into consideration.

@bdp24
+1

Here Kenjit, maybe this will help to start:

https://www.cnet.com/news/the-art-of-speaker-design-explained-by-a-master/

To seek enlightenment, you should first stop trolling "useless" threads.

+1

^^^ Says the King of pointless threads.

Threads like this are pointless. Nobody knows what the best is so they just state their favorite speaker and in the end you end up with pretty much every speaker being listed.

@kenjit
Tell me, which speaker is NOT some  drivers in cheap mdf boxes?There are millions od drivers to choose.

"Anybody could do that"
May be? Yes, but very very few can make into Market in that Very few will be appreciated by Audiophiles.

Why does anyone give time and energy to ranters? Just ignore them. They Feed off your emotions like vampires. Don’t justify or sustain their existence :) Just Sayin. There Are some good suggestions above...let’s do our research...much more fun.

I'll say another good word about Ascend Acoustics Sierra-2.  I don't have the EX version, but they're very, very good; the highs are wonderful.
But I'll also say (repeating) that the WaveTouch Audio Antero is the best-sounding stand-mount speaker I've ever heard.