two way v. three way speakers

More drivers are used to accomplish three things (if/when needed):

1) cover the full range of sound that can be heard
2) enable speaker to go louder with less breakup/distortion
3) provide wider dispersion of sound so speakers sound good from a larger set of listening locations rather than a small sweet spot in front.

Having said that, getting drivers to mesh properly for good sound is not easy and seldom perfect.

Most would consider the ideal speaker (which does not exist) to use a single driver to cover all frequencies and have the ability to go louder and clearer than the others and disperse sound more or less evenly in all directions.

Of course, # drivers is just one ingredient for good sound. The overall design and build quality counts. That's how a speaker like Magico works its "Magic".

It takes a lot of cone surface to move a lot of air needed for lower frequency sound. It also depends on the design of the speaker and crossover. Ported? Sealed? 2 way? 3 way? 4 way?

In general, a 3 way design will go lower in the bass region than a 2 way design. Of course there are exceptions to every rule. Many love the simplicity and coherence of a simple two way design though.

There is a lot more to speaker design than simply choosing how many drivers to use. The crossover design is very important, choosing frequencies and slopes, as is the design of the cabinet itself. Of course room and amplifier interaction with the speakers are critical too. There are many variables that go into developing great sound.

Remember too that what you heard that was "amazing" was not the magico speakers alone. You heard the synergy of the source, the CD/DAC or cartridge/tonearm/table, the preamp, the amp, the cables and the room. All are variables and each contribute. What you heard was a system in a specific room that might be different and less amazing in another room... or less amazing (or more amazing) based upon changing the electronics.

The point... the magico speakers you heard could sound wildly less amazing in a different setting (or better). Regarding the question of 2-way vs. 3-way... get the two speakers into your own setting in your own home in a common system and compare the two side-by-side. Any generic comparison between two speakers is not very meaningful and comparison between two types of speakers (2-way vs. 3-way) is even less meaningful.

My opinion is that if you like the way a speaker sounds you will most likely enjoy it in almost every setting, but the amplification makes a huge difference. I have been more impressed with a pair of Focal 807v speakers powered by a Pathos amplifier than my Focal 836v speakers that are the flagship of the series using my Integra receiver. Apples and oranges, but it did open my ears to how much of a part the amplifier has. I have heard the same speakers using identical amplifiers and the 836v was far superior all other things being equal.

Great responses. Thank you all.