eCoustics published a long-term review this week from someone who bought the Triangle Borea BR03 in 2020 and has now lived with the Borea BR04 beside it. The speaker the BR03 replaced in their living room was an ELAC Debut 2.0 B6.2. That caught my eye. After its little brother, the Borea BR02, the ELAC is the speaker our readers compare with the BR03 most often.
The Triangle Borea BR03 (left) and BR04 (right), scaled by height. The BR04 is 45 mm taller and swaps two small ports for one big one.
The BR03 is in the top quarter of every speaker on this site by comparisons. So the question the review asks is one a lot of people here are already asking: is the BR04 an upgrade, or just a bigger BR03? I went to Triangle's own product pages for the numbers.
Quick facts
- On Triangle's US store the BR03 is 599 dollars a pair and the BR04 is 649. That is 50 dollars, or 8 percent.
- The BR04 reaches 44 Hz against 46 Hz. Sensitivity is 90 dB on both.
- The BR04 adds bi-wiring, a lower crossover and one large port instead of two small ones.
- Its cabinet is 19 percent bigger: 45 mm taller, 14 mm wider, the same depth.
- The BR04 launched at 559 dollars in February 2025. It has gone up 90 dollars since.
What actually changed
Triangle says it built the BR04 to "push the limits of the famous BR03". It is the same recipe: a 25 mm silk dome tweeter in a waveguide, and a 16 cm woofer with a cellulose pulp cone. What moved is the box, the port and the crossover.
| Spec | Borea BR03 | Borea BR04 |
|---|
| Price, US, pair | 599 dollars | 649 dollars |
| Bass, +/- 3 dB | 46 Hz | 44 Hz |
| Sensitivity | 90 dB | 90 dB |
| Impedance, nominal / minimum | 8 / 4.2 ohms | 8 / 4.6 ohms |
| Crossover | 3,600 Hz | 3,200 Hz |
| Power handling | 100 W | 110 W |
| Recommended amplifier | 25 to 130 W | 25 to 130 W |
| Binding posts | Single | Double, bi-wire and bi-amp |
| Port | Two round front vents | One tubular front vent |
| Size, H x W x D | 380 x 206 x 314 mm | 425 x 220 x 314 mm |
| Weight, each | 7.4 kg | 8.6 kg |
| Room size, Triangle's guide | 10 to 35 m2 | 10 to 40 m2 |
The Borea BR04 in Oak Green, one of six finishes. 649 dollars a pair on Triangle's US store.
Worked out from those dimensions, the BR03 cabinet is about 24,580 cm3 and the BR04 about 29,360 cm3. That is 19 percent more box, and in bass reflex speakers more box usually means lower bass. Here it means 2 Hz.
Size, drawn to scale
Both speakers and both views share one scale, so everything here is directly comparable. Hover a box for its dimensions.
One scale for both, standing on the same surface and pushed back to the same wall, so the deeper one visibly sticks out further.
Near-identical footprints. Triangle Borea BR04 is 45mm taller.
| FEATURE and SPECS COMPARISON | |  |  |
| Model | Triangle Borea BR03 | Triangle Borea BR04 |
| Speaker Type | Passive Bookshelf | Passive Bookshelf |
| Enclosure Type | Ported | Ported |
| Driver Setup | 2-way | 2-way |
| Tweeter | 1" Tweeter | 1" Dome Tweeter |
| Woofer | 1 x 6" Paper Cone Woofer | 1 x 6" Paper Cone Woofer |
| Frequency Range / Low | 46Hz | 44Hz |
| Frequency Range / High | 22kHz | 22kHz |
| Impedance Nominal | 8Ω | 8Ω |
| Impedance Minimum | 4.2Ω | 4.6Ω |
| Sensitivity | 90dB | 90dB |
| Max Power (RMS) | 100w | 110w |
| Crossover Frequency | 3600Hz | 3200Hz |
| Port Position | front | front |
| Available Colors | Light Oak, Walnut, Black Ash, White, Blue, Green | Oak Green,Chestnut,Blue,Black Ash,White,Light Oak |
| Grille | Yes | Yes |
| Height | 380.0mm | 425.0mm |
| Width | 206.0mm | 220.0mm |
| Depth | 314.0mm | 314.0mm |
| Weight | 7.40kg | 8.64kg |
| MSRP(pair) | 599USD | 649USD |
| Check Current Price | Amazon | Amazon |
The price flipped, and our pages had it backwards until today
This is the part I did not expect. When the BR04 launched in February 2025, HiFi Trends reported it at 559 dollars a pair. That was cheaper than the speaker it was built to beat. Our post adding the BR04 that March used the same 559.
Today Triangle's US store sells the BR04 at 649, and so do ListenUp, House of Stereo and AudioVision SF. The BR03 is 599. So the BR04 went up 90 dollars, 16 percent, and it is now the dearer one.
Our review pages still said BR03 629 and BR04 559, so anyone comparing the two here was told the newer speaker was cheaper. Both rows are fixed. While I was in there, the BR03 page also listed a fiberglass woofer and a weight of 6.26 kg. Triangle says cellulose pulp and 7.4 kg, and the pages now match Triangle.
One warning if you shop around. Triangle runs a separate European store at trianglehifi.com, and its prices look close to the US ones but are in euros. The BR03 is 499 there and the BR04 is 625. If you see those numbers quoted as dollars, that is where they came from.
Easy to drive, and that is rare among its rivals
Neither speaker changed here, and it is the best thing about both. At 90 dB they get loud on less power than most of what they are compared with. These are the other speakers our readers most often put next to the BR03:
Only the Klipsch is more sensitive. And of the rivals that publish a minimum impedance, none stays as high as either Triangle. The BR04's 4.6 ohms is a little kinder to a small amplifier than the BR03's 4.2, but both sit well inside the 25 to 130 watts Triangle recommends. If you want to check your own amplifier, our amplifier and speaker matcher does the maths.
The Borea BR03 in Black Ash. Triangle still sells it, now in six finishes too, at 599 dollars a pair.
Where the BR04 is hard to justify
50 dollars buys 2 Hz on paper. Same sensitivity, same tweeter, same recommended amplifier. The bigger box, the new port and the lower crossover may well sound better, and the eCoustics reviewer thinks they do. But nothing on the spec sheet is a big step.
It may not fit where a BR03 fits. 425 mm tall is 45 mm more than the BR03. On a bookshelf or in a TV unit with a fixed gap, that can be the whole decision. Depth is the same, so a stand is no problem.
Bi-wiring only matters if you use it. Double binding posts let you run two cable pairs or two amplifiers. Most people buying a 649 dollar speaker will use the jumpers it ships with, and then the feature does nothing.
The BR03 is not going anywhere yet. Triangle's US store lists it in six finishes, all in stock, including the new Blue and Green. So there is no clearance rush forcing the choice.
The BR04 from the front. The single tubular port replaces the BR03's two round vents.
If you want to see how the whole Borea bookshelf range lines up, our Borea size comparison puts the BR02, BR03 and BR04 side by side.
Triangle Borea BR04 Passive Bookshelf Speaker Key Specs
- 2-way Bass Reflex Design
- 1" Dome Tweeter
- 1 x 6" Paper Cone Woofer
- 44 - 22k Hz Frequency Response
- Crossover Frequency at 3200Hz
- 90 dB Sensitivity
- 8ohms Nominal Impedance
- Power Range: up to 110watts RMS
- Weight:19.00 lbs / 8.64 kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 16.7" x 8.7" x 12.3" / 425.0 x 220.0 x 314.0mm
- Read the Review
Questions answered
What is the difference between the Triangle Borea BR03 and BR04?
The BR04 has a 19 percent bigger cabinet, one tubular port instead of two round ones, a lower crossover at 3,200 Hz, and double binding posts for bi-wiring. Triangle rates it to 44 Hz against 46 Hz. Sensitivity is 90 dB on both, and both use a 25 mm silk dome tweeter and a 16 cm cellulose pulp woofer.
How much do the Borea BR03 and BR04 cost?
On Triangle's US store, the BR03 is 599 dollars a pair and the BR04 is 649 dollars a pair. The BR04 launched at 559 dollars in February 2025.
Is the Triangle Borea BR04 bigger than the BR03?
Yes. It is 425 mm tall and 220 mm wide, against 380 mm and 206 mm for the BR03. Both are 314 mm deep. Each BR04 weighs 8.6 kg, against 7.4 kg.
What amplifier do the Borea BR03 and BR04 need?
Triangle recommends 25 to 130 watts per channel into 8 ohms for both. At 90 dB sensitivity they are easier to drive than most bookshelf speakers at this price. The BR04's minimum impedance is 4.6 ohms and the BR03's is 4.2.
Has the Borea BR04 replaced the BR03?
No. Triangle built the BR04 to improve on the BR03, but it still sells both. The BR03 is listed in six finishes on Triangle's US store.
So, if both fit your space: would you pay the extra 50 dollars for the BR04's bigger box and bi-wiring, or put it towards a better amplifier for the BR03?
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