ATC SCM20PSLT vs GoldenEar Triton Five Comparison

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ATC SCM20PSLT

Passive Floor-standing | 55-25k Hz

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GoldenEar Triton Five

Passive Floor-standing | 26-35k Hz

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ATC SCM20PSLT

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GoldenEar Triton Fiv...

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ATC SCM20PSLT

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GoldenEar Triton Fiv...

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ATC SCM20PSLT vs GoldenEar Triton Five Speaker Comparison

In this review, we will be comparing SCM20PSLT and Triton Five, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from ATC and GoldenEar.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of ATC SCM20PSLT and GoldenEar Triton Five first before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Key Specs	ATC SCM20PSLT	GoldenEar Triton Five
Design	2-way	2-way
Tweeter	—	Folded Ribbon
Woofer	—	2 x 6" Polypropylene
Frequency response	55-25k Hz	26-35k Hz
Sensitivity	85 dB	90 dB
Impedance	—	8 ohms
Power range	75W-300W watts	15-400 watts
Weight	—	18.18kg / 40lbs
Dimensions (H x W x D)	—	44-1/2" x 11-1/16" x 16-9/16" 1131.0 x 281.0 x 421.0mm

What size room are the ATC SCM20PSLT and GoldenEar Triton Five speakers good for?

The size of the room in which you are planning to use these loudspeakers is an important decision factor. Here we have compared their suitability to various sizes of environments considering their size and max power parameters:

Listening Environment*	ATC SCM20PSLT	GoldenEar Triton Five
Near-field	Poor	Are you nuts?
Small Room	Average	Poor
Mid-size Room	Good	Average
Large Room	Average	Good
Very Large Room	Poor	Good

(* Approximate Room sizes: Small < 100sq. ft / 9 m², Mid-size: 100-220 sq. ft / 9-20 m², Large 220-400 sq. ft / 20-36 m², Very Large: > 400 sq. ft / 36 m². Average Floor Height: 9" / 2.7m. Typical room sizes differ from country to country, and the actual listening experience changes depending on floor height, room shape, surface materials, listening position, speaker locations, etc.)

The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.

**This post contains affiliate links, and we will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through our links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Drivers

Both SCM20PSLT and Triton Five are 2-way speakers.

Driver	ATC SCM20PSLT	GoldenEar Triton Five
Driver Setup	2-way	2-way
Tweeter	-inch	-inch
Midrange	-	-
Woofer	1 x -inch	2 x 6-inch

SCM20PSLT features a " Tweeter and 1 x " Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2.2kHz. On the other hand, the Triton Five features a " Folded Ribbon Tweeter and 2 x 6" Polypropylene Woofer.

Frequency Response

SCM20PSLT has a frequency range of 55-25k Hz whereas Triton Five has a frequency range of 26-35k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 26Hz, the Triton Five can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the SCM20PSLT's min frequency of 55Hz.

The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.

Low Frequency

Floor-standing Speakers

SCM20PSLT

Triton Five

Min

Average

Median

Neither pair reaches down to 20Hz, the usual definition of full-range, which is normal for speakers of this size. If you want the bottom octave for movies or bass-heavy music, add a subwoofer to whichever you choose. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.

Impedance and Sensitivity

SCM20PSLT is a ohms speaker compared to the Triton Five which has a nominal impedance of 8 ohms.

These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. SCM20PSLT sensitivity is rated at 85 dB and the Triton Five's is rated at 90 dB. This 5 dB difference makes the GoldenEar Triton Five a more sensitive speaker compared to ATC SCM20PSLT, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.

Sensitivity

Floor-standing Speakers

SCM20PSLT

Triton Five

Min

Average

Median

Power Range

Power range is the range of input power in watts RMS that a loudspeaker is designed to handle. Staying within that range gives nominal performance; driving the speaker beyond its maximum wattage can damage it.

Triton Five can handle a max power of 400 watts RMS, whereas SCM20PSLT has a max power handling value of watts RMS, 400 watts less than the Triton Five.

Note that higher power handling does not make a speaker louder: that depends mainly on sensitivity and impedance. The calculator below shows how loud each of these actually plays on a real amplifier.

Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring

SCM20PSLT features 5-way Post type posts and Triton Five has a 5-way Post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.

Physical Specs

The size of a speaker can sometimes be an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare ATC SCM20PSLT's and GoldenEar Triton Five's external dimensions. ATC SCM20PSLT has external dimensions of () whereas GoldenEar Triton Five has external dimensions of 1131.0 x 281.0 x 421.0mm (44-1/2 x 11-1/16 x 16-9/16inch).

GoldenEar Triton Five is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 281mm wider, 1131mm taller and 421mm deeper than ATC SCM20PSLT.

What's in the Box of GoldenEar Triton Five?

Here are the items that come with the Triton Five:

Floorstanding loudspeaker
4 Rubber feet (pre-installed)
4 Spikes
4 Locking nuts
Owners Manual

Reasons to choose ATC SCM20PSLT over GoldenEar Triton Five

Height	0mm vs 1131mm	Easier to fit in smaller spaces
Base Surface Area	0cm² vs 1183cm²	Takes less floor space

Reasons to choose GoldenEar Triton Five over ATC SCM20PSLT

Sensitivity	90 dB vs 85 dB	Play louder with same amount of amplification power
Woofer Size	6 inches vs inches	Larger woofer
Number of Woofers	2 vs 1	More woofers
Low Frequency Response	26 Hz vs 55 Hz	Generates deeper bass
High Frequency Response	35k Hz vs 25k Hz	Generates higher frequency
Passive Radiator	four 8-inch infrasonic planar sub-bass vs None	Increases the bass performance
Price per pair*	2398USD vs 7999USD	costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time)

ATC SCM20PSLT vs GoldenEar Triton Five Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	ATC SCM20PSLT	GoldenEar Triton Five
Brand	ATC	GoldenEar
Speaker Type	Floor-standing speaker	Floor-standing speaker
Power Range	75W-300W watts	15-400 watts
Sensitivity	85 dB	90 dB
Impedance	n/a	8 ohms
Frequency Response	55-25k Hz	26-35k Hz
Drivers
Woofer Quantity	1	2
Woofer Size	"	6"
Woofer Composition		Polypropylene
Woofer Surround Material	n/a	Rubber
Tweeter Size	-	-
Tweeter Type	n/a	Folded Ribbon
Aimable Tweeter	No	No
Midrange Driver	No	No
Crossover Frequency	2.2kHz	n/a
Firing Direction	n/a	rear
Physical Specs
Height	mm (0")	1131.0mm (44.5")
Width	mm (0")	281.0mm (11.1")
Depth	mm (0")	421.0mm (16.6")
Weight	n/a	18.18kg (40lbs)
Enclosure	Sealed	Passive Radiator
Finish	n/a	MDF/Lacquer
Available Colors	n/a	Gloss Black
Grille	Yes	n/a
Moisture Resistancy	No	No
Connections
Biamp Inputs	n/a	No
Other
Parts Warranty		5 Years
Labor Warranty		5 Years

Verdict

These sit in different price classes - ATC SCM20PSLT costs roughly 3.3x what GoldenEar Triton Five does. Expect it to lead on paper; the question is whether the gap is audible enough in your room to be worth it.

Area	Better	Why
Bass	B	GoldenEar Triton Five digs deeper - 26Hz against 55Hz.
Amplifier needs	B	GoldenEar Triton Five is more sensitive (90dB vs 85dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier.
Cabinet	depends	Sealed vs Passive Radiator. Sealed is tighter and happier near a wall; ported digs lower but wants space behind it.
Price	B	GoldenEar Triton Five is cheaper - $2,398 against $7,999, about 70% less; arguably a different class.

A ATC SCM20PSLT B GoldenEar Triton Five
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, placement or how you will use them. Only specs published for both speakers are judged; anything missing on either side is left out rather than guessed.

Which should you choose?

GoldenEar Triton Five is the easier recommendation: it leads on most of the measured areas and costs less. Take ATC SCM20PSLT if its size, looks or fit in your room suit you better. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 55Hz anyway, so judge these on the other rows instead. Match it to your room: we rate ATC SCM20PSLT the better fit for a small room and a mid-size room, and GoldenEar Triton Five for a large room and a very large room.

And remember what a spec sheet cannot show: how each looks in your room and whether the finish suits it, what dealer support and warranty are like where you live, and how they actually sound to you. If you can hear them first - ideally with your own music - that will tell you more than any number above.