In this review, we will be comparing SCM40 and Triton Five, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from ATC and GoldenEar.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of ATC SCM40 and GoldenEar Triton Five first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | ATC SCM40 | GoldenEar Triton Five |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 0.98" | Folded Ribbon |
|---|
| Midrange | 2.95" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 6.46" | 2 x 6" Polypropylene |
|---|
| Frequency response | 48-22k Hz | 26-35k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 85 dB | 90 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 75 to 300 Watts watts | 15-400 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 31.00kg / 68.2lbs | 18.18kg / 40lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 38.58" x 14.57" x 12.01"
980.0 x 370.0 x 305.0mm | 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 SCM40 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 SCM40 |
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.
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through our links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that SCM40 is a 3-way design whereas the Triton Five is a 2-way speaker. 3-way designs utilize a midrange driver in addition to the tweeter and woofer on 2-way designs. Designing a crossover for a 3-way speaker is a complicated process and generally increases the overall cost of the speaker.
ATC SCM40GoldenEar Triton Five
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
ATC SCM40 |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
0.98-inch
|
-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 2.95-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 6.46-inch
|
2 x 6-inch
|
SCM40 features a 0.98" Tweeter, a 2.95" Midrange and 1 x 6.46" Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 380Hz & 3.5kHz. On the other hand, the Triton Five features a " Folded Ribbon Tweeter and 2 x 6" Polypropylene Woofer.
Frequency Response
SCM40 has a frequency range of 48-22k 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 SCM40's min frequency of 48Hz.
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
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
SCM40 and Triton Five have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. SCM40 sensitivity is rated at 85 dB and the Triton Five's is at 90 dB. This 5 dB difference makes the GoldenEar Triton Five a more sensitive speaker compared to ATC SCM40, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Floor-standing Speakers
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 SCM40 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.
Which plays louder on your amplifier?
Starting with a popular amplifier — change it to the one you own, or any you are
considering, and watch both numbers move.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
SCM40 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 SCM40's and GoldenEar Triton Five's external dimensions. ATC SCM40 has external dimensions of 980.0 x 370.0 x 305.0mm (38.58 x 14.57 x 12.01inch) 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).
ATC SCM40 is 151mm shorter and 116mm less deeper than GoldenEar Triton Five but it is also 89mm wider.
Base Surface Area Comparison
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited.
The base surface area of the ATC SCM40 is approximately 1128.5cm2 / 174.9inch2 and base area of the GoldenEar Triton Five is approximately 1183.0cm2 / 183.4inch2. The SCM40 requires 5% less surface area than the Triton Five which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.
Weight Comparison The weight of a loudspeaker can become an important factor if you need to move and reposition the unit often. Weight of a speaker can also "sometimes" be an indicator of the rigidity of the enclosure and the quality of the internal components used. The ATC SCM40 weighs 31.00kg / 68.2lbs and the GoldenEar Triton Five weighs 18.18kg / 40lbs. This makes the SCM40 71% heavier than the Triton Five.
Here is a comparison of how SCM40 and Triton Five's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Floor-standing class.
Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers
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
 Driver Setup |
3-way
vs
2-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 Woofer Size |
6.46 inches
vs
6 inches
|
Larger woofer |
 Height |
980mm
vs
1131mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
1128cm2
vs
1183cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Sensitivity |
90 dB
vs
85 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
|
Number of Woofers |
2
vs
1
|
More woofers |
|
Low Frequency Response |
26 Hz
vs
48 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
35k Hz
vs
22k 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) |
| General |
ATC SCM40 |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
| Brand |
ATC |
GoldenEar |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
75 to 300 Watts watts |
15-400 watts |
| Sensitivity |
85 dB |
90 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
48-22k Hz |
26-35k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
1 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
6.46" |
6" |
| Woofer Composition |
|
Polypropylene |
| Woofer Surround Material |
n/a |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
0.98" |
- |
| Tweeter Type |
n/a |
Folded Ribbon |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
2.95" |
No |
| Crossover Frequency |
380Hz & 3.5kHz |
n/a |
| Firing Direction |
n/a |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
980.0mm (38.6") |
1131.0mm (44.5") |
| Width |
370.0mm (14.6") |
281.0mm (11.1") |
| Depth |
305.0mm (12") |
421.0mm (16.6") |
| Weight |
31.00kg (68.2lbs) |
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 |
These sit in different price classes - ATC SCM40 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 48Hz. |
| Amplifier needs |
B |
GoldenEar Triton Five is more sensitive (90dB vs 85dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Size |
depends |
Similar cabinet size - neither is easier to fit. |
| 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 SCM40
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 SCM40 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 48Hz anyway, so judge these on the other rows instead. Match it to your room: we rate ATC SCM40 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.