In this review, we will be comparing AE309 and Triton Five, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Acoustic Energy and GoldenEar. Let's have a brief look at the main features
of AE309 and GoldenEar Triton Five first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
What size room are the AE309 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:
In the following sections, we will get into more detail in order to better understand how the AE309 and GoldenEar Triton Five compare and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one of these loudspeakers is the better choice for you.
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Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that AE309 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.
| Driver |
AE309 |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.1-inch
|
-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 5.2-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 5.2-inch
|
2 x 6-inch
|
AE309 features a 1.1" aluminium dome with waveguide Tweeter , a 5.2" Midrange and 1 x 5.2" ceramic aluminium sandwich Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 296Hz and 2560Hz. On the other hand, the Triton Five features a " Folded Ribbon Tweeter and 2 x 6" Polypropylene Woofer .
Frequency Response
AE309 has a frequency range of 38Hz - 30kHz 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 AE309's min frequency of 38Hz.
Below graphs depict how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average values of the Min and Max Frequencies of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
High Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
None of these speakers achieves full range experience which is commonly agreed as 20Hz-20kHz. In order to achieve lower lows / deeper bass, we recommend you pair these with a subwoofer. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Impedance and Sensitivity
AE309 is a 6 ohms speaker compared to the Triton Five which has a nominal impedance of 8 ohms.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. AE309 sensitivity is rated at 89 dB and the Triton Five's is rated at 90 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the GoldenEar Triton Five a more sensitive speaker compared to AE309, 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. While using an amplifier within this range ensures the nominal performance , inputting a power that is higher than the max wattage can result in a damaged speaker.
AE309 can handle a max power of 400 watts RMS from the amp the whereas AE309 has a max power handling value of 175 watts RMS , 225 watts less than the Triton Five.
Keep in mind that a higher max power handling value doesn't necessarily make that a louder speaker
compared to a lower max handling speaker. Loudness or the sound level is also impacted by parameters
such as Impedance, sensitivity and system efficiencies.
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both AE309 and Triton Five have rear firing ports. Rear ported speakers generally need more room between the backside of the speaker and the wall compared to sealed and front/bottom ported speakers. Placing the speakers too close to the walls may cause the bass to sound boomy.
If you are limited in space and can't get the speakers away from the backwall, check our Speakers with Front Firing Ports page.
Physical Specs
Size of a speaker can sometimes become an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare AE309's and GoldenEar Triton Five's external dimensions. AE309 has external dimensions of 900.0 x 175.0 x 260.0mm ( 35.4 x 6.9 x 10.2inch) 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 106mm wider, 231mm taller and 161mm deeper than AE309.
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 AE309 is approximately 455.0cm2 / 70.5inch2 and base area of the GoldenEar Triton Five is approximately 1183.0cm2 / 183.4inch2. The AE309 requires 62% 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 AE309 weighs 22.00kg / 48.4lbs and the GoldenEar Triton Five weighs 18.18kg / 40lbs. This makes the AE309 21% heavier than the Triton Five.
Here is a comparison of how AE309 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 loudspeaker4 Rubber feet (pre-installed)4 Spikes4 Locking nutsOwners Manual
 Driver Setup |
3-way
vs
2-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 Height |
900mm
vs
1131mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
455cm2 (175x260mm)
vs
1183cm2 (281x421mm)
|
Takes less floor space |
 Price per pair* |
1899USD
vs
2398USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
 Max Input Power |
400 watts
vs
175 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Sensitivity |
90 dB
vs
89 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
6 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
 Woofer Size |
6 inches
vs
5.2 inches
|
Larger woofer |
| Number of Woofers |
2
vs
1
|
More woofers |
| Low Frequency Response |
26 Hz
vs
38 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
35k Hz
vs
30k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Passive Radiator |
four 8-inch infrasonic planar sub-bass
vs
None
|
Increases the bass performance |
| General |
Acoustic Energy AE309 |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
| Brand |
Acoustic Energy |
GoldenEar |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
up to 175 watts |
15-400 watts |
| Sensitivity |
89 dB |
90 dB |
| Impedance |
6 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
38Hz - 30kHz |
26-35k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
1 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
5.2" |
6" |
| Woofer Composition |
ceramic aluminium sandwich |
Polypropylene |
| Woofer Surround Material |
n/a |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1.1" |
- |
| Tweeter Type |
dome with waveguide |
Folded Ribbon |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
5.2" |
No |
| Crossover Frequency |
296Hz and 2560Hz |
n/a |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
900.0mm (35.4") |
1131.0mm (44.5") |
| Width |
175.0mm (6.9") |
281.0mm (11.1") |
| Depth |
260.0mm (10.2") |
421.0mm (16.6") |
| Weight |
22.00kg (48.4lbs) |
18.18kg (40lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Passive Radiator |
| Finish |
high density MDF |
MDF/Lacquer |
| Available Colors |
Piano Gloss White, Piano Gloss Black, Real Walnut wood veneer |
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 |