In this review, we will be comparing AE309 and Triton Seven, 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 Seven first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | AE309 | GoldenEar Triton Seven |
|---|
| Brand | Acoustic Energy
United Kingdom · founded 1987 | GoldenEar
United States · founded 2010 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1.1" dome with waveguide | Folded Ribbon |
|---|
| Midrange | 5.2" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 5.2" ceramic aluminium sandwich | 2 x 5.25" Polypropylene |
|---|
| Frequency response | 38Hz - 30kHz | 29-35k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 89 dB | 89 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 6 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | up to 175 watts | 10-300 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 22.00kg / 48.4lbs | 14.55kg / 32lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 35.4" x 6.9" x 10.2"
900.0 x 175.0 x 260.0mm | 40-1/2" x 10-1/2" x 14-1/2"
1029.0 x 267.0 x 369.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the AE309 and GoldenEar Triton Seven 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* |
AE309 |
GoldenEar Triton Seven |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
Average |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Poor |
Average |
(* 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.
Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that AE309 is a 3-way design whereas the Triton Seven 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.
AE309GoldenEar Triton Seven
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
AE309 |
GoldenEar Triton Seven |
|
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 5.25-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 Seven features a " Folded Ribbon Tweeter and 2 x 5.25" Polypropylene Woofer.
Frequency Response
AE309 has a frequency range of 38Hz - 30kHz whereas Triton Seven has a frequency range of 29-35k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 29Hz, the Triton Seven can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the AE309's min frequency of 38Hz.
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
AE309 is a 6 ohms speaker compared to the Triton Seven which has a nominal impedance of 8 ohms.
On the other hand, they have the same sensitivity of 89 dBdB.
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 Seven can handle a max power of 300 watts RMS, whereas AE309 has a max power handling value of 175 watts RMS, 125 watts less than the Triton Seven.
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.
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both AE309 and Triton Seven 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
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 AE309's and GoldenEar Triton Seven'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 Seven has external dimensions of 1029.0 x 267.0 x 369.0mm (40-1/2 x 10-1/2 x 14-1/2inch).
GoldenEar Triton Seven is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 92mm wider, 129mm taller and 109mm deeper than AE309.
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.
GoldenEar Triton Seven needs about 117% more floor or shelf area. GoldenEar Triton Seven is 109mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. GoldenEar Triton Seven is 129mm taller.
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 Seven is approximately 985.2cm2 / 152.7inch2. The AE309 requires 54% less surface area than the Triton Seven 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 Seven weighs 14.55kg / 32lbs. This makes the AE309 51% heavier than the Triton Seven.
Here is a comparison of how AE309 and Triton Seven'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 Seven?
Here are the items that come with the Triton Seven:
- 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 |
 Height |
900mm
vs
1029mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
455cm2
vs
985cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Max Input Power |
300 watts
vs
175 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
6 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
 Woofer Size |
5.25 inches
vs
5.2 inches
|
Larger woofer |
|
Number of Woofers |
2
vs
1
|
More woofers |
|
Low Frequency Response |
29 Hz
vs
38 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
35k Hz
vs
30k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Passive Radiator |
dual 8-inch infrasonic planar sub-bass
vs
None
|
Increases the bass performance |
 Price per pair* |
1798USD
vs
1899USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
Acoustic Energy AE309 |
GoldenEar Triton Seven |
| Brand |
Acoustic Energy |
GoldenEar |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
up to 175 watts |
10-300 watts |
| Sensitivity |
89 dB |
89 dB |
| Impedance |
6 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
38Hz - 30kHz |
29-35k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
1 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
5.2" |
5.25" |
| 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") |
1029.0mm (40.5") |
| Width |
175.0mm (6.9") |
267.0mm (10.5") |
| Depth |
260.0mm (10.2") |
369.0mm (14.5") |
| Weight |
22.00kg (48.4lbs) |
14.55kg (32lbs) |
| 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 |
A generation apart: AE309 is the newer design, against a 2013 model. Newer is not automatically better, but the older one is more likely to be discounted or near run-out.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | B | GoldenEar Triton Seven digs deeper - 29Hz against 38Hz. A subwoofer would even that out. |
| Amplifier needs | evenly matched | Similar sensitivity (89dB vs 89dB) - both want much the same power. |
| Amplifier match | B | GoldenEar Triton Seven is the easier load at 8 ohms. |
| Headroom | B | GoldenEar Triton Seven takes more power (300W vs 175W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size | depends | AE309 is easier to place; GoldenEar Triton Seven is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Cabinet | depends | Ported vs Passive Radiator. |
| Expandability | depends | Neither adds bi-amping, a sub output or height drivers. GoldenEar Triton Seven sits in a wider range (7 models), so a matched surround system is easier later. |
| Price | evenly matched | Much the same money ($1,899 vs $1,798 a pair). |
A AE309 B GoldenEar Triton Seven
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, your system 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 Seven has the edge on paper, though the margin is not large. The rows marked "depends" may matter more to you than the score does. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 38Hz anyway, so judge these on the other rows instead. Match it to your room: we rate AE309 the better fit for a mid-size room, and GoldenEar Triton Seven for 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.