In this review, we will be comparing AE520 and Triton Five, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Acoustic Energy and GoldenEar.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of AE520 and GoldenEar Triton Five first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | AE520 | GoldenEar Triton Five |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" dome with waveguide | Folded Ribbon |
|---|
| Midrange | 5.2" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 4 x 5" carbon fibre cone | 2 x 6" Polypropylene |
|---|
| Frequency response | 30Hz - 28kHz | 26-35k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 90 dB | 90 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 6 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | up to 300 watts | 15-400 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 30.00kg / 66lbs | 18.18kg / 40lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 44.5" x 7.3" x 12.6"
1130.0 x 185.0 x 320.0mm | 44-1/2" x 11-1/16" x 16-9/16"
1131.0 x 281.0 x 421.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the AE520 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* |
AE520 |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Are you nuts? |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Average |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Average |
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
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that AE520 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.
AE520GoldenEar 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 |
AE520 |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 5.2-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
4 x 5-inch
|
2 x 6-inch
|
AE520 features a 1" carbon fibre dome with waveguide Tweeter, a 5.2" Midrange and 4 x 5" carbon fibre cone Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 373Hz and 2.8kHz. On the other hand, the Triton Five features a " Folded Ribbon Tweeter and 2 x 6" Polypropylene Woofer.
Frequency Response
AE520 has a frequency range of 30Hz - 28kHz whereas Triton Five has a frequency range of 26-35k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 26Hz, the Triton Five can go slightly deeper then the AE520's min frequency of 30Hz.
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
AE520 is a 6 ohms speaker compared to the Triton Five which has a nominal impedance of 8 ohms.
On the other hand, they have the same sensitivity of 90 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 Five can handle a max power of 400 watts RMS, whereas AE520 has a max power handling value of 300 watts RMS, 100 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.
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both AE520 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
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 AE520's and GoldenEar Triton Five's external dimensions. AE520 has external dimensions of 1130.0 x 185.0 x 320.0mm (44.5 x 7.3 x 12.6inch) 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 96mm wider, 1mm taller and 101mm deeper than AE520.
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 AE520 is approximately 592.0cm2 / 91.8inch2 and base area of the GoldenEar Triton Five is approximately 1183.0cm2 / 183.4inch2. The AE520 requires 50% 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 AE520 weighs 30.00kg / 66lbs and the GoldenEar Triton Five weighs 18.18kg / 40lbs. This makes the AE520 65% heavier than the Triton Five.
Here is a comparison of how AE520 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 |
 Number of Woofers |
4
vs
2
|
More woofers |
 Height |
1130mm
vs
1131mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
592cm2
vs
1183cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Max Input Power |
400 watts
vs
300 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
6 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
|
Woofer Size |
6 inches
vs
5 inches
|
Larger woofer |
|
Low Frequency Response |
26 Hz
vs
30 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
35k Hz
vs
28k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Passive Radiator |
four 8-inch infrasonic planar sub-bass
vs
None
|
Increases the bass performance |
 Price per pair* |
2398USD
vs
4999USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
Acoustic Energy AE520 |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
| Brand |
Acoustic Energy |
GoldenEar |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
up to 300 watts |
15-400 watts |
| Sensitivity |
90 dB |
90 dB |
| Impedance |
6 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
30Hz - 28kHz |
26-35k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
4 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
5" |
6" |
| Woofer Composition |
carbon fibre cone |
Polypropylene |
| Woofer Surround Material |
n/a |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
- |
| Tweeter Type |
dome with waveguide |
Folded Ribbon |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
5.2" |
No |
| Crossover Frequency |
373Hz and 2.8kHz |
n/a |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1130.0mm (44.5") |
1131.0mm (44.5") |
| Width |
185.0mm (7.3") |
281.0mm (11.1") |
| Depth |
320.0mm (12.6") |
421.0mm (16.6") |
| Weight |
30.00kg (66lbs) |
18.18kg (40lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Passive Radiator |
| Finish |
Resonance Suppression Composite (RSC) |
MDF/Lacquer |
| Available Colors |
Piano Gloss Black, Piano Gloss White, American 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 |
These sit in different price classes - AE520 costs roughly 2.1x 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 30Hz. A subwoofer would even that out. |
| Amplifier needs |
evenly matched |
Similar sensitivity (90dB vs 90dB) - both want much the same power. |
| Amplifier match |
B |
GoldenEar Triton Five is the easier load at 8 ohms. |
| Headroom |
B |
GoldenEar Triton Five takes more power (400W vs 300W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size |
depends |
AE520 is easier to place; GoldenEar Triton Five 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 Five sits in a wider range (7 models), so a matched surround system is easier later. |
| Price |
B |
GoldenEar Triton Five is cheaper - $2,398 against $4,999, about 52% less; arguably a different class. |
A AE520
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 AE520 if its size, looks or fit in your room suit you better. Match it to your room: we rate GoldenEar Triton Five the better fit for a very large room; elsewhere the two are rated the same. In a large or open-plan room, GoldenEar Triton Five has the cabinet volume to fill it more easily; in a small room, near a wall or at desk distance, AE520 is the easier speaker to get right.
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.