In this review, we will be comparing Walmer 2 and Triton Five, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Castle and GoldenEar.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Castle Walmer 2 and GoldenEar Triton Five first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Castle Walmer 2 | GoldenEar Triton Five |
|---|
| Brand | Castle | GoldenEar
United States · founded 2010 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 0.47x1.77" True Ribbon | Folded Ribbon |
|---|
| Midrange | 4.5" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 6.5" Woven Carbon Fibre | 2 x 6" Polypropylene |
|---|
| Frequency response | 38-20k Hz | 26-35k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 89 dB | 90 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 25-150 watts | 15-400 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 31.00kg / 68.2lbs | 18.18kg / 40lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 46-1/16" x 9-13/16" x 14-9/16"
1170.0 x 250.0 x 370.0mm | 44-1/2" x 11-1/16" x 16-9/16"
1131.0 x 281.0 x 421.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the Castle Walmer 2 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* |
Castle Walmer 2 |
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.
Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Walmer 2 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.
Castle Walmer 2GoldenEar Triton Five
MidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
Castle Walmer 2 |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
0.47x1.77-inch
|
-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 4.5-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 6.5-inch
|
2 x 6-inch
|
Walmer 2 features a 0.47x1.77" Ribbon True Ribbon Tweeter, a 4.5" Midrange and 2 x 6.5" Woven Carbon Fibre Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 350 Hz / 3.5 kHz. On the other hand, the Triton Five features a " Folded Ribbon Tweeter and 2 x 6" Polypropylene Woofer.
Frequency Response
Walmer 2 has a frequency range of 38-20k 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 Walmer 2'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
Walmer 2 and Triton Five have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Walmer 2 sensitivity is rated at 89 dB and the Triton Five's is at 90 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the GoldenEar Triton Five a more sensitive speaker compared to Castle Walmer 2, 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 Walmer 2 has a max power handling value of 150 watts RMS, 250 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
Walmer 2 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 Castle Walmer 2's and GoldenEar Triton Five's external dimensions. Castle Walmer 2 has external dimensions of 1170.0 x 250.0 x 370.0mm (46-1/16 x 9-13/16 x 14-9/16inch) 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).
Castle Walmer 2 is 31mm narrower and 51mm less deeper than GoldenEar Triton Five but it is also 39mm taller.
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 Five needs about 28% more floor or shelf area. GoldenEar Triton Five is 51mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. Castle Walmer 2 is 39mm 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 Castle Walmer 2 is approximately 925.0cm2 / 143.4inch2 and base area of the GoldenEar Triton Five is approximately 1183.0cm2 / 183.4inch2. The Walmer 2 requires 22% 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 Castle Walmer 2 weighs 31.00kg / 68.2lbs and the GoldenEar Triton Five weighs 18.18kg / 40lbs. This makes the Walmer 2 71% heavier than the Triton Five.
Here is a comparison of how Walmer 2 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 |
6.5 inches
vs
6 inches
|
Larger woofer |
 Base Surface Area |
925cm2
vs
1183cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Max Input Power |
400 watts
vs
150 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Sensitivity |
90 dB
vs
89 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
|
Low Frequency Response |
26 Hz
vs
38 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
35k Hz
vs
20k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Passive Radiator |
four 8-inch infrasonic planar sub-bass
vs
None
|
Increases the bass performance |
 Height |
1131mm
vs
1170mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Price per pair* |
2398USD
vs
7499USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
Castle Walmer 2 |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
| Brand |
Castle |
GoldenEar |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
25-150 watts |
15-400 watts |
| Sensitivity |
89 dB |
90 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Impedance |
3.4 ohms |
n/a |
| Frequency Response |
38-20k Hz |
26-35k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
6.5" |
6" |
| Woofer Composition |
Woven Carbon Fibre |
Polypropylene |
| Woofer Surround Material |
n/a |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
0.47x1.77" |
- |
| Tweeter Type |
True Ribbon |
Folded Ribbon |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
4.5" |
No |
| Crossover Frequency |
350 Hz / 3.5 kHz |
n/a |
| Firing Direction |
n/a |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1170.0mm (46.1") |
1131.0mm (44.5") |
| Width |
250.0mm (9.8") |
281.0mm (11.1") |
| Depth |
370.0mm (14.6") |
421.0mm (16.6") |
| Weight |
31.00kg (68.2lbs) |
18.18kg (40lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Passive Radiator |
| Finish |
Walnut veneer, Black Oak veneer |
MDF/Lacquer |
| Available Colors |
n/a |
Gloss Black |
| 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 - Castle Walmer 2 costs roughly 3.1x 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 38Hz. |
| Amplifier needs | evenly matched | Similar sensitivity (89dB vs 90dB) - both want much the same power. |
| Headroom | B | GoldenEar Triton Five takes more power (400W vs 150W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size | depends | Similar cabinet size - neither is easier to fit. |
| 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 $7,499, about 68% less; arguably a different class. |
A Castle Walmer 2 B GoldenEar Triton Five
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 Five is the easier recommendation: it leads on most of the measured areas and costs less. Take Castle Walmer 2 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 38Hz anyway, so judge these on the other rows instead. 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.
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.