In this review, we will be comparing SONIK 9 and Triton Five, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from DALI and GoldenEar.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of DALI SONIK 9 and GoldenEar Triton Five first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | DALI SONIK 9 | GoldenEar Triton Five |
|---|
| Brand | DALI
Denmark · founded 1983 | GoldenEar
United States · founded 2010 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 0.6875 x 1.75" Planar | Folded Ribbon |
|---|
| Midrange | 1.125" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 3 x 7.0" Wood fiber | 2 x 6" Polypropylene |
|---|
| Frequency response | 34-30k Hz | 26-35k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 90 dB | 90 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 6 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 50-300 watts | 15-400 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 24.65kg / 54.2lbs | 18.18kg / 40lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 44-5/16" x 12-9/16" x 14-13/16"
1126.0 x 320.0 x 377.0mm | 44-1/2" x 11-1/16" x 16-9/16"
1131.0 x 281.0 x 421.0mm |
|---|
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 SONIK 9 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.
DALI SONIK 9GoldenEar 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 |
DALI SONIK 9 |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
0.6875 x 1.75-inch
|
-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 1.125-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
3 x 7.0-inch
|
2 x 6-inch
|
SONIK 9 features a 0.6875 x 1.75" Planar Tweeter, a 1.125" Midrange and 3 x 7.0" Wood fiber Woofer. On the other hand, the Triton Five features a " Folded Ribbon Tweeter and 2 x 6" Polypropylene Woofer.
Frequency Response
SONIK 9 has a frequency range of 34-30k 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 SONIK 9's min frequency of 34Hz.
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
SONIK 9 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 SONIK 9 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.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
SONIK 9 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.
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both SONIK 9 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 DALI SONIK 9's and GoldenEar Triton Five's external dimensions. DALI SONIK 9 has external dimensions of 1126.0 x 320.0 x 377.0mm (44-5/16inch x 12-9/16inch x 14-13/16inch) 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).
DALI SONIK 9 is 5mm shorter and 44mm less deeper than GoldenEar Triton Five but it is also 39mm 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 DALI SONIK 9 is approximately 1206.4cm2 / 187.0inch2 and base area of the GoldenEar Triton Five is approximately 1183.0cm2 / 183.4inch2. The SONIK 9 requires 2% more surface area than the Triton Five which gives it a small disadvantage 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 DALI SONIK 9 weighs 24.65kg / 54.2lbs and the GoldenEar Triton Five weighs 18.18kg / 40lbs. This makes the SONIK 9 36% heavier than the Triton Five.
Here is a comparison of how SONIK 9 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 DALI SONIK 9?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of SONIK 9:
- 2 Floorstanding loudspeakers
- 2 Grilles
- 4 Outrigger feet
- 8 Rubber feet (M8 threads)
- 8 Spike-feet (M8 threads)
- Eight M8 hex-nuts
- Eight M8x15mm counter-sunk hex-screws
- Hex-key
- Hex-wrench
- Quick Start Guide
- Online Registration Card
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 |
7.0 inches
vs
6 inches
|
Larger woofer |
|
Number of Woofers |
3
vs
2
|
More woofers |
 Height |
1126mm
vs
1131mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 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 |
|
Low Frequency Response |
26 Hz
vs
34 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 |
 Base Surface Area |
1183cm2
vs
1206cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Price per pair* |
2398USD
vs
4500USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
DALI SONIK 9 |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
| Brand |
DALI |
GoldenEar |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
50-300 watts |
15-400 watts |
| Sensitivity |
90 dB |
90 dB |
| Impedance |
6 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
34-30k Hz |
26-35k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
3 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
7.0" |
6" |
| Woofer Composition |
Wood fiber |
Polypropylene |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
0.6875 x 1.75" |
- |
| Tweeter Type |
Planar |
Folded Ribbon |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
1.125" |
No |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1126.0mm (44.3") |
1131.0mm (44.5") |
| Width |
320.0mm (12.6") |
281.0mm (11.1") |
| Depth |
377.0mm (14.8") |
421.0mm (16.6") |
| Weight |
24.65kg (54.2lbs) |
18.18kg (40lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Passive Radiator |
| Finish |
MDF/Wood-grain laminate |
MDF/Lacquer |
| Available Colors |
Black Ash, Natural Oak,White,Walnut |
Gloss Black |
| Grille |
Yes |
n/a |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
No |
No |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
These sit in different price classes - DALI SONIK 9 costs roughly 1.9x 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 34Hz. 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 | Similar cabinet size - neither is easier to fit. |
| Cabinet | depends | Ported vs Passive Radiator. |
| Price | B | GoldenEar Triton Five is cheaper - $2,398 against $4,500, about 47% less; arguably a different class. |
A DALI SONIK 9 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 DALI SONIK 9 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 34Hz anyway, so judge these on the other rows instead. Think about the whole system, not just the speakers: the roughly $2,102 saved by taking the cheaper pair would buy a subwoofer or a better amplifier, and either usually does more for the sound than the difference between these two.
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.