In this review, we will be comparing Confidence 50 and Triton Five, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Dynaudio and GoldenEar.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Dynaudio Confidence 50 and GoldenEar Triton Five first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Dynaudio Confidence 50 | GoldenEar Triton Five |
|---|
| Brand | Dynaudio
Denmark · founded 1977 | GoldenEar
United States · founded 2010 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1.1" Soft-Dome | Folded Ribbon |
|---|
| Midrange | 2 x 6" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 7" MSP | 2 x 6" Polypropylene |
|---|
| Frequency response | 35-22k Hz | 26-35k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 87 dB | 90 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 4 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | — | 15-400 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 49.60kg / 109.1lbs | 18.18kg / 40lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 59-1/2" x 8-9/16" x 15-11/16"
1512.0 x 218.0 x 399.0mm | 44-1/2" x 11-1/16" x 16-9/16"
1131.0 x 281.0 x 421.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the Dynaudio Confidence 50 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* |
Dynaudio Confidence 50 |
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 Confidence 50 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.
Dynaudio Confidence 50GoldenEar 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 |
Dynaudio Confidence 50 |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.1-inch
|
-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
2 x 6-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 7-inch
|
2 x 6-inch
|
Confidence 50 features a 1.1" Esotar 3 Soft-Dome Tweeter, a 6" Midrange and 2 x 7" MSP Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 200/2860 Hz. On the other hand, the Triton Five features a " Folded Ribbon Tweeter and 2 x 6" Polypropylene Woofer.
Frequency Response
Confidence 50 has a frequency range of 35-22k 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 Confidence 50's min frequency of 35Hz.
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
Confidence 50 is a 4 ohms speaker compared to the Triton Five which has a nominal impedance of 8 ohms. Lower impedance speakers, especially the ones that are rated at 4 ohms may put more pressure on the amplifier unit especially when played at high volume levels, so make sure the amp you pair with the Confidence 50 can provide this impedance level.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Confidence 50 sensitivity is rated at 87 dB and the Triton Five's is rated at 90 dB. This 3 dB difference makes the GoldenEar Triton Five a more sensitive speaker compared to Dynaudio Confidence 50, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Floor-standing Speakers
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
Confidence 50 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
Confidence 50 has a down firing port whereas Triton Five has a rear firing ports.
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 Dynaudio Confidence 50's and GoldenEar Triton Five's external dimensions. Dynaudio Confidence 50 has external dimensions of 1512.0 x 218.0 x 399.0mm (59-1/2 x 8-9/16 x 15-11/16inch) 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).
Dynaudio Confidence 50 is 63mm narrower and 22mm less deeper than GoldenEar Triton Five but it is also 381mm 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 36% more floor or shelf area. GoldenEar Triton Five is 22mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. Dynaudio Confidence 50 is 381mm 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 Dynaudio Confidence 50 is approximately 869.8cm2 / 134.8inch2 and base area of the GoldenEar Triton Five is approximately 1183.0cm2 / 183.4inch2. The Confidence 50 requires 26% 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 Dynaudio Confidence 50 weighs 49.60kg / 109.1lbs and the GoldenEar Triton Five weighs 18.18kg / 40lbs. This makes the Confidence 50 173% heavier than the Triton Five.
Here is a comparison of how Confidence 50 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 |
7 inches
vs
6 inches
|
Larger woofer |
 Base Surface Area |
869cm2
vs
1183cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Sensitivity |
90 dB
vs
87 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
4 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
|
Low Frequency Response |
26 Hz
vs
35 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
35k Hz
vs
22k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Passive Radiator |
four 8-inch infrasonic planar sub-bass
vs
None
|
Increases the bass performance |
 Height |
1131mm
vs
1512mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Price per pair* |
2398USD
vs
33500USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
Dynaudio Confidence 50 |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
| Brand |
Dynaudio |
GoldenEar |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Sensitivity |
87 dB |
90 dB |
| Impedance |
4 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
35-22k Hz |
26-35k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
7" |
6" |
| Woofer Composition |
MSP |
Polypropylene |
| Woofer Surround Material |
n/a |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1.1" |
- |
| Tweeter Type |
Soft-Dome |
Folded Ribbon |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
6" |
No |
| Crossover Frequency |
200/2860 Hz |
n/a |
| Firing Direction |
down |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1512.0mm (59.5") |
1131.0mm (44.5") |
| Width |
218.0mm (8.6") |
281.0mm (11.1") |
| Depth |
399.0mm (15.7") |
421.0mm (16.6") |
| Weight |
49.60kg (109.1lbs) |
18.18kg (40lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Passive Radiator |
| Finish |
n/a |
MDF/Lacquer |
| Available Colors |
n/a |
Gloss Black |
| Grille |
Yes |
n/a |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
No |
No |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
|
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
|
5 Years |
These sit in different price classes - Dynaudio Confidence 50 costs roughly 14x 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 35Hz. A subwoofer would even that out. |
| Amplifier needs | B | GoldenEar Triton Five is more sensitive (90dB vs 87dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Amplifier match | B | GoldenEar Triton Five is the easier load at 8 ohms; the other is 4 ohms and wants an amplifier rated for it. |
| Headroom | evenly matched | Similar power handling (400W vs 400W). |
| 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 $33,500, about 93% less; arguably a different class. |
A Dynaudio Confidence 50 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 Dynaudio Confidence 50 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 35Hz 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.