In this review, we will be comparing Contour 60i and Triton Five, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Dynaudio and GoldenEar.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Dynaudio Contour 60i and GoldenEar Triton Five first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Dynaudio Contour 60i | 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 | 6" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 9" MSP | 2 x 6" Polypropylene |
|---|
| Frequency response | 28-23k Hz | 26-35k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 88 dB | 90 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 4 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | — | 15-400 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 50.00kg / 110lbs | 18.18kg / 40lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 52-3/8" x 10-1/16" x 16-9/16"
1330.0 x 255.0 x 420.0mm | 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 Contour 60i 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 Contour 60i |
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 Contour 60i 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 Contour 60iGoldenEar 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 Contour 60i |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.1-inch
|
-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 6-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 9-inch
|
2 x 6-inch
|
Contour 60i features a 1.1" Esotar 2i Soft-Dome Tweeter, a 6" Midrange and 2 x 9" MSP Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 220 Hz / 4.500 Hz. On the other hand, the Triton Five features a " Folded Ribbon Tweeter and 2 x 6" Polypropylene Woofer.
Frequency Response
Contour 60i has a frequency range of 28-23k Hz 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 Contour 60i's min frequency of 28Hz.
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
Contour 60i 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 Contour 60i can provide this impedance level.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Contour 60i sensitivity is rated at 88 dB and the Triton Five's is rated at 90 dB. This 2 dB difference makes the GoldenEar Triton Five a more sensitive speaker compared to Dynaudio Contour 60i, 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
Contour 60i 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 Contour 60i 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 Dynaudio Contour 60i's and GoldenEar Triton Five's external dimensions. Dynaudio Contour 60i has external dimensions of 1330.0 x 255.0 x 420.0mm (52-3/8 x 10-1/16 x 16-9/16inch) 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).
Dynaudio Contour 60i is 26mm narrower and 1mm less deeper than GoldenEar Triton Five but it is also 199mm 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 10% more floor or shelf area. Dynaudio Contour 60i is 199mm 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 Contour 60i is approximately 1071.0cm2 / 166.0inch2 and base area of the GoldenEar Triton Five is approximately 1183.0cm2 / 183.4inch2. The Contour 60i requires 9% 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 Contour 60i weighs 50.00kg / 110lbs and the GoldenEar Triton Five weighs 18.18kg / 40lbs. This makes the Contour 60i 175% heavier than the Triton Five.
Here is a comparison of how Contour 60i 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 |
9 inches
vs
6 inches
|
Larger woofer |
 Base Surface Area |
1071cm2
vs
1183cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Max Input Power |
400 watts
vs
390 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Sensitivity |
90 dB
vs
88 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
28 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
35k Hz
vs
23k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Passive Radiator |
four 8-inch infrasonic planar sub-bass
vs
None
|
Increases the bass performance |
 Height |
1131mm
vs
1330mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Price per pair* |
2398USD
vs
12000USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
Dynaudio Contour 60i |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
| Brand |
Dynaudio |
GoldenEar |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Sensitivity |
88 dB |
90 dB |
| Impedance |
4 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
28-23k Hz |
26-35k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
9" |
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 |
220 Hz / 4.500 Hz |
n/a |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1330.0mm (52.4") |
1131.0mm (44.5") |
| Width |
255.0mm (10") |
281.0mm (11.1") |
| Depth |
420.0mm (16.5") |
421.0mm (16.6") |
| Weight |
50.00kg (110lbs) |
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 Contour 60i costs roughly 5x 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 | evenly matched | Much the same reach (28Hz vs 26Hz). |
| Amplifier needs | B | GoldenEar Triton Five is more sensitive (90dB vs 88dB), 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 (390W vs 400W). |
| 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 $12,000, about 80% less; arguably a different class. |
A Dynaudio Contour 60i 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 Contour 60i 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. If your amplifier is modest, vintage or valve-based, GoldenEar Triton Five is the safer partner - the other will want more current or more watts to sound its best.
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.