In this review, we will be comparing Carina FS247.4 and Triton Seven, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from ELAC and GoldenEar.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of ELAC Carina FS247.4 and GoldenEar Triton Seven first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | ELAC Carina FS247.4 | GoldenEar Triton Seven |
|---|
| Brand | ELAC
Germany · founded 1926 | GoldenEar
United States · founded 2010 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" | Folded Ribbon |
|---|
| Midrange | 5.25" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 5.25" Aluminum | 2 x 5.25" Polypropylene |
|---|
| Frequency response | 34-30k Hz | 29-35k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 87 dB | 89 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 6 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 30-120 watts | 10-300 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 16.45kg / 36.2lbs | 14.55kg / 32lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 43-3/8" x 9-5/16" x 9-7/8"
1102.0 x 237.0 x 251.0mm | 40-1/2" x 10-1/2" x 14-1/2"
1029.0 x 267.0 x 369.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the ELAC Carina FS247.4 and GoldenEar Triton Seven 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* |
ELAC Carina FS247.4 |
GoldenEar Triton Seven |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
Average |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Poor |
Average |
(* 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 Carina FS247.4 is a 3-way design whereas the Triton Seven 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.
ELAC Carina FS247.4GoldenEar Triton Seven
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
ELAC Carina FS247.4 |
GoldenEar Triton Seven |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 5.25-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 5.25-inch
|
2 x 5.25-inch
|
Carina FS247.4 features a 1" Tweeter, a 5.25" Midrange and 1 x 5.25" Aluminum Woofer. On the other hand, the Triton Seven features a " Folded Ribbon Tweeter and 2 x 5.25" Polypropylene Woofer.
Frequency Response
Carina FS247.4 has a frequency range of 34-30k Hz whereas Triton Seven has a frequency range of 29-35k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 29Hz, the Triton Seven can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Carina FS247.4'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
Carina FS247.4 is a 6 ohms speaker compared to the Triton Seven which has a nominal impedance of 8 ohms.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Carina FS247.4 sensitivity is rated at 87 dB and the Triton Seven's is rated at 89 dB. This 2 dB difference makes the GoldenEar Triton Seven a more sensitive speaker compared to ELAC Carina FS247.4, 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 Seven can handle a max power of 300 watts RMS, whereas Carina FS247.4 has a max power handling value of 120 watts RMS, 180 watts less than the Triton Seven.
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
Carina FS247.4 features Binding post posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. Triton Seven has a 5-way Post which doesn't 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 ELAC Carina FS247.4's and GoldenEar Triton Seven's external dimensions. ELAC Carina FS247.4 has external dimensions of 1102.0 x 237.0 x 251.0mm (43-3/8 x 9-5/16 x 9-7/8inch) whereas GoldenEar Triton Seven has external dimensions of 1029.0 x 267.0 x 369.0mm (40-1/2 x 10-1/2 x 14-1/2inch).
ELAC Carina FS247.4 is 30mm narrower and 118mm less deeper than GoldenEar Triton Seven but it is also 73mm 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 Seven needs about 66% more floor or shelf area. GoldenEar Triton Seven is 118mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. ELAC Carina FS247.4 is 73mm 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 ELAC Carina FS247.4 is approximately 594.9cm2 / 92.2inch2 and base area of the GoldenEar Triton Seven is approximately 985.2cm2 / 152.7inch2. The Carina FS247.4 requires 40% less surface area than the Triton Seven 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 ELAC Carina FS247.4 weighs 16.45kg / 36.2lbs and the GoldenEar Triton Seven weighs 14.55kg / 32lbs. This makes the Carina FS247.4 13% heavier than the Triton Seven.
Here is a comparison of how Carina FS247.4 and Triton Seven'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 ELAC Carina FS247.4?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of Carina FS247.4:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- 2 Stabilizer-bars
- 4 Spike feet
- 4 Isolation pucks
- 4 Screws
- 2 Jumper straps (pre-installed)
- Operating Instructions
What's in the Box of GoldenEar Triton Seven?
Here are the items that come with the Triton Seven:
- 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 |
 Bi-Amping and Bi-Wiring |
Yes
vs
No
|
Allows bi-amping and bi-wiring connections |
 Base Surface Area |
594cm2
vs
985cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Max Input Power |
300 watts
vs
120 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Sensitivity |
89 dB
vs
87 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
6 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
 Number of Woofers |
2
vs
1
|
More woofers |
|
Low Frequency Response |
29 Hz
vs
34 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
35k Hz
vs
30k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Passive Radiator |
dual 8-inch infrasonic planar sub-bass
vs
None
|
Increases the bass performance |
 Height |
1029mm
vs
1102mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Price per pair* |
1798USD
vs
3000USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
ELAC Carina FS247.4 |
GoldenEar Triton Seven |
| Brand |
ELAC |
GoldenEar |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
30-120 watts |
10-300 watts |
| Sensitivity |
87 dB |
89 dB |
| Impedance |
6 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
34-30k Hz |
29-35k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
1 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
5.25" |
5.25" |
| Woofer Composition |
Aluminum |
Polypropylene |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
- |
| Tweeter Type |
n/a |
Folded Ribbon |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
5.25" |
No |
| Firing Direction |
n/a |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1102.0mm (43.4") |
1029.0mm (40.5") |
| Width |
237.0mm (9.3") |
267.0mm (10.5") |
| Depth |
251.0mm (9.9") |
369.0mm (14.5") |
| Weight |
16.45kg (36.2lbs) |
14.55kg (32lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Passive Radiator |
| Finish |
MDF/Polymer |
MDF/Lacquer |
| Available Colors |
Black |
Gloss Black |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
Yes |
No |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
3 Years |
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
3 Years |
5 Years |
These sit in different price classes - ELAC Carina FS247.4 costs roughly 1.7x what GoldenEar Triton Seven 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 Seven digs deeper - 29Hz against 34Hz. A subwoofer would even that out. |
| Amplifier needs | B | GoldenEar Triton Seven is more sensitive (89dB vs 87dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Amplifier match | B | GoldenEar Triton Seven is the easier load at 8 ohms. |
| Headroom | B | GoldenEar Triton Seven takes more power (300W vs 120W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size | depends | ELAC Carina FS247.4 is easier to place; GoldenEar Triton Seven is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Cabinet | depends | Ported vs Passive Radiator. |
| Expandability | depends | ELAC Carina FS247.4: bi-amping. GoldenEar Triton Seven sits in a wider range (7 models), so a matched surround system is easier later. |
| Price | B | GoldenEar Triton Seven is cheaper - $1,798 against $3,000, about 40% less; arguably a different class. |
A ELAC Carina FS247.4 B GoldenEar Triton Seven
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 Seven is the easier recommendation: it leads on most of the measured areas and costs less. Take ELAC Carina FS247.4 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. Match it to your room: we rate ELAC Carina FS247.4 the better fit for a mid-size room, and GoldenEar Triton Seven for a very large room.
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.