In this review, we will be comparing Uni-Fi FS U5 Slim and Triton Seven, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from ELAC and GoldenEar.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of ELAC Uni-Fi FS U5 Slim and GoldenEar Triton Seven first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
ELAC Uni-Fi FS U5 Slim Key Specs
- 3-way Design
- 1" soft dome Tweeter
- 4" Midrange
- 3 x 5.25" Aluminum Woofer
- 42-25k Hz Frequency Response
- 85 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 4ohms
- Power Range:40-140watts
- Weight:0.00kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 1013.0" x 10-3/16" x 12-7/8"( 1013.0 x 259.0 x 328.0mm )
GoldenEar Triton Seven Key Specs
- 2-way Design
- " Folded Ribbon Tweeter
- 2 x 5.25" Polypropylene Woofer
- 29-35k Hz Frequency Response
- 89 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 8ohms
- Power Range:10-300watts
- Weight:14.55kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 1029.0" x 10-1/2" x 14-1/2"( 1029.0 x 267.0 x 369.0mm )
What size room are the ELAC Uni-Fi FS U5 Slim 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 Uni-Fi FS U5 Slim |
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.)
In the following sections, we will get into more detail in order to better understand how the ELAC Uni-Fi FS U5 Slim and GoldenEar Triton Seven compare and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one of these loudspeakers is the better choice for you.
**This post contains affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking
through my links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Uni-Fi FS U5 Slim 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.
| Driver |
ELAC Uni-Fi FS U5 Slim |
GoldenEar Triton Seven |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 4-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
3 x 5.25-inch
|
2 x 5.25-inch
|
Uni-Fi FS U5 Slim features a 1" soft dome Tweeter , a 4" Midrange and 3 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
Uni-Fi FS U5 Slim has a frequency range of 42-25k 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 Uni-Fi FS U5 Slim's min frequency of 42Hz.
Below graphs depict how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average values of the Min and Max Frequencies of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
High Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
None of these speakers achieves full range experience which is commonly agreed as 20Hz-20kHz. In order to achieve lower lows / deeper bass, we recommend you pair these with a subwoofer. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Impedance and Sensitivity
Uni-Fi FS U5 Slim is a 4 ohms speaker compared to the Triton Seven 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 Uni-Fi FS U5 Slim can provide this impedance level.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Uni-Fi FS U5 Slim sensitivity is rated at 85 dB and the Triton Seven's is rated at 89 dB. This 4 dB difference makes the GoldenEar Triton Seven a more sensitive speaker compared to ELAC Uni-Fi FS U5 Slim, 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. While using
an amplifier within this range ensures the nominal performance , inputting a power that is higher than the
max wattage can result in a damaged speaker.
Uni-Fi FS U5 Slim can handle a max power of 300 watts RMS from the amp the whereas Uni-Fi FS U5 Slim has a max power handling value of 140 watts RMS , 160 watts less than the Triton Seven.
Keep in mind that a higher max power handling value doesn't necessarily make that a louder speaker
compared to a lower max handling speaker. Loudness or the sound level is also impacted by parameters
such as Impedance, sensitivity and system efficiencies.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Uni-Fi FS U5 Slim features 5-way Post type posts and Triton Seven has a 5-way Post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Physical Specs
Size of a speaker can sometimes become 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 Uni-Fi FS U5 Slim's and GoldenEar Triton Seven's external dimensions. ELAC Uni-Fi FS U5 Slim has external dimensions of 1013.0 x 259.0 x 328.0mm ( 39-7/8 x 10-3/16 x 12-7/8inch) 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) .
GoldenEar Triton Seven is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 8mm wider, 16mm taller and 41mm deeper than ELAC Uni-Fi FS U5 Slim.
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 Uni-Fi FS U5 Slim is approximately 849.5cm2 / 131.7inch2 and base area of the GoldenEar Triton Seven is approximately 985.2cm2 / 152.7inch2. The Uni-Fi FS U5 Slim requires 14% less surface area than the Triton Seven which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.