In this review, we will be comparing UFR52 and Triton Five, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from ELAC and GoldenEar.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of ELAC Uni-Fi Ref UFR52 and GoldenEar Triton Five first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | ELAC Uni-Fi Ref UFR52 | GoldenEar Triton Five |
|---|
| Brand | ELAC
Germany · founded 1926 | GoldenEar
United States · founded 2010 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" soft dome | Folded Ribbon |
|---|
| Midrange | 4" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 3 x 5.25" Aluminum | 2 x 6" Polypropylene |
|---|
| Frequency response | 40-35k Hz | 26-35k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 86 dB | 90 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 6 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | up to 140 watts | 15-400 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 23.80kg / 52.4lbs | 18.18kg / 40lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 39-9/16" x 9-1/4" x 13-5/16"
1005.0 x 235.0 x 339.0mm | 44-1/2" x 11-1/16" x 16-9/16"
1131.0 x 281.0 x 421.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the ELAC Uni-Fi Ref UFR52 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* |
ELAC Uni-Fi Ref UFR52 |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Are you nuts? |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
Average |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Poor |
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.
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through our links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that UFR52 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.
ELAC Uni-Fi Ref UFR52GoldenEar 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 |
ELAC Uni-Fi Ref UFR52 |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 4-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
3 x 5.25-inch
|
2 x 6-inch
|
UFR52 features a 1" soft dome Tweeter, a 4" Midrange and 3 x 5.25" Aluminum Woofer. On the other hand, the Triton Five features a " Folded Ribbon Tweeter and 2 x 6" Polypropylene Woofer.
Frequency Response
UFR52 has a frequency range of 40-35k 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 UFR52's min frequency of 40Hz.
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
UFR52 is a 6 ohms speaker compared to the Triton Five which has a nominal impedance of 8 ohms.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. UFR52 sensitivity is rated at 86 dB and the Triton Five's is rated at 90 dB. This 4 dB difference makes the GoldenEar Triton Five a more sensitive speaker compared to ELAC Uni-Fi Ref UFR52, 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 Five can handle a max power of 400 watts RMS, whereas UFR52 has a max power handling value of 140 watts RMS, 260 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
UFR52 features Binding post posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. Triton Five has a 5-way Post which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
ELAC Uni-Fi Ref UFR52's Binding post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
ELAC Uni-Fi Ref UFR52 Port
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 Uni-Fi Ref UFR52's and GoldenEar Triton Five's external dimensions. ELAC Uni-Fi Ref UFR52 has external dimensions of 1005.0 x 235.0 x 339.0mm (39-9/16 x 9-1/4 x 13-5/16inch) 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).
GoldenEar Triton Five is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 46mm wider, 126mm taller and 82mm deeper than ELAC Uni-Fi Ref UFR52.
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 Ref UFR52 is approximately 796.7cm2 / 123.5inch2 and base area of the GoldenEar Triton Five is approximately 1183.0cm2 / 183.4inch2. The UFR52 requires 33% 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 ELAC Uni-Fi Ref UFR52 weighs 23.80kg / 52.4lbs and the GoldenEar Triton Five weighs 18.18kg / 40lbs. This makes the UFR52 31% heavier than the Triton Five.
Here is a comparison of how UFR52 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 ELAC Uni-Fi Ref UFR52?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of UFR52:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- Grille
- 2 Jumper-bars (pre-installed)
- 2 Stabilizer-bars
- 4 Spike feet
- 4 Protective discs
- 4 Knobs
- 6 Machine screws
- Hex-key
- Operating Instructions
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 |
 Number of Woofers |
3
vs
2
|
More woofers |
 Bi-Amping and Bi-Wiring |
Yes
vs
No
|
Allows bi-amping and bi-wiring connections |
 Height |
1005mm
vs
1131mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
796cm2
vs
1183cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Max Input Power |
400 watts
vs
140 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Sensitivity |
90 dB
vs
86 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
6 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
|
Woofer Size |
6 inches
vs
5.25 inches
|
Larger woofer |
|
Low Frequency Response |
26 Hz
vs
40 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 Passive Radiator |
four 8-inch infrasonic planar sub-bass
vs
None
|
Increases the bass performance |
 Price per pair* |
2398USD
vs
2400USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
ELAC Uni-Fi Reference UFR52 |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
| Brand |
ELAC |
GoldenEar |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
up to 140 watts |
15-400 watts |
| Sensitivity |
86 dB |
90 dB |
| Impedance |
6 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
40-35k Hz |
26-35k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
3 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
5.25" |
6" |
| Woofer Composition |
Aluminum |
Polypropylene |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
- |
| Tweeter Type |
soft dome |
Folded Ribbon |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
4" |
No |
| Firing Direction |
n/a |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1005.0mm (39.6") |
1131.0mm (44.5") |
| Width |
235.0mm (9.3") |
281.0mm (11.1") |
| Depth |
339.0mm (13.3") |
421.0mm (16.6") |
| Weight |
23.80kg (52.4lbs) |
18.18kg (40lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Passive Radiator |
| Finish |
MDF/Wood-grain vinyl |
MDF/Lacquer |
| Available Colors |
Satin Black with Walnut Sides, Satin White with Oak Sides |
Gloss Black |
| Grille |
Yes |
n/a |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
Yes |
No |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
3 Years |
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
3 Years |
5 Years |
A generation apart: ELAC Uni-Fi Ref UFR52 is the newer design, against a 2014 model. Newer is not automatically better, but the older one is more likely to be discounted or near run-out.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | B | GoldenEar Triton Five digs deeper - 26Hz against 40Hz. |
| Amplifier needs | B | GoldenEar Triton Five is more sensitive (90dB vs 86dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Amplifier match | B | GoldenEar Triton Five is the easier load at 8 ohms. |
| Headroom | B | GoldenEar Triton Five takes more power (400W vs 140W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size | depends | ELAC Uni-Fi Ref UFR52 is easier to place; GoldenEar Triton Five is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Cabinet | depends | Ported vs Passive Radiator. |
| Expandability | depends | ELAC Uni-Fi Ref UFR52: bi-amping. GoldenEar Triton Five sits in a wider range (7 models), so a matched surround system is easier later. |
| Price | evenly matched | Much the same money ($2,400 vs $2,398 a pair). |
A ELAC Uni-Fi Ref UFR52 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 has the edge on paper, though the margin is not large. The rows marked "depends" may matter more to you than the score does. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 40Hz anyway, so judge these on the other rows instead. Match it to your room: we rate ELAC Uni-Fi Ref UFR52 the better fit for a mid-size room, and GoldenEar Triton Five 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.