In this review, we will be comparing Vela 2.0 VFS409.2-GB and Triton Five, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from ELAC and GoldenEar.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Elac Vela 2.0 VFS409.2-GB and GoldenEar Triton Five first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Elac Vela 2.0 VFS409.2-GB | GoldenEar Triton Five |
|---|
| Brand | ELAC
Germany · founded 1926 | GoldenEar
United States · founded 2010 |
|---|
| Design | 4-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | JET 6 AMT | Folded Ribbon |
|---|
| Midrange | 6" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 7" AS XR cone | 2 x 6" Polypropylene |
|---|
| Frequency response | 28-50k Hz | 26-35k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 89 dB | 90 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 4 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | Up to 280 watts | 15-400 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 32.10kg / 70.6lbs | 18.18kg / 40lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 51.5" x 10.9" x 13"
1307 x 276 x 332 mm | 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 Vela 2.0 VFS409.2-GB 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 Vela 2.0 VFS409.2-GB |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
| Near-field |
Are you nuts? |
Are you nuts? |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Average |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Good |
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 Vela 2.0 VFS409.2-GB is a 4-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 Vela 2.0 VFS409.2-GBGoldenEar Triton Five
MidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
Elac Vela 2.0 VFS409.2-GB |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
|
Driver Setup
|
4-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
-inch
|
-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 6-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 7-inch
|
2 x 6-inch
|
Vela 2.0 VFS409.2-GB features a " JET 6 AMT Tweeter, a 6" Midrange and 2 x 7" AS XR cone Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 140 Hz, 360 Hz, 2700 Hz. On the other hand, the Triton Five features a " Folded Ribbon Tweeter and 2 x 6" Polypropylene Woofer.
Frequency Response
Vela 2.0 VFS409.2-GB has a frequency range of 28-50k 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 Vela 2.0 VFS409.2-GB'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
Vela 2.0 VFS409.2-GB 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 Vela 2.0 VFS409.2-GB can provide this impedance level.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Vela 2.0 VFS409.2-GB sensitivity is rated at 89 dB and the Triton Five's is rated at 90 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the GoldenEar Triton Five a more sensitive speaker compared to Elac Vela 2.0 VFS409.2-GB, 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 Vela 2.0 VFS409.2-GB has a max power handling value of 280 watts RMS, 120 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.
Elac Vela 2.0 VFS409.2-GB
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Vela 2.0 VFS409.2-GB has a bottom firing port whereas Triton Five has a rear firing ports. Elac Vela 2.0 VFS409.2-GB's bottom-firing port gives more flexibility in placement in regards to proximity to walls compared to GoldenEar Triton Five with its rear-firing 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 Vela 2.0 VFS409.2-GB's and GoldenEar Triton Five's external dimensions. Elac Vela 2.0 VFS409.2-GB has external dimensions of 1307 x 276 x 332 mm (51.5 x 10.9 x 13 inches) 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).
Elac Vela 2.0 VFS409.2-GB is 5mm narrower and 89mm less deeper than GoldenEar Triton Five but it is also 176mm 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 Vela 2.0 VFS409.2-GB is approximately 916.3cm2 / 142.0inch2 and base area of the GoldenEar Triton Five is approximately 1183.0cm2 / 183.4inch2. The Vela 2.0 VFS409.2-GB requires 23% 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 Vela 2.0 VFS409.2-GB weighs 32.10kg / 70.6lbs and the GoldenEar Triton Five weighs 18.18kg / 40lbs. This makes the Vela 2.0 VFS409.2-GB 77% heavier than the Triton Five.
Here is a comparison of how Vela 2.0 VFS409.2-GB and Triton Five's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Floor-standing class.
Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers
Elac Vela 2.0 VFS409.2-GB
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 |
4-way
vs
2-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 Woofer Size |
7 inches
vs
6 inches
|
Larger woofer |
 High Frequency Response |
50k Hz
vs
35k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Base Surface Area |
916cm2
vs
1183cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Max Input Power |
400 watts
vs
280 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Sensitivity |
90 dB
vs
89 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 |
 Passive Radiator |
four 8-inch infrasonic planar sub-bass
vs
None
|
Increases the bass performance |
 Height |
1131mm
vs
1307mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Price per pair* |
2398USD
vs
7999USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
Elac Vela 2.0 VFS409.2-GB |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
| Brand |
ELAC |
GoldenEar |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
Up to 280 watts |
15-400 watts |
| Sensitivity |
89 dB |
90 dB |
| Impedance |
4 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Impedance |
3.4 ohms |
n/a |
| Frequency Response |
28-50k Hz |
26-35k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
7" |
6" |
| Woofer Composition |
AS XR cone |
Polypropylene |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
- |
- |
| Tweeter Type |
JET 6 AMT |
Folded Ribbon |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
6" |
No |
| Crossover Frequency |
140 Hz, 360 Hz, 2700 Hz |
n/a |
| Firing Direction |
bottom |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1307.0mm (51.5") |
1131.0mm (44.5") |
| Width |
276.0mm (10.9") |
281.0mm (11.1") |
| Depth |
332.0mm (13.1") |
421.0mm (16.6") |
| Weight |
32.10kg (70.6lbs) |
18.18kg (40lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Passive Radiator |
| Finish |
n/a |
MDF/Lacquer |
| Available Colors |
Black High Gloss, White High Gloss, Walnut High Gloss |
Gloss Black |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
n/a |
No |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
|
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
|
5 Years |
These sit in different price classes - Elac Vela 2.0 VFS409.2-GB costs roughly 3.3x 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 | evenly matched | Similar sensitivity (89dB vs 90dB) - both want much the same power. |
| 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 | B | GoldenEar Triton Five takes more power (400W vs 280W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| 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 $7,999, about 70% less; arguably a different class. |
A Elac Vela 2.0 VFS409.2-GB 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 Elac Vela 2.0 VFS409.2-GB if its size, looks or fit in your room suit you better. 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. Think about the whole system, not just the speakers: the roughly $5,601 saved by taking the cheaper pair would buy a subwoofer or a better amplifier, and either usually does more for the sound than the difference between these two.
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.