In this review, we will be comparing Aria 948 and Triton Five, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Focal and GoldenEar. Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Focal Aria 948 and GoldenEar Triton Five first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
What size room are the Focal Aria 948 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:
In the following sections, we will get into more detail in order to better understand how the Focal Aria 948 and GoldenEar Triton Five compare and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one of these loudspeakers is the better choice for you.
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Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Aria 948 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.
| Driver |
Focal Aria 948 |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 6.5-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 8.25-inch
|
2 x 6-inch
|
Aria 948 features a 1" TNF Al/Mg inverted dome Tweeter , a 6.5" Midrange and 2 x 8.25" Flax Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 280Hz and 2,600Hz. On the other hand, the Triton Five features a " Folded Ribbon Tweeter and 2 x 6" Polypropylene Woofer .
Frequency Response
Aria 948 has a frequency range of 37-28k 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 Aria 948's min frequency of 37Hz.
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
Aria 948 and Triton Five have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Aria 948 sensitivity is rated at 92.5 dB and the Triton Five's is at 90 dB. This 3 dB difference makes the Focal Aria 948 a more sensitive speaker compared to GoldenEar Triton Five, 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.
Aria 948 can handle a max power of 400 watts RMS from the amp the whereas Aria 948 has a max power handling value of 350 watts RMS , 50 watts less than the Triton Five.
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
Aria 948 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.
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 Focal Aria 948's and GoldenEar Triton Five's external dimensions. Focal Aria 948 has external dimensions of 1150.0 x 372.0 x 421.0mm ( 45-1/4 x 14-5/8 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) .
GoldenEar Triton Five is 91mm narrower and 19mm shorter than Focal Aria 948 but they have the same thickness of 421.0mm.
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 Focal Aria 948 is approximately 1566.1cm2 / 242.7inch2 and base area of the GoldenEar Triton Five is approximately 1183.0cm2 / 183.4inch2. The Aria 948 requires 32% more surface area than the Triton Five which gives it a small disadvantage 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 Focal Aria 948 weighs 35.00kg / 77lbs and the GoldenEar Triton Five weighs 18.18kg / 40lbs. This makes the Aria 948 93% heavier than the Triton Five.
Here is a comparison of how Aria 948 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 Focal Aria 948?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of Aria 948:
Floorstanding loudspeakerGrilleBase4 Spike feet (pre-installed in base)4 Plastic feet4 ScrewsAllen-keyHex-toolUser Manual
What's in the Box of GoldenEar Triton Five?
Here are the items that come with the Triton Five:
Floorstanding loudspeaker4 Rubber feet (pre-installed)4 Spikes4 Locking nutsOwners Manual
 Driver Setup |
3-way
vs
2-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 Sensitivity |
93 dB
vs
90 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Woofer Size |
8.25 inches
vs
6 inches
|
Larger woofer |
 Max Input Power |
400 watts
vs
350 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
| Low Frequency Response |
26 Hz
vs
37 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
35k Hz
vs
28k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Passive Radiator |
four 8-inch infrasonic planar sub-bass
vs
None
|
Increases the bass performance |
 Height |
1131mm
vs
1150mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
1183cm2 (281x421mm)
vs
1566cm2 (372x421mm)
|
Takes less floor space |
 Price per pair* |
2398USD
vs
6598USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
Focal Aria 948 |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
| Brand |
Focal |
GoldenEar |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
50-350 watts |
15-400 watts |
| Sensitivity |
92.5 dB |
90 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Impedance |
2.5 ohms |
n/a |
| Frequency Response |
37-28k Hz |
26-35k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
8.25" |
6" |
| Woofer Composition |
Flax |
Polypropylene |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
- |
| Tweeter Type |
inverted dome |
Folded Ribbon |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
6.5" |
No |
| Crossover Frequency |
280Hz and 2,600Hz |
n/a |
| Firing Direction |
n/a |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1150.0mm (45.3") |
1131.0mm (44.5") |
| Width |
372.0mm (14.6") |
281.0mm (11.1") |
| Depth |
421.0mm (16.6") |
421.0mm (16.6") |
| Weight |
35.00kg (77lbs) |
18.18kg (40lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Passive Radiator |
| Finish |
MDF/Glass/Leather |
MDF/Lacquer |
| Available Colors |
Gloss Black |
Gloss Black |
| Grille |
Yes |
n/a |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
No |
No |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |