In this review, we will be comparing Aria Evo X No2 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 Evo X No2 and GoldenEar Triton Five first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Focal Aria Evo X No2 | GoldenEar Triton Five |
|---|
| Brand | Focal
France · founded 1979 | GoldenEar
United States · founded 2010 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" inverted dome | Folded Ribbon |
|---|
| Midrange | 6.5" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 6.5" Flax | 2 x 6" Polypropylene |
|---|
| Frequency response | 45-30kHz | 26-35k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 91.5 dB | 90 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 40-250 watts | 15-400 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 25.00kg / 55lbs | 18.18kg / 40lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 40-3/4" x 11-5/8" x 14-5/8"
103.5 x 29.4 x 37.1 cm | 44-1/2" x 11-1/16" x 16-9/16"
1131.0 x 281.0 x 421.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the Focal Aria Evo X No2 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* |
Focal Aria Evo X No2 |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Are you nuts? |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Average |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Average |
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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Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Aria Evo X No2 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.
Focal Aria Evo X No2GoldenEar 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 |
Focal Aria Evo X No2 |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 6.5-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 6.5-inch
|
2 x 6-inch
|
Aria Evo X No2 features a 1" Al/Mg inverted dome Tweeter, a 6.5" Midrange and 2 x 6.5" Flax Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 290 Hz - 2400 Hz. On the other hand, the Triton Five features a " Folded Ribbon Tweeter and 2 x 6" Polypropylene Woofer.
Frequency Response
Aria Evo X No2 has a frequency range of 45-30kHz 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 Evo X No2's min frequency of 45Hz.
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
Aria Evo X No2 and Triton Five have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Aria Evo X No2 sensitivity is rated at 91.5 dB and the Triton Five's is at 90 dB. This 2 dB difference makes the Focal Aria Evo X No2 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. 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 Aria Evo X No2 has a max power handling value of 250 watts RMS, 150 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
Aria Evo X No2 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.
Focal Aria Evo X No2's Binding post terminals
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Aria Evo X No2 has a front firing port whereas Triton Five has a rear firing ports. Focal Aria Evo X No2's front-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 Focal Aria Evo X No2's and GoldenEar Triton Five's external dimensions. Focal Aria Evo X No2 has external dimensions of 103.5 x 29.4 x 37.1 cm (40-¾ x 11-5/8 x 14-⅝) 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).
Focal Aria Evo X No2 is 96mm shorter and 50mm less deeper than GoldenEar Triton Five but it is also 13mm wider.
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 Evo X No2 is approximately 1090.7cm2 / 169.1inch2 and base area of the GoldenEar Triton Five is approximately 1183.0cm2 / 183.4inch2. The Aria Evo X No2 requires 8% 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 Focal Aria Evo X No2 weighs 25.00kg / 55lbs and the GoldenEar Triton Five weighs 18.18kg / 40lbs. This makes the Aria Evo X No2 38% heavier than the Triton Five.
Here is a comparison of how Aria Evo X No2 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 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 |
 Sensitivity |
92 dB
vs
90 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Woofer Size |
6.5 inches
vs
6 inches
|
Larger woofer |
 Port Position |
Front
vs
Rear
|
Gives more flexibility placing close to walls |
 Height |
1035mm
vs
1131mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
1090cm2
vs
1183cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Max Input Power |
400 watts
vs
250 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
|
Low Frequency Response |
26 Hz
vs
45 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
35k Hz
vs
30k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Passive Radiator |
four 8-inch infrasonic planar sub-bass
vs
None
|
Increases the bass performance |
 Price per pair* |
2398USD
vs
4798USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
Focal Aria Evo X No2 |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
| Brand |
Focal |
GoldenEar |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
40-250 watts |
15-400 watts |
| Sensitivity |
91.5 dB |
90 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Impedance |
2.9 ohms |
n/a |
| Frequency Response |
45-30kHz |
26-35k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
6.5" |
6" |
| Woofer Composition |
Flax |
Polypropylene |
| Woofer Surround Material |
TMD |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
- |
| Tweeter Type |
inverted dome |
Folded Ribbon |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
6.5" |
No |
| Crossover Frequency |
290 Hz - 2400 Hz |
n/a |
| Firing Direction |
front |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1035.0mm (40.7") |
1131.0mm (44.5") |
| Width |
294.0mm (11.6") |
281.0mm (11.1") |
| Depth |
371.0mm (14.6") |
421.0mm (16.6") |
| Weight |
25.00kg (55lbs) |
18.18kg (40lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Passive Radiator |
| Finish |
n/a |
MDF/Lacquer |
| Available Colors |
Black High Gloss, Prime Walnut, Moss Green High Gloss |
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 |
These sit in different price classes - Focal Aria Evo X No2 costs roughly 2x 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 | B | GoldenEar Triton Five digs deeper - 26Hz against 45Hz. |
| Amplifier needs | A | Focal Aria Evo X No2 is more sensitive (92dB vs 90dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Headroom | B | GoldenEar Triton Five takes more power (400W vs 250W) - 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 $4,798, about 50% less; arguably a different class. |
A Focal Aria Evo X No2 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 45Hz anyway, so judge these on the other rows instead. Match it to your room: we rate GoldenEar Triton Five the better fit for a very large room; elsewhere the two are rated the same.
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.