In this review, we will be comparing Aria K2 936K2 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 K2 936K2 and GoldenEar Triton Five first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Focal Aria K2 936K2 | 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 | 3 x 6.5" K2 aramid fiber/fiberglass | 2 x 6" Polypropylene |
|---|
| Frequency response | 39-28k Hz | 26-35k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 92 dB | 90 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 50-300 watts | 15-400 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 29.09kg / 64lbs | 18.18kg / 40lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 45-3/16" x 11-9/16" x 14-11/16"
1148.0 x 294.0 x 374.0mm | 44-1/2" x 11-1/16" x 16-9/16"
1131.0 x 281.0 x 421.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the Focal Aria K2 936K2 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 K2 936K2 |
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.
Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Aria K2 936K2 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 K2 936K2GoldenEar 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 K2 936K2 |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 6.5-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
3 x 6.5-inch
|
2 x 6-inch
|
Aria K2 936K2 features a 1" aluminum/magnesium with waveguide inverted dome Tweeter, a 6.5" Midrange and 3 x 6.5" K2 aramid fiber/fiberglass Woofer. On the other hand, the Triton Five features a " Folded Ribbon Tweeter and 2 x 6" Polypropylene Woofer.
Frequency Response
Aria K2 936K2 has a frequency range of 39-28k 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 K2 936K2's min frequency of 39Hz.
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 K2 936K2 and Triton Five have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Aria K2 936K2 sensitivity is rated at 92 dB and the Triton Five's is at 90 dB. This 2 dB difference makes the Focal Aria K2 936K2 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 K2 936K2 has a max power handling value of 300 watts RMS, 100 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 K2 936K2 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 K2 936K2's Binding post terminals
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 K2 936K2's and GoldenEar Triton Five's external dimensions. Focal Aria K2 936K2 has external dimensions of 1148.0 x 294.0 x 374.0mm (45-3/16 x 11-9/16 x 14-11/16inch) 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 13mm narrower and 17mm shorter than Focal Aria K2 936K2 but it is also 47mm deeper.
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 K2 936K2 is approximately 1099.6cm2 / 170.4inch2 and base area of the GoldenEar Triton Five is approximately 1183.0cm2 / 183.4inch2. The Aria K2 936K2 requires 7% 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 K2 936K2 weighs 29.09kg / 64lbs and the GoldenEar Triton Five weighs 18.18kg / 40lbs. This makes the Aria K2 936K2 60% heavier than the Triton Five.
Here is a comparison of how Aria K2 936K2 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 K2 936K2?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of Aria K2 936K2:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- Grille
- Base
- 4 Spike feet (pre-installed in base)
- 4 Plastic feet
- 4 Screws
- Allen-key
- Hex-tool
- User Manual
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 |
|
Number of Woofers |
3
vs
2
|
More woofers |
 Base Surface Area |
1099cm2
vs
1183cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Max Input Power |
400 watts
vs
300 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
|
Low Frequency Response |
26 Hz
vs
39 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
1148mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Price per pair* |
2398USD
vs
6598USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
Focal Aria K2 936K2 |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
| Brand |
Focal |
GoldenEar |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
50-300 watts |
15-400 watts |
| Sensitivity |
92 dB |
90 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Impedance |
2.8 ohms |
n/a |
| Frequency Response |
39-28k Hz |
26-35k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
3 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
6.5" |
6" |
| Woofer Composition |
K2 aramid fiber/fiberglass |
Polypropylene |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
- |
| Tweeter Type |
inverted dome |
Folded Ribbon |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
6.5" |
No |
| Firing Direction |
n/a |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1148.0mm (45.2") |
1131.0mm (44.5") |
| Width |
294.0mm (11.6") |
281.0mm (11.1") |
| Depth |
374.0mm (14.7") |
421.0mm (16.6") |
| Weight |
29.09kg (64lbs) |
18.18kg (40lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Passive Radiator |
| Finish |
MDF/Glass/Leather |
MDF/Lacquer |
| Available Colors |
Grey |
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 K2 936K2 costs roughly 2.8x 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 39Hz. |
| Amplifier needs | A | Focal Aria K2 936K2 is more sensitive (92dB vs 90dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Headroom | B | GoldenEar Triton Five takes more power (400W vs 300W) - 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 $6,598, about 64% less; arguably a different class. |
A Focal Aria K2 936K2 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 39Hz 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.