In this review, we will be comparing Sopra No.3 and Triton Five, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Focal and GoldenEar.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Focal Sopra No.3 and GoldenEar Triton Five first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Focal Sopra No.3 | GoldenEar Triton Five |
|---|
| Brand | Focal
France · founded 1979 | GoldenEar
United States · founded 2010 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1.1" Inverted Dome | Folded Ribbon |
|---|
| Midrange | 6.5" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 8.25" W sandwich | 2 x 6" Polypropylene |
|---|
| Frequency response | 33-40k Hz | 26-35k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 91.5 dB | 90 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 40-400 watts | 15-400 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 70.00kg / 154lbs | 18.18kg / 40lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 49-3/4" x 15-13/16" x 23-7/16"
1264.0 x 402.0 x 595.0mm | 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 Sopra No.3 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 Sopra No.3 |
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 Sopra No.3 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 Sopra No.3GoldenEar 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 Sopra No.3 |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.1-inch
|
-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 6.5-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 8.25-inch
|
2 x 6-inch
|
Sopra No.3 features a 1.1" Beryllium Inverted Dome Tweeter, a 6.5" Midrange and 2 x 8.25" W sandwich Woofer. On the other hand, the Triton Five features a " Folded Ribbon Tweeter and 2 x 6" Polypropylene Woofer.
Frequency Response
Sopra No.3 has a frequency range of 33-40k 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 Sopra No.3's min frequency of 33Hz.
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
Sopra No.3 and Triton Five have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Sopra No.3 sensitivity is rated at 91.5 dB and the Triton Five's is at 90 dB. This 2 dB difference makes the Focal Sopra No.3 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.
Both handle the same maximum of 400 watts RMS, though Sopra No.3 is rated 40-400 watts and Triton Five 15-400 watts.
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
Sopra No.3 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
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 Sopra No.3's and GoldenEar Triton Five's external dimensions. Focal Sopra No.3 has external dimensions of 1264.0 x 402.0 x 595.0mm (49-3/4 x 15-13/16 x 23-7/16inch) 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).
Focal Sopra No.3 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 121mm wider, 133mm taller and 174mm deeper than GoldenEar Triton Five.
Size, drawn to scale
Both speakers and both views share one scale, so everything here is directly comparable. Hover a box for its dimensions.
One scale for both, standing on the same surface and pushed back to the same wall, so the deeper one visibly sticks out further.
Focal Sopra No.3 needs about 102% more floor or shelf area. Focal Sopra No.3 is 174mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. Focal Sopra No.3 is 133mm 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 Focal Sopra No.3 is approximately 2391.9cm2 / 370.7inch2 and base area of the GoldenEar Triton Five is approximately 1183.0cm2 / 183.4inch2. The Sopra No.3 requires 102% 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 Sopra No.3 weighs 70.00kg / 154lbs and the GoldenEar Triton Five weighs 18.18kg / 40lbs. This makes the Sopra No.3 285% heavier than the Triton Five.
Here is a comparison of how Sopra No.3 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 |
8.25 inches
vs
6 inches
|
Larger woofer |
 High Frequency Response |
40k Hz
vs
35k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
|
Low Frequency Response |
26 Hz
vs
33 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 Passive Radiator |
four 8-inch infrasonic planar sub-bass
vs
None
|
Increases the bass performance |
 Height |
1131mm
vs
1264mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
1183cm2
vs
2391cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Price per pair* |
2398USD
vs
27998USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
Focal Sopra No.3 |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
| Brand |
Focal |
GoldenEar |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
40-400 watts |
15-400 watts |
| Sensitivity |
91.5 dB |
90 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
33-40k Hz |
26-35k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
8.25" |
6" |
| Woofer Composition |
W sandwich |
Polypropylene |
| Woofer Surround Material |
n/a |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1.1" |
- |
| Tweeter Type |
Inverted Dome |
Folded Ribbon |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
6.5" |
No |
| Firing Direction |
n/a |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1264.0mm (49.8") |
1131.0mm (44.5") |
| Width |
402.0mm (15.8") |
281.0mm (11.1") |
| Depth |
595.0mm (23.4") |
421.0mm (16.6") |
| Weight |
70.00kg (154lbs) |
18.18kg (40lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Passive Radiator |
| Finish |
n/a |
MDF/Lacquer |
| Available Colors |
n/a |
Gloss Black |
| Grille |
Yes |
n/a |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
No |
No |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
|
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
|
5 Years |
These sit in different price classes - Focal Sopra No.3 costs roughly 11.7x 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 33Hz. A subwoofer would even that out. |
| Amplifier needs | A | Focal Sopra No.3 is more sensitive (92dB vs 90dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Headroom | evenly matched | Similar power handling (400W vs 400W). |
| Size | depends | GoldenEar Triton Five is easier to place; Focal Sopra No.3 is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Cabinet | depends | Ported vs Passive Radiator. |
| Expandability | depends | Neither adds bi-amping, a sub output or height drivers. GoldenEar Triton Five sits in a wider range (7 models), so a matched surround system is easier later. |
| Price | B | GoldenEar Triton Five is cheaper - $2,398 against $27,998, about 91% less; arguably a different class. |
A Focal Sopra No.3 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?
Neither runs away with it - they trade advantages. Let the "depends" rows and your own room settle it. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 33Hz 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.