In this review, we will be comparing Triton Five and Oberon 9, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from GoldenEar and DALI.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of GoldenEar Triton Five and DALI Oberon 9 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | GoldenEar Triton Five | DALI Oberon 9 |
|---|
| Brand | GoldenEar
United States · founded 2010 | DALI
Denmark · founded 1983 |
|---|
| Design | 2-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | Folded Ribbon | 1.125" Soft-Dome |
|---|
| Midrange | — | 7" |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 6" Polypropylene | 2 x 9" Wood Fiber |
|---|
| Frequency response | 26-35k Hz | 35-26k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 90 dB | 90.5 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 4 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 15-400 watts | 50-400 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 18.18kg / 40lbs | 37.10kg / 81.6lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 44-1/2" x 11-1/16" x 16-9/16"
1131.0 x 281.0 x 421.0mm | 46-1/8" x 10-1/4" x 16"
1172.0 x 260.0 x 407.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the GoldenEar Triton Five and DALI Oberon 9 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* |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
DALI Oberon 9 |
| 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 Triton Five is a 2-way design whereas the Oberon 9 is a 3-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.
GoldenEar Triton FiveDALI Oberon 9
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
DALI Oberon 9 |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
-inch
|
1.125-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
1 x 7-inch |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 6-inch
|
2 x 9-inch
|
Triton Five features a " Folded Ribbon Tweeter and 2 x 6" Polypropylene Woofer. On the other hand, the Oberon 9 features a 1.125" Soft-Dome Tweeter, a 7" Midrange and 2 x 9" Wood Fiber Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 780Hz and 3400Hz.
Frequency Response
Triton Five has a frequency range of 26-35k Hz whereas Oberon 9 has a frequency range of 35-26k 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 Oberon 9's min frequency of 35Hz.
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
Triton Five is a 8 ohms speaker compared to the Oberon 9 which has a nominal impedance of 4 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 Oberon 9 can provide this impedance level.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Triton Five sensitivity is rated at 90 dB and the Oberon 9's is rated at 90.5 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the DALI Oberon 9 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 Triton Five is rated 15-400 watts and Oberon 9 50-400 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
Triton Five features Post type posts and Oberon 9 has a Post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
DALI Oberon 9's Post terminals
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both Triton Five and Oberon 9 have rear firing ports. Rear ported speakers generally need more room between the backside of the speaker and the wall compared to sealed and front/bottom ported speakers. Placing the speakers too close to the walls may cause the bass to sound boomy.
If you are limited in space and can't get the speakers away from the backwall, check our Speakers with Front Firing Ports page.
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 GoldenEar Triton Five's and DALI Oberon 9's external dimensions. 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) whereas DALI Oberon 9 has external dimensions of 1172.0 x 260.0 x 407.0mm (46-1/8 x 10-1/4 x 16inch).
DALI Oberon 9 is 21mm narrower and 14mm less deeper than GoldenEar Triton Five but it is also 41mm taller.
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.
GoldenEar Triton Five needs about 12% more floor or shelf area. DALI Oberon 9 is 41mm 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 GoldenEar Triton Five is approximately 1183.0cm2 / 183.4inch2 and base area of the DALI Oberon 9 is approximately 1058.2cm2 / 164.0inch2. The Triton Five requires 12% more surface area than the Oberon 9 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 GoldenEar Triton Five weighs 18.18kg / 40lbs and the DALI Oberon 9 weighs 37.10kg / 81.6lbs. This makes the Oberon 9 104% heavier than the Triton Five.
Here is a comparison of how Triton Five and Oberon 9'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 are included inside the box of Triton Five:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- 4 Rubber feet (pre-installed)
- 4 Spikes
- 4 Locking nuts
- Owners Manual
What's in the Box of DALI Oberon 9?
Here are the items that come with the Oberon 9:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- Grille
- 4 Rubber feet
- 4 Spike-feet
- 4 Hex-nuts
- Manua
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
4 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
 Low Frequency Response |
26 Hz
vs
35 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
35k Hz
vs
26k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Passive Radiator |
four 8-inch infrasonic planar sub-bass
vs
None
|
Increases the bass performance |
 Height |
1131mm
vs
1172mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Price per pair* |
2398USD
vs
4000USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
 Driver Setup |
3-way
vs
2-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 Sensitivity |
91 dB
vs
90 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
|
Woofer Size |
9 inches
vs
6 inches
|
Larger woofer |
 Base Surface Area |
1058cm2
vs
1183cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
| General |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
DALI Oberon 9 |
| Brand |
GoldenEar |
DALI |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
15-400 watts |
50-400 watts |
| Sensitivity |
90 dB |
90.5 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
4 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
26-35k Hz |
35-26k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
6" |
9" |
| Woofer Composition |
Polypropylene |
Wood Fiber |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
- |
1.125" |
| Tweeter Type |
Folded Ribbon |
Soft-Dome |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
No |
7" |
| Crossover Frequency |
n/a |
780Hz and 3400Hz |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1131.0mm (44.5") |
1172.0mm (46.1") |
| Width |
281.0mm (11.1") |
260.0mm (10.2") |
| Depth |
421.0mm (16.6") |
407.0mm (16") |
| Weight |
18.18kg (40lbs) |
37.10kg (81.6lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Passive Radiator |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
MDF/Lacquer |
MDF/Wood-grain vinyl |
| Available Colors |
Gloss Black |
Black Ash, Light Oak, Dark Walnut, White |
| Grille |
n/a |
Yes |
| 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 - DALI Oberon 9 costs roughly 1.7x 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 | A | GoldenEar Triton Five digs deeper - 26Hz against 35Hz. A subwoofer would even that out. |
| Amplifier needs | evenly matched | Similar sensitivity (90dB vs 91dB) - both want much the same power. |
| Amplifier match | A | GoldenEar Triton Five is the easier load at 8 ohms; the other is 4 ohms and wants an amplifier rated for it. |
| Headroom | evenly matched | Similar power handling (400W vs 400W). |
| Size | depends | Similar cabinet size - neither is easier to fit. |
| Cabinet | depends | Passive Radiator vs Ported. |
| Price | A | GoldenEar Triton Five is cheaper - $2,398 against $4,000, about 40% less; arguably a different class. |
A GoldenEar Triton Five B DALI Oberon 9
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 DALI Oberon 9 if its size, looks or fit in your room suit you better. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 35Hz anyway, so judge these on the other rows instead. 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.
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.