In this review, we will be comparing Triton Five and Opticon 8 MK2, 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 Opticon 8 II first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | GoldenEar Triton Five | DALI Opticon 8 II |
|---|
| Brand | GoldenEar
United States · founded 2010 | DALI
Denmark · founded 1983 |
|---|
| Design | 2-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | Folded Ribbon | 17 x 45 mm ribbon + 1.125" Soft-dome + ribbon Hybrid |
|---|
| Midrange | — | 6.5" |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 6" Polypropylene | 2 x 8" Wood Fiber |
|---|
| Frequency response | 26-35k Hz | 38-30k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 90 dB | 88 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 4 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 15-400 watts | 40-300 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 | 45-1/4" x 9-1/2" x 18-1/16"
1150.0 x 245.0 x 459.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the GoldenEar Triton Five and DALI Opticon 8 II 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 Opticon 8 II |
| Near-field |
Are you nuts? |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Average |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Good |
Average |
(* 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.
**This post contains affiliate links, and we will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking
through our links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Triton Five is a 2-way design whereas the Opticon 8 MK2 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 Opticon 8 II
MidrangeWoofer
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 Opticon 8 II |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
-inch
|
17 x 45 mm ribbon + 1.125-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
1 x 6.5-inch |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 6-inch
|
2 x 8-inch
|
Triton Five features a " Folded Ribbon Tweeter and 2 x 6" Polypropylene Woofer. On the other hand, the Opticon 8 MK2 features a 17 x 45 mm ribbon + 1.125" Soft-dome + ribbon Hybrid Tweeter, a 6.5" Midrange and 2 x 8" Wood Fiber Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 380Hz, 2200Hz and 14,000Hz.
Frequency Response
Triton Five has a frequency range of 26-35k Hz whereas Opticon 8 MK2 has a frequency range of 38-30k 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 Opticon 8 MK2's min frequency of 38Hz.
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 Opticon 8 MK2 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 Opticon 8 MK2 can provide this impedance level.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Triton Five sensitivity is rated at 90 dB and the Opticon 8 MK2's is rated at 88 dB. This 2 dB difference makes the GoldenEar Triton Five a more sensitive speaker compared to DALI Opticon 8 II, 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 Opticon 8 MK2 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
Opticon 8 MK2 features Post posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. Triton Five has a 5-way Post which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
DALI Opticon 8 II's Post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both Triton Five and Opticon 8 MK2 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.
DALI Opticon 8 II 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 GoldenEar Triton Five's and DALI Opticon 8 II'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 Opticon 8 II has external dimensions of 1150.0 x 245.0 x 459.0mm (45-1/4 x 9-1/2 x 18-1/16inch).
GoldenEar Triton Five is 19mm shorter and 38mm less deeper than DALI Opticon 8 II but it is also 36mm 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 GoldenEar Triton Five is approximately 1183.0cm2 / 183.4inch2 and base area of the DALI Opticon 8 II is approximately 1124.6cm2 / 174.3inch2. The Triton Five requires 5% more surface area than the Opticon 8 MK2 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 Opticon 8 II weighs 37.10kg / 81.6lbs. This makes the Opticon 8 MK2 104% heavier than the Triton Five.
Here is a comparison of how Triton Five and Opticon 8 MK2'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 Opticon 8 II?
Here are the items that come with the Opticon 8 MK2:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- Grille
- 2 Binding post jumpers (pre-installed)
- 4 Outrigger feet
- 4 Spikes (with lock nuts)
- 4 Rubber pads
- 4 Screws
- Hex-key
- Wrench
- Quick Start Guide
- Congratulations Card
 Max Input Power |
400 watts
vs
300 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Sensitivity |
90 dB
vs
88 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
4 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
 Low Frequency Response |
26 Hz
vs
38 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 |
 Height |
1131mm
vs
1150mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Price per pair* |
2398USD
vs
4200USD
|
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 |
|
Woofer Size |
8 inches
vs
6 inches
|
Larger woofer |
 Bi-Amping and Bi-Wiring |
Yes
vs
No
|
Allows bi-amping and bi-wiring connections |
 Base Surface Area |
1124cm2
vs
1183cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
| General |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
DALI Opticon 8 MK2 |
| Brand |
GoldenEar |
DALI |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
15-400 watts |
40-300 watts |
| Sensitivity |
90 dB |
88 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
4 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
26-35k Hz |
38-30k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
6" |
8" |
| Woofer Composition |
Polypropylene |
Wood Fiber |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
- |
17 x 45 mm ribbon + 1.125" |
| Tweeter Type |
Folded Ribbon |
Soft-dome + ribbon Hybrid |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
No |
6.5" |
| Crossover Frequency |
n/a |
380Hz, 2200Hz and 14,000Hz |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1131.0mm (44.5") |
1150.0mm (45.3") |
| Width |
281.0mm (11.1") |
245.0mm (9.6") |
| Depth |
421.0mm (16.6") |
459.0mm (18.1") |
| Weight |
18.18kg (40lbs) |
37.10kg (81.6lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Passive Radiator |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
MDF/Lacquer |
MDF/Wood-grain vinyl |
| Available Colors |
Gloss Black |
Satin Black, Tobacco Oak, Satin White |
| Grille |
n/a |
Yes |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
No |
Yes |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
These sit in different price classes - DALI Opticon 8 II costs roughly 1.8x 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 | A | GoldenEar Triton Five digs deeper - 26Hz against 38Hz. |
| Amplifier needs | A | GoldenEar Triton Five is more sensitive (90dB vs 88dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| 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 | A | 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 | Passive Radiator vs Ported. |
| Expandability | B | DALI Opticon 8 II: bi-amping. |
| Price | A | GoldenEar Triton Five is cheaper - $2,398 against $4,200, about 43% less; arguably a different class. |
A GoldenEar Triton Five B DALI Opticon 8 II
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 Opticon 8 II 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 38Hz 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.