In this review, we will be comparing Triton Seven and SE 8000F, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from GoldenEar and Paradigm.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of GoldenEar Triton Seven and Paradigm SE 8000F first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | GoldenEar Triton Seven | Paradigm SE 8000F |
|---|
| Brand | GoldenEar
United States · founded 2010 | Paradigm
Canada · founded 1982 |
|---|
| Design | 2-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | Folded Ribbon | 1" |
|---|
| Midrange | — | 6.5" |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 5.25" Polypropylene | 3 x 8" Mineral-filled polypropylene |
|---|
| Frequency response | 29-35k Hz | 45-21k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 89 dB | 95 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 10-300 watts | 15-150 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 14.55kg / 32lbs | 31.36kg / 69lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 40-1/2" x 10-1/2" x 14-1/2"
1029.0 x 267.0 x 369.0mm | 46" x 11-3/4" x 17-3/4"
1169.0 x 299.0 x 451.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the GoldenEar Triton Seven and Paradigm SE 8000F 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 Seven |
Paradigm SE 8000F |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Good |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Average |
Poor |
(* 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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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 Seven is a 2-way design whereas the SE 8000F 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 SevenParadigm SE 8000F
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 Seven |
Paradigm SE 8000F |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
1 x 6.5-inch |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 5.25-inch
|
3 x 8-inch
|
Triton Seven features a " Folded Ribbon Tweeter and 2 x 5.25" Polypropylene Woofer. On the other hand, the SE 8000F features a 1" Tweeter, a 6.5" Midrange and 3 x 8" Mineral-filled polypropylene Woofer.
Frequency Response
Triton Seven has a frequency range of 29-35k Hz whereas SE 8000F has a frequency range of 45-21k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 29Hz, the Triton Seven can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the SE 8000F'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
Triton Seven and SE 8000F have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Triton Seven sensitivity is rated at 89 dB and the SE 8000F's is at 95 dB. This 6 dB difference makes the Paradigm SE 8000F a more sensitive speaker compared to GoldenEar Triton Seven, 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 Seven can handle a max power of 300 watts RMS, whereas SE 8000F has a max power handling value of 150 watts RMS, 150 watts less than the Triton Seven.
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 Seven features Post type posts and SE 8000F has a Post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Paradigm SE 8000F's Post terminals
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both Triton Seven and SE 8000F 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 Seven's and Paradigm SE 8000F's external dimensions. GoldenEar Triton Seven has external dimensions of 1029.0 x 267.0 x 369.0mm (40-1/2 x 10-1/2 x 14-1/2inch) whereas Paradigm SE 8000F has external dimensions of 1169.0 x 299.0 x 451.0mm (46 x 11-3/4 x 17-3/4inch).
Paradigm SE 8000F is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 32mm wider, 140mm taller and 82mm deeper than GoldenEar Triton Seven.
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 Seven is approximately 985.2cm2 / 152.7inch2 and base area of the Paradigm SE 8000F is approximately 1348.5cm2 / 209.0inch2. The Triton Seven requires 27% less surface area than the SE 8000F 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 GoldenEar Triton Seven weighs 14.55kg / 32lbs and the Paradigm SE 8000F weighs 31.36kg / 69lbs. This makes the SE 8000F 116% heavier than the Triton Seven.
Here is a comparison of how Triton Seven and SE 8000F'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 Seven?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of Triton Seven:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- 4 Rubber feet (pre-installed)
- 4 Spikes
- 4 Locking nuts
- Owners Manual
What's in the Box of Paradigm SE 8000F?
Here are the items that come with the SE 8000F:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
4 Rubber feet
4 Spike feet
Owner's Manual
Online Registration Card
Unboxing Instructions
 Max Input Power |
300 watts
vs
150 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Low Frequency Response |
29 Hz
vs
45 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
35k Hz
vs
21k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Passive Radiator |
dual 8-inch infrasonic planar sub-bass
vs
None
|
Increases the bass performance |
 Height |
1029mm
vs
1169mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
985cm2
vs
1348cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Driver Setup |
3-way
vs
2-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 Sensitivity |
95 dB
vs
89 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
|
Woofer Size |
8 inches
vs
5.25 inches
|
Larger woofer |
|
Number of Woofers |
3
vs
2
|
More woofers |
 Price per pair* |
1700USD
vs
1798USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
GoldenEar Triton Seven |
Paradigm Monitor SE 8000F |
| Brand |
GoldenEar |
Paradigm |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
10-300 watts |
15-150 watts |
| Sensitivity |
89 dB |
95 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
29-35k Hz |
45-21k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
3 |
| Woofer Size |
5.25" |
8" |
| Woofer Composition |
Polypropylene |
Mineral-filled polypropylene |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
- |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
Folded Ribbon |
n/a |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
No |
6.5" |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1029.0mm (40.5") |
1169.0mm (46") |
| Width |
267.0mm (10.5") |
299.0mm (11.8") |
| Depth |
369.0mm (14.5") |
451.0mm (17.8") |
| Weight |
14.55kg (32lbs) |
31.36kg (69lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Passive Radiator |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
MDF/Lacquer |
MDF/Vinyl |
| Available Colors |
Gloss Black |
Black |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
No |
No |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
A generation apart: Paradigm SE 8000F is the newer design, against a 2013 model. Newer is not automatically better, but the older one is more likely to be discounted or near run-out.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | A | GoldenEar Triton Seven digs deeper - 29Hz against 45Hz. |
| Amplifier needs | B | Paradigm SE 8000F is more sensitive (95dB vs 89dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Headroom | A | GoldenEar Triton Seven takes more power (300W vs 150W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size | depends | GoldenEar Triton Seven is easier to place; Paradigm SE 8000F is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Cabinet | depends | Passive Radiator vs Ported. |
| Price | evenly matched | Much the same money ($1,798 vs $1,700 a pair). |
A GoldenEar Triton Seven B Paradigm SE 8000F
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 Seven 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 Seven the better fit for a very large room, and Paradigm SE 8000F for a mid-size room.
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.