In this review, we will be comparing Triton Seven and Borea BR09, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from GoldenEar and Triangle.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of GoldenEar Triton Seven and Triangle Borea BR09 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | GoldenEar Triton Seven | Triangle Borea BR09 |
|---|
| Brand | GoldenEar
United States · founded 2010 | Triangle
France · founded 1980 |
|---|
| Design | 2-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | Folded Ribbon | 1" dome |
|---|
| Midrange | — | 6" |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 5.25" Polypropylene | 3 x 6" fiberglass |
|---|
| Frequency response | 29-35k Hz | 35 - 22k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 89 dB | 92.5 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 10-300 watts | up to 170 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 14.55kg / 32lbs | 21.80kg / 48lbs |
|---|
| 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 | 43.1" x 8.1" x 12.3"
1095.0 x 206.0 x 314.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the GoldenEar Triton Seven and Triangle Borea BR09 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 |
Triangle Borea BR09 |
| 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.
Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Triton Seven is a 2-way design whereas the Borea BR09 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 SevenTriangle Borea BR09
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 |
Triangle Borea BR09 |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
1 x 6-inch |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 5.25-inch
|
3 x 6-inch
|
Triton Seven features a " Folded Ribbon Tweeter and 2 x 5.25" Polypropylene Woofer. On the other hand, the Borea BR09 features a 1" silk dome Tweeter, a 6" Midrange and 3 x 6" fiberglass Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 310Hz and 3900Hz.
Frequency Response
Triton Seven has a frequency range of 29-35k Hz whereas Borea BR09 has a frequency range of 35 - 22k 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 Borea BR09'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 Seven and Borea BR09 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 Borea BR09's is at 92.5 dB. This 4 dB difference makes the Triangle Borea BR09 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 Borea BR09 has a max power handling value of 170 watts RMS, 130 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 Binding post type posts and Borea BR09 has a Binding post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Triangle Borea BR09's Binding post terminals
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Triton Seven has a rear firing port whereas Borea BR09 has a front firing ports. Triangle Borea BR09's front-firing port gives more flexibility in placement in regards to proximity to walls compared to GoldenEar Triton Seven with its rear-firing 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 Seven's and Triangle Borea BR09'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 Triangle Borea BR09 has external dimensions of 1095.0 x 206.0 x 314.0mm (43.1 x 8.1 x 12.3inch).
Triangle Borea BR09 is 61mm narrower and 55mm less deeper than GoldenEar Triton Seven but it is also 66mm 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 Seven is approximately 985.2cm2 / 152.7inch2 and base area of the Triangle Borea BR09 is approximately 646.8cm2 / 100.3inch2. The Triton Seven requires 52% more surface area than the Borea BR09 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 Seven weighs 14.55kg / 32lbs and the Triangle Borea BR09 weighs 21.80kg / 48lbs. This makes the Borea BR09 50% heavier than the Triton Seven.
Here is a comparison of how Triton Seven and Borea BR09'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 Triangle Borea BR09?
Here are the items that come with the Borea BR09:
- 2 x Borea speakers
- 2 x protections grids
- 2 x pedestals
- 8 x screws
- 8 x adhesive rubber plots
- 8 x decoupling spikes
- 1 x user manual
 Max Input Power |
300 watts
vs
170 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Low Frequency Response |
29 Hz
vs
35 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
35k Hz
vs
22k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Passive Radiator |
dual 8-inch infrasonic planar sub-bass
vs
None
|
Increases the bass performance |
 Height |
1029mm
vs
1095mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Price per pair* |
1798USD
vs
1850USD
|
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 |
93 dB
vs
89 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
|
Woofer Size |
6 inches
vs
5.25 inches
|
Larger woofer |
|
Number of Woofers |
3
vs
2
|
More woofers |
 Port Position |
Front
vs
Rear
|
Gives more flexibility placing close to walls |
 Base Surface Area |
646cm2
vs
985cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
| General |
GoldenEar Triton Seven |
Triangle Borea BR09 |
| Brand |
GoldenEar |
Triangle |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
10-300 watts |
up to 170 watts |
| Sensitivity |
89 dB |
92.5 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Impedance |
n/a |
3.3 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
29-35k Hz |
35 - 22k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
3 |
| Woofer Size |
5.25" |
6" |
| Woofer Composition |
Polypropylene |
fiberglass |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
n/a |
| Tweeter Size |
- |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
Folded Ribbon |
dome |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
No |
6" |
| Crossover Frequency |
n/a |
310Hz and 3900Hz |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
front |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1029.0mm (40.5") |
1095.0mm (43.1") |
| Width |
267.0mm (10.5") |
206.0mm (8.1") |
| Depth |
369.0mm (14.5") |
314.0mm (12.4") |
| Weight |
14.55kg (32lbs) |
21.80kg (48lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Passive Radiator |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
MDF/Lacquer |
n/a |
| Available Colors |
Gloss Black |
Light Oak, Walnut, Black, 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 |
A generation apart: Triangle Borea BR09 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 35Hz. A subwoofer would even that out. |
| Amplifier needs | B | Triangle Borea BR09 is more sensitive (93dB vs 89dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Headroom | A | GoldenEar Triton Seven takes more power (300W vs 170W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size | depends | Triangle Borea BR09 is easier to place; GoldenEar Triton Seven is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Cabinet | depends | Passive Radiator vs Ported. |
| Expandability | depends | Neither adds bi-amping, a sub output or height drivers. Triangle Borea BR09 sits in a wider range (11 models), so a matched surround system is easier later. |
| Price | evenly matched | Much the same money ($1,798 vs $1,850 a pair). |
A GoldenEar Triton Seven B Triangle Borea BR09
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 35Hz 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 Triangle Borea BR09 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.