In this review, we will be comparing Triton Three+ 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 Three+ and DALI Oberon 9 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
GoldenEar Triton Three+ Key Specs
- 3-way Design
- " High-Velocity Folded Ribbon Tweeter
- 4.5" Midrange
- 5" Polymer Woofer
- 21-35k Hz Frequency Response
- 90 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 8ohms
- Power Range:20-400watts
- Weight:20.45kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 1131.0" x 11-5/8" x 17-9/16"( 1131.0 x 296.0 x 447.0mm )
DALI Oberon 9 Key Specs
- 3-way Design
- 1.125" Soft-Dome Tweeter
- 7" Midrange
- 2 x 9" Wood Fiber Woofer
- 7" Midrange
- 35-26k Hz Frequency Response
- 90.5 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 4ohms
- Power Range:50-400watts
- Weight:37.10kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 1172.0" x 10-1/4" x 16"( 1172.0 x 260.0 x 407.0mm )
What size room are the GoldenEar Triton Three+ 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 Three+ |
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.)
In the following sections, we will get into more detail in order to better understand how the GoldenEar Triton Three+ and DALI Oberon 9 compare and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one of these loudspeakers is the better choice for you.
**This post contains affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking
through my links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Drivers
Both Triton Three+ and Oberon 9 are 3-way speakers.
| Driver |
GoldenEar Triton Three+ |
DALI Oberon 9 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
-inch
|
1.125-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 4.5-inch |
1 x 7-inch |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 5-inch
|
2 x 9-inch
|
Triton Three+ features a " High-Velocity Folded Ribbon Tweeter , a 4.5" Midrange and 1 x 5" Polymer 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 Three+ has a frequency range of 21-35k Hz whereas Oberon 9 has a frequency range of 35-26k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 21Hz, the Triton Three+ can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Oberon 9's min frequency of 35Hz.
Below graphs depict how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average values of the Min and Max Frequencies of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
High Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
None of these speakers achieves full range experience which is commonly agreed as 20Hz-20kHz. In order to achieve lower lows / deeper bass, we recommend you pair these with a subwoofer. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Impedance and Sensitivity
Triton Three+ 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 Three+ 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 Three+, 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. While using
an amplifier within this range ensures the nominal performance , inputting a power that is higher than the
max wattage can result in a damaged speaker.
Keep in mind that a higher max power handling value doesn't necessarily make that a louder speaker
compared to a lower max handling speaker. Loudness or the sound level is also impacted by parameters
such as Impedance, sensitivity and system efficiencies.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Triton Three+ 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
Physical Specs
Size of a speaker can sometimes become 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 Three+'s and DALI Oberon 9's external dimensions. GoldenEar Triton Three+ has external dimensions of 1131.0 x 296.0 x 447.0mm ( 44-1/2 x 11-5/8 x 17-9/16inch) 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 36mm narrower and 40mm less deeper than GoldenEar Triton Three+ but it is also 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 Three+ is approximately 1323.1cm2 / 205.1inch2 and base area of the DALI Oberon 9 is approximately 1058.2cm2 / 164.0inch2. The Triton Three+ requires 25% more surface area than the Oberon 9 which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.