In this review, we will be comparing Triton Two+ and Triton One.R, two Passive Floor-standing speakers by GoldenEar.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of GoldenEar Triton Two+ and GoldenEar Triton One.R first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | GoldenEar Triton Two+ | GoldenEar Triton One.R |
|---|
| Brand | GoldenEar
United States · founded 2010 | GoldenEar
United States · founded 2010 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | High-Velocity Folded Ribbon | High-Velocity Folded Ribbon |
|---|
| Midrange | 4.5" | 5.25" |
|---|
| Woofer | 5" Polymer | 5" Polymer |
|---|
| Frequency response | 16-35k Hz | 13-35k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 91 dB | 92 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 20-500 watts | 20-650 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 27.27kg / 60lbs | 36.36kg / 80lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 48-1/2" x 11-11/16" x 19-1/8"
1232.0 x 297.0 x 486.0mm | 54-1/8" x 12-3/8" x 20-5/16"
1375.0 x 315.0 x 516.0mm |
|---|
Triton Two+ and Triton One.R are members of GoldenEar's Triton series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
GoldenEar Triton Series
History
What size room are the GoldenEar Triton Two+ and GoldenEar Triton One.R 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 Two+ |
GoldenEar Triton One.R |
| 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
Both Triton Two+ and Triton One.R are 3-way speakers.
GoldenEar Triton Two+GoldenEar Triton One.R
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 Two+ |
GoldenEar Triton One.R |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
-inch
|
-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 4.5-inch |
1 x 5.25-inch |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 5-inch
|
1 x 5-inch
|
Triton Two+ features a " High-Velocity Folded Ribbon Tweeter, a 4.5" Midrange and 1 x 5" Polymer Woofer. On the other hand, the Triton One.R features a " High-Velocity Folded Ribbon Tweeter, a 5.25" Midrange and 1 x 5" Polymer Woofer.
Frequency Response
Triton Two+ has a frequency range of 16-35k Hz whereas Triton One.R has a frequency range of 13-35k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 13Hz, the Triton One.R can go slightly deeper then the Triton Two+'s min frequency of 16Hz.
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
Impedance and Sensitivity
Triton Two+ and Triton One.R have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Triton Two+ sensitivity is rated at 91 dB and the Triton One.R's is at 92 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the GoldenEar Triton One.R a more sensitive speaker compared to GoldenEar Triton Two+, 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 One.R can handle a max power of 650 watts RMS, whereas Triton Two+ has a max power handling value of 500 watts RMS, 150 watts less than the Triton One.R.
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 Two+ features 5-Way post type posts and Triton One.R has a 5-Way post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
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 Two+'s and GoldenEar Triton One.R's external dimensions. GoldenEar Triton Two+ has external dimensions of 1232.0 x 297.0 x 486.0mm (48-1/2 x 11-11/16 x 19-1/8inch) whereas GoldenEar Triton One.R has external dimensions of 1375.0 x 315.0 x 516.0mm (54-1/8 x 12-3/8 x 20-5/16inch).
GoldenEar Triton One.R is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 18mm wider, 143mm taller and 30mm deeper than GoldenEar Triton Two+.
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 One.R needs about 13% more floor or shelf area. GoldenEar Triton One.R is 30mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. GoldenEar Triton One.R is 143mm 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 Two+ is approximately 1443.4cm2 / 223.7inch2 and base area of the GoldenEar Triton One.R is approximately 1625.4cm2 / 251.9inch2. The Triton Two+ requires 11% less surface area than the Triton One.R 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 Two+ weighs 27.27kg / 60lbs and the GoldenEar Triton One.R weighs 36.36kg / 80lbs. This makes the Triton One.R 33% heavier than the Triton Two+.
Here is a comparison of how Triton Two+ and Triton One.R'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 Two+?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of Triton Two+:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- 9-feet AC power cord
- Base
- 4 Rubber feet (pre-installed on base)
- 4 Spikes
- 4 Locking nuts
- 4 Screws
- 4 Washers
- Owners Manual
What's in the Box of GoldenEar Triton One.R?
Here are the items that come with the Triton One.R:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- 9-feet AC power cord
- 4 Rubber feet (pre-installed)
- 4 Spikes (with locking nuts)
- 4 Protective discs
- Owners Manual
- Very Important Note
 Height |
1232mm
vs
1375mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
1443cm2
vs
1625cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Price per pair* |
4498USD
vs
7498USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
 Max Input Power |
650 watts
vs
500 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Sensitivity |
92 dB
vs
91 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Low Frequency Response |
13 Hz
vs
16 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
| General |
GoldenEar Triton Two+ |
GoldenEar Triton One.R |
| Brand |
GoldenEar |
GoldenEar |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
20-500 watts |
20-650 watts |
| Sensitivity |
91 dB |
92 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
16-35k Hz |
13-35k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
1 |
1 |
| Woofer Size |
5" |
5" |
| Woofer Composition |
Polymer |
Polymer |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
- |
- |
| Tweeter Type |
High-Velocity Folded Ribbon |
High-Velocity Folded Ribbon |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
4.5" |
5.25" |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1232.0mm (48.5") |
1375.0mm (54.1") |
| Width |
297.0mm (11.7") |
315.0mm (12.4") |
| Depth |
486.0mm (19.1") |
516.0mm (20.3") |
| Weight |
27.27kg (60lbs) |
36.36kg (80lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Passive Radiator |
Passive Radiator |
| Finish |
MDF/Lacquer |
MDF/Lacquer |
| Available Colors |
Gloss Black |
Gloss Black |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
No |
No |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
Siblings in GoldenEar's Triton series, so they share a family sound. It comes down to size, output and price.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | B | GoldenEar Triton One.R digs deeper - 13Hz against 16Hz. A subwoofer would even that out. |
| Amplifier needs | evenly matched | Similar sensitivity (91dB vs 92dB) - both want much the same power. |
| Headroom | B | GoldenEar Triton One.R takes more power (650W vs 500W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size | depends | GoldenEar Triton Two+ is easier to place; GoldenEar Triton One.R is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Price | A | GoldenEar Triton Two+ is cheaper - $4,498 against $7,498, about 40% less; arguably a different class. |
A GoldenEar Triton Two+ B GoldenEar Triton One.R
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?
The usual trade-off: GoldenEar Triton One.R measures better, GoldenEar Triton Two+ costs about about 67% more% less. Whether that gap is worth the money is the call only you can make - and in a normal room it is often smaller than the numbers suggest. Think about the whole system, not just the speakers: the roughly $3,000 saved by taking the cheaper pair would buy a subwoofer or a better amplifier, and either usually does more for the sound than the difference between these two.
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.