In this review, we will be comparing K2 S9900 and Triton Five, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from JBL and GoldenEar.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of JBL K2 S9900 and GoldenEar Triton Five first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | JBL K2 S9900 | GoldenEar Triton Five |
|---|
| Brand | JBL
United States · founded 1946 | GoldenEar
United States · founded 2010 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 4" Compression Driver | Folded Ribbon |
|---|
| Woofer | 15" Pure Pulp | 2 x 6" Polypropylene |
|---|
| Frequency response | 48-50k Hz | 26-35k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 93 dB | 90 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | up to 500 watts | 15-400 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 82.70kg / 181.9lbs | 18.18kg / 40lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 47-1/4" x 22-1/16" x 13-3/4"
1200.0 x 560.0 x 350.0mm | 44-1/2" x 11-1/16" x 16-9/16"
1131.0 x 281.0 x 421.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the JBL K2 S9900 and GoldenEar Triton Five 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* |
JBL K2 S9900 |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
| 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
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that K2 S9900 is a 3-way design whereas the Triton Five is a 2-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.
JBL K2 S9900GoldenEar Triton Five
TweeterWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
JBL K2 S9900 |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
4-inch
|
-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
- |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 15-inch
|
2 x 6-inch
|
K2 S9900 features a 4" Magnesium Compression Driver Tweeter and 1 x 15" Pure Pulp Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 900Hz and 15000Hz. On the other hand, the Triton Five features a " Folded Ribbon Tweeter and 2 x 6" Polypropylene Woofer.
Frequency Response
K2 S9900 has a frequency range of 48-50k Hz whereas Triton Five has a frequency range of 26-35k 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 K2 S9900's min frequency of 48Hz.
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
K2 S9900 and Triton Five have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. K2 S9900 sensitivity is rated at 93 dB and the Triton Five's is at 90 dB. This 3 dB difference makes the JBL K2 S9900 a more sensitive speaker compared to GoldenEar Triton Five, 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.
K2 S9900 can handle a max power of 500 watts RMS, whereas Triton Five has a max power handling value of 400 watts RMS, 100 watts less than the K2 S9900.
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
K2 S9900 features Binding 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.
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 JBL K2 S9900's and GoldenEar Triton Five's external dimensions. JBL K2 S9900 has external dimensions of 1200.0 x 560.0 x 350.0mm (47-1/4 x 22-1/16 x 13-3/4inch) whereas 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).
GoldenEar Triton Five is 279mm narrower and 69mm shorter than JBL K2 S9900 but it is also 71mm deeper.
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.
JBL K2 S9900 needs about 66% more floor or shelf area. GoldenEar Triton Five is 71mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. JBL K2 S9900 is 69mm 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 JBL K2 S9900 is approximately 1960.0cm2 / 303.8inch2 and base area of the GoldenEar Triton Five is approximately 1183.0cm2 / 183.4inch2. The K2 S9900 requires 66% more surface area than the Triton Five 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 JBL K2 S9900 weighs 82.70kg / 181.9lbs and the GoldenEar Triton Five weighs 18.18kg / 40lbs. This makes the K2 S9900 355% heavier than the Triton Five.
Here is a comparison of how K2 S9900 and Triton Five'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 come with the Triton Five:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- 4 Rubber feet (pre-installed)
- 4 Spikes
- 4 Locking nuts
- Owners Manual
 Max Input Power |
500 watts
vs
400 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Driver Setup |
3-way
vs
2-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 Sensitivity |
93 dB
vs
90 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Woofer Size |
15 inches
vs
6 inches
|
Larger woofer |
 High Frequency Response |
50k Hz
vs
35k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Bi-Amping and Bi-Wiring |
Yes
vs
No
|
Allows bi-amping and bi-wiring connections |
|
Number of Woofers |
2
vs
1
|
More woofers |
|
Low Frequency Response |
26 Hz
vs
48 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 Passive Radiator |
four 8-inch infrasonic planar sub-bass
vs
None
|
Increases the bass performance |
 Height |
1131mm
vs
1200mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
1183cm2
vs
1960cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Price per pair* |
2398USD
vs
44000USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
JBL K2 S9900 |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
| Brand |
JBL |
GoldenEar |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
up to 500 watts |
15-400 watts |
| Sensitivity |
93 dB |
90 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
48-50k Hz |
26-35k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
1 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
15" |
6" |
| Woofer Composition |
Pure Pulp |
Polypropylene |
| Woofer Surround Material |
n/a |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
4" |
- |
| Tweeter Type |
Compression Driver |
Folded Ribbon |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
No |
No |
| Crossover Frequency |
900Hz and 15000Hz |
n/a |
| Firing Direction |
n/a |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1200.0mm (47.2") |
1131.0mm (44.5") |
| Width |
560.0mm (22") |
281.0mm (11.1") |
| Depth |
350.0mm (13.8") |
421.0mm (16.6") |
| Weight |
82.70kg (181.9lbs) |
18.18kg (40lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Passive Radiator |
| Finish |
n/a |
MDF/Lacquer |
| Available Colors |
n/a |
Gloss Black |
| Grille |
Yes |
n/a |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
Yes |
No |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
|
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
|
5 Years |
These sit in different price classes - JBL K2 S9900 costs roughly 18.3x 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 | B | GoldenEar Triton Five digs deeper - 26Hz against 48Hz. |
| Amplifier needs | A | JBL K2 S9900 is more sensitive (93dB vs 90dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Headroom | A | JBL K2 S9900 takes more power (500W vs 400W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size | depends | GoldenEar Triton Five is easier to place; JBL K2 S9900 is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Cabinet | depends | Ported vs Passive Radiator. |
| Expandability | depends | JBL K2 S9900: bi-amping. GoldenEar Triton Five sits in a wider range (7 models), so a matched surround system is easier later. |
| Price | B | GoldenEar Triton Five is cheaper - $2,398 against $44,000, about 95% less; arguably a different class. |
A JBL K2 S9900 B GoldenEar Triton Five
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?
JBL K2 S9900 is ahead, but only on 1 of the measured areas, and it costs about 18.3x the price. That is a lot of money for a narrow margin on paper - GoldenEar Triton Five looks like the sensible buy unless something else about the JBL K2 S9900 appeals to you. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 48Hz anyway, so judge these on the other rows instead. In a large or open-plan room, JBL K2 S9900 has the cabinet volume to fill it more easily; in a small room, near a wall or at desk distance, GoldenEar Triton Five is the easier speaker to get right.
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.