In this review, we will be comparing Model Five and Triton Five, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from KLH and GoldenEar.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of KLH Model Five and GoldenEar Triton Five first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | KLH Model Five | GoldenEar Triton Five |
|---|
| Brand | KLH
United States · founded 1957 | GoldenEar
United States · founded 2010 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" Hard-Dome | Folded Ribbon |
|---|
| Midrange | 4" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 10" Pulp-Paper | 2 x 6" Polypropylene |
|---|
| Frequency response | 42-20k Hz | 26-35k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 90.5 dB | 90 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 6 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 20-200 watts | 15-400 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 20.00kg / 44lbs | 18.18kg / 40lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 34-1/4" x 13-3/4" x 13"
870.0 x 350.0 x 330.0mm | 44-1/2" x 11-1/16" x 16-9/16"
1131.0 x 281.0 x 421.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the KLH Model Five 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* |
KLH Model Five |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Are you nuts? |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
Average |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Poor |
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 Model Five 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.
KLH Model FiveGoldenEar Triton Five
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
KLH Model Five |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 4-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 10-inch
|
2 x 6-inch
|
Model Five features a 1" aluminum Hard-Dome Tweeter, a 4" Midrange and 1 x 10" Pulp-Paper Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 380Hz and 2850Hz. On the other hand, the Triton Five features a " Folded Ribbon Tweeter and 2 x 6" Polypropylene Woofer.
Frequency Response
Model Five has a frequency range of 42-20k 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 Model Five's min frequency of 42Hz.
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
Model Five is a 6 ohms speaker compared to the Triton Five which has a nominal impedance of 8 ohms.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Model Five sensitivity is rated at 90.5 dB and the Triton Five's is rated at 90 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the KLH Model Five 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.
Triton Five can handle a max power of 400 watts RMS, whereas Model Five has a max power handling value of 200 watts RMS, 200 watts less than the Triton Five.
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
Model Five features 5-way Post type posts and Triton Five has a 5-way Post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
KLH Model Five's Binding post terminals
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 KLH Model Five's and GoldenEar Triton Five's external dimensions. KLH Model Five has external dimensions of 870.0 x 350.0 x 330.0mm (34-1/4 x 13-3/4 x 13inch) 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).
KLH Model Five is 261mm shorter and 91mm less deeper than GoldenEar Triton Five but it is also 69mm wider.
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 KLH Model Five is approximately 1155.0cm2 / 179.0inch2 and base area of the GoldenEar Triton Five is approximately 1183.0cm2 / 183.4inch2. The Model Five requires 2% less surface area than the Triton Five 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 KLH Model Five weighs 20.00kg / 44lbs and the GoldenEar Triton Five weighs 18.18kg / 40lbs. This makes the Model Five 10% heavier than the Triton Five.
Here is a comparison of how Model Five 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 KLH Model Five?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of Model Five:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- Riser base
- Grille
- Owners Manual
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
 Driver Setup |
3-way
vs
2-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 Sensitivity |
91 dB
vs
90 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Woofer Size |
10 inches
vs
6 inches
|
Larger woofer |
 Height |
870mm
vs
1131mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
1155cm2
vs
1183cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Max Input Power |
400 watts
vs
200 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
6 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
|
Number of Woofers |
2
vs
1
|
More woofers |
|
Low Frequency Response |
26 Hz
vs
42 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
35k Hz
vs
20k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Passive Radiator |
four 8-inch infrasonic planar sub-bass
vs
None
|
Increases the bass performance |
 Price per pair* |
2398USD
vs
2500USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
KLH Model Five |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
| Brand |
KLH |
GoldenEar |
| Speaker Type |
Bookshelf speakers |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
20-200 watts |
15-400 watts |
| Sensitivity |
90.5 dB |
90 dB |
| Impedance |
6 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Impedance |
3.5 ohms |
n/a |
| Frequency Response |
42-20k Hz |
26-35k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
1 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
10" |
6" |
| Woofer Composition |
Pulp-Paper |
Polypropylene |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
- |
| Tweeter Type |
Hard-Dome |
Folded Ribbon |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
4" |
No |
| Crossover Frequency |
380Hz and 2850Hz |
n/a |
| Firing Direction |
n/a |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
870.0mm (34.3") |
1131.0mm (44.5") |
| Width |
350.0mm (13.8") |
281.0mm (11.1") |
| Depth |
330.0mm (13") |
421.0mm (16.6") |
| Weight |
20.00kg (44lbs) |
18.18kg (40lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Acoustic Suspension |
Passive Radiator |
| Finish |
MDF/Wood Veneer |
MDF/Lacquer |
| Available Colors |
English Walnut, West African Mahogany |
Gloss Black |
| Grille |
Yes |
n/a |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
No |
No |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
10 Years |
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
10 Years |
5 Years |
A generation apart: KLH Model Five is the newer design, against a 2014 model. Newer is not automatically better, but the older one is more likely to be discounted or near run-out.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | B | GoldenEar Triton Five digs deeper - 26Hz against 42Hz. |
| Amplifier needs | evenly matched | Similar sensitivity (91dB vs 90dB) - both want much the same power. |
| Amplifier match | B | GoldenEar Triton Five is the easier load at 8 ohms. |
| Headroom | B | GoldenEar Triton Five takes more power (400W vs 200W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size | depends | KLH Model Five is easier to place; GoldenEar Triton Five is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Cabinet | depends | Sealed vs Passive Radiator. Sealed is tighter and happier near a wall; ported digs lower but wants space behind it. |
| Expandability | depends | Neither adds bi-amping, a sub output or height drivers. GoldenEar Triton Five sits in a wider range (7 models), so a matched surround system is easier later. |
| Price | evenly matched | Much the same money ($2,500 vs $2,398 a pair). |
A KLH Model Five 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?
GoldenEar Triton Five 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 42Hz anyway, so judge these on the other rows instead. Match it to your room: we rate KLH Model Five the better fit for a mid-size room, and GoldenEar Triton Five for a very large 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.