In this review, we will be comparing Klipschorn 80th and Triton Five, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Klipsch and GoldenEar.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Klipsch Heritage Klipschorn 80th Anniversary and GoldenEar Triton Five first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Klipsch Heritage Klipschorn 80th Anniversary | GoldenEar Triton Five |
|---|
| Brand | Klipsch
United States · founded 1946 | GoldenEar
United States · founded 2010 |
|---|
| Design | 2-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | Compression Horn | Folded Ribbon |
|---|
| Woofer | 15" Paper | 2 x 6" Polypropylene |
|---|
| Frequency response | 34-20k Hz | 26-35k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 103 dB | 90 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 100-400 watts | 15-400 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 65.70kg / 144.5lbs | 18.18kg / 40lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 51-15/16" x 31-1/2" x 24"
1320.0 x 800.0 x 610.0mm | 44-1/2" x 11-1/16" x 16-9/16"
1131.0 x 281.0 x 421.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the Klipsch Heritage Klipschorn 80th Anniversary 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* |
Klipsch Heritage Klipschorn 80th Anniversary |
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
Both Klipschorn 80th and Triton Five are 2-way speakers.
Klipsch Heritage Klipschorn 80th AnniversaryGoldenEar Triton Five
Woofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
Klipsch Heritage Klipschorn 80th Anniversary |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
-inch
|
-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
- |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 15-inch
|
2 x 6-inch
|
Klipschorn 80th features a " K-692 with K-5-K aluminium horn Compression Horn Tweeter and 1 x 15" Paper Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 350Hz. On the other hand, the Triton Five features a " Folded Ribbon Tweeter and 2 x 6" Polypropylene Woofer.
Frequency Response
Klipschorn 80th has a frequency range of 34-20k 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 Klipschorn 80th's min frequency of 34Hz.
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
Klipschorn 80th and Triton Five have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Klipschorn 80th sensitivity is rated at 103 dB and the Triton Five's is at 90 dB. This 13 dB difference makes the Klipsch Heritage Klipschorn 80th Anniversary 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.
Both handle the same maximum of 400 watts RMS, though Klipschorn 80th is rated 100-400 watts and Triton Five 15-400 watts.
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.
Klipsch Heritage Klipschorn 80th Anniversary
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Klipschorn 80th 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.
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Klipschorn 80th has a front firing port whereas Triton Five has a rear firing ports. Klipsch Heritage Klipschorn 80th Anniversary's front-firing port gives more flexibility in placement in regards to proximity to walls compared to GoldenEar Triton Five 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 Klipsch Heritage Klipschorn 80th Anniversary's and GoldenEar Triton Five's external dimensions. Klipsch Heritage Klipschorn 80th Anniversary has external dimensions of 1320.0 x 800.0 x 610.0mm (51-15/16 x 31-1/2 x 24inch) 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).
Klipsch Heritage Klipschorn 80th Anniversary is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 519mm wider, 189mm taller and 189mm deeper than GoldenEar Triton Five.
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.
Klipsch Heritage Klipschorn 80th Anniversary needs about 313% more floor or shelf area. Klipsch Heritage Klipschorn 80th Anniversary is 189mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. Klipsch Heritage Klipschorn 80th Anniversary is 189mm 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 Klipsch Heritage Klipschorn 80th Anniversary is approximately 4880.0cm2 / 756.4inch2 and base area of the GoldenEar Triton Five is approximately 1183.0cm2 / 183.4inch2. The Klipschorn 80th requires 313% 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 Klipsch Heritage Klipschorn 80th Anniversary weighs 65.70kg / 144.5lbs and the GoldenEar Triton Five weighs 18.18kg / 40lbs. This makes the Klipschorn 80th 261% heavier than the Triton Five.
Here is a comparison of how Klipschorn 80th and Triton Five's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Floor-standing class.
Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers
Klipsch Heritage Klipschorn 80th Anniversary
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
 Sensitivity |
103 dB
vs
90 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Woofer Size |
15 inches
vs
6 inches
|
Larger woofer |
 Bi-Amping and Bi-Wiring |
Yes
vs
No
|
Allows bi-amping and bi-wiring connections |
 Port Position |
Front
vs
Rear
|
Gives more flexibility placing close to walls |
|
Number of Woofers |
2
vs
1
|
More woofers |
|
Low Frequency Response |
26 Hz
vs
34 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 |
 Height |
1131mm
vs
1320mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
1183cm2
vs
4880cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Price per pair* |
2398USD
vs
20000USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
Klipsch Heritage Klipschorn 80th Anniversary |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
| Brand |
Klipsch |
GoldenEar |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
100-400 watts |
15-400 watts |
| Sensitivity |
103 dB |
90 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Impedance |
4 ohms |
n/a |
| Frequency Response |
34-20k Hz |
26-35k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
1 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
15" |
6" |
| Woofer Composition |
Paper |
Polypropylene |
| Woofer Surround Material |
n/a |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
- |
- |
| Tweeter Type |
Compression Horn |
Folded Ribbon |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
No |
No |
| Crossover Frequency |
350Hz |
n/a |
| Firing Direction |
front |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1320.0mm (52") |
1131.0mm (44.5") |
| Width |
800.0mm (31.5") |
281.0mm (11.1") |
| Depth |
610.0mm (24") |
421.0mm (16.6") |
| Weight |
65.70kg (144.5lbs) |
18.18kg (40lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Horn Loaded |
Passive Radiator |
| Finish |
19 mm MDF with real wood veneer |
MDF/Lacquer |
| Available Colors |
Tigerwood |
Gloss Black |
| Grille |
Yes |
n/a |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
Yes |
No |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
These sit in different price classes - Klipsch Heritage Klipschorn 80th Anniversary costs roughly 8.3x 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 34Hz. A subwoofer would even that out. |
| Amplifier needs | A | Klipsch Heritage Klipschorn 80th Anniversary is more sensitive (103dB vs 90dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Headroom | evenly matched | Similar power handling (400W vs 400W). |
| Size | depends | GoldenEar Triton Five is easier to place; Klipsch Heritage Klipschorn 80th Anniversary is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Cabinet | depends | Ported vs Passive Radiator. |
| Expandability | A | Klipsch Heritage Klipschorn 80th Anniversary: bi-amping. Klipsch Heritage Klipschorn 80th Anniversary sits in a wider range (12 models), so a matched surround system is easier later. |
| Price | B | GoldenEar Triton Five is cheaper - $2,398 against $20,000, about 88% less; arguably a different class. |
A Klipsch Heritage Klipschorn 80th Anniversary 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?
Klipsch Heritage Klipschorn 80th Anniversary is ahead, but only on 1 of the measured areas, and it costs about 8.3x 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 Klipsch Heritage Klipschorn 80th Anniversary appeals to you. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 34Hz anyway, so judge these on the other rows instead. In a large or open-plan room, Klipsch Heritage Klipschorn 80th Anniversary 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.