Magnepan 1.7i vs GoldenEar Triton Seven Comparison

Speaker to replace

Change

Magnepan 1.7i

Passive Floor-standing | 40-24k Hz

Check price atAmazon›

Change

GoldenEar Triton Seven

Passive Floor-standing | 29-35k Hz

Check price atAmazon›

Magnepan 1.7i

Check price atAmazon›

GoldenEar Triton Sev...

Check price atAmazon›

Magnepan 1.7i

See at AMAZON

GoldenEar Triton Sev...

See at AMAZON

Magnepan 1.7i vs GoldenEar Triton Seven Speaker Comparison

In this review, we will be comparing 1.7i and Triton Seven, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Magnepan and GoldenEar.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of Magnepan 1.7i and GoldenEar Triton Seven first before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Key Specs	Magnepan 1.7i	GoldenEar Triton Seven
Design	—	2-way
Tweeter	—	Folded Ribbon
Woofer	—	2 x 5.25" Polypropylene
Frequency response	40-24k Hz	29-35k Hz
Sensitivity	86 dB	89 dB
Impedance	4 ohms	8 ohms
Power range	—	10-300 watts
Weight	—	14.55kg / 32lbs
Dimensions (H x W x D)	65" x 19" x 2" 1651.0 x 482.6 x 50.8mm	40-1/2" x 10-1/2" x 14-1/2" 1029.0 x 267.0 x 369.0mm

What size room are the Magnepan 1.7i and GoldenEar Triton Seven 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*	Magnepan 1.7i	GoldenEar Triton Seven
Near-field	Poor	Bad
Small Room	Average	Poor
Mid-size Room	Good	Average
Large Room	Average	Good
Very Large Room	Poor	Average

(* 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.

**This post contains affiliate links, and we will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through our links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Drivers

One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that 1.7i is a -way design whereas the Triton Seven 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.

Driver	Magnepan 1.7i	GoldenEar Triton Seven
Driver Setup	-way	2-way
Tweeter	-inch	-inch
Midrange	-	-
Woofer	x -inch	2 x 5.25-inch

1.7i features a " Tweeter and x " Woofer. On the other hand, the Triton Seven features a " Folded Ribbon Tweeter and 2 x 5.25" Polypropylene Woofer.

Frequency Response

1.7i has a frequency range of 40-24k Hz whereas Triton Seven has a frequency range of 29-35k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 29Hz, the Triton Seven can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the 1.7i's min frequency of 40Hz.

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

1.7i

Triton Seven

Min

Average

Median

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

1.7i is a 4 ohms speaker compared to the Triton Seven which has a nominal impedance of 8 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 1.7i can provide this impedance level.

These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. 1.7i sensitivity is rated at 86 dB and the Triton Seven's is rated at 89 dB. This 3 dB difference makes the GoldenEar Triton Seven a more sensitive speaker compared to Magnepan 1.7i, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.

Sensitivity

Floor-standing Speakers

1.7i

Triton Seven

Min

Average

Median

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.

Amplifier — change this

Distance

Playing as

Magnepan 1.7i

GoldenEar Triton Seven

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 Magnepan 1.7i's and GoldenEar Triton Seven's external dimensions. Magnepan 1.7i has external dimensions of 1651.0 x 482.6 x 50.8mm (65 x 19 x 2inch) whereas GoldenEar Triton Seven has external dimensions of 1029.0 x 267.0 x 369.0mm (40-1/2 x 10-1/2 x 14-1/2inch).

GoldenEar Triton Seven is 215.6mm narrower and 622mm shorter than Magnepan 1.7i but it is also 318.2mm deeper.

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 Magnepan 1.7i is approximately 245.2cm² / 38.0inch² and base area of the GoldenEar Triton Seven is approximately 985.2cm² / 152.7inch². The 1.7i requires 75% less surface area than the Triton Seven which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.

What's in the Box of GoldenEar Triton Seven?

Here are the items that come with the Triton Seven:

Floorstanding loudspeaker
4 Rubber feet (pre-installed)
4 Spikes
4 Locking nuts
Owners Manual

Reasons to choose Magnepan 1.7i over GoldenEar Triton Seven

Base Surface Area	245cm² vs 985cm²	Takes less floor space

Reasons to choose GoldenEar Triton Seven over Magnepan 1.7i

Driver Setup	2-way vs -way	Have a dedicated mid-range driver
Sensitivity	89 dB vs 86 dB	Play louder with same amount of amplification power
Nominal Impedance	8 ohms vs 4 ohms	Less selective with amplifiers
Woofer Size	5.25 inches vs inches	Larger woofer
Low Frequency Response	29 Hz vs 40 Hz	Generates deeper bass
High Frequency Response	35k Hz vs 24k Hz	Generates higher frequency
Passive Radiator	dual 8-inch infrasonic planar sub-bass vs None	Increases the bass performance
Height	1029mm vs 1651mm	Easier to fit in smaller spaces
Price per pair*	1798USD vs 2995USD	costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time)

Magnepan 1.7i vs GoldenEar Triton Seven Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Magnepan 1.7i	GoldenEar Triton Seven
Brand	Magnepan	GoldenEar
Speaker Type	Floor-standing speaker	Floor-standing speaker
Sensitivity	86 dB	89 dB
Impedance	4 ohms	8 ohms
Frequency Response	40-24k Hz	29-35k Hz
Drivers
Woofer Quantity		2
Woofer Size	"	5.25"
Woofer Composition		Polypropylene
Woofer Surround Material	n/a	Rubber
Tweeter Size	-	-
Tweeter Type	n/a	Folded Ribbon
Aimable Tweeter	No	No
Midrange Driver	No	No
Firing Direction	n/a	rear
Physical Specs
Height	1651.0mm (65")	1029.0mm (40.5")
Width	482.6mm (19")	267.0mm (10.5")
Depth	50.8mm (2")	369.0mm (14.5")
Weight	n/a	14.55kg (32lbs)
Enclosure	Dipole	Passive Radiator
Finish	n/a	MDF/Lacquer
Available Colors	n/a	Gloss Black
Moisture Resistancy	No	No
Connections
Biamp Inputs	n/a	No
Other
Parts Warranty		5 Years
Labor Warranty		5 Years

Verdict

These sit in different price classes - Magnepan 1.7i costs roughly 1.7x what GoldenEar Triton Seven 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 Seven digs deeper - 29Hz against 40Hz.
Amplifier needs	B	GoldenEar Triton Seven is more sensitive (89dB vs 86dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier.
Amplifier match	B	GoldenEar Triton Seven is the easier load at 8 ohms; the other is 4 ohms and wants an amplifier rated for it.
Size	depends	Magnepan 1.7i is easier to place; GoldenEar Triton Seven is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides.
Cabinet	depends	Dipole vs Passive Radiator.
Price	B	GoldenEar Triton Seven is cheaper - $1,798 against $2,995, about 40% less; arguably a different class.

A Magnepan 1.7i B GoldenEar Triton Seven
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, placement 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 Seven is the easier recommendation: it leads on most of the measured areas and costs less. Take Magnepan 1.7i if its size, looks or fit in your room suit you better. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 40Hz anyway, so judge these on the other rows instead. Match it to your room: we rate Magnepan 1.7i the better fit for a small room and a mid-size room, and GoldenEar Triton Seven for a large room and 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.