In this review, we will be comparing Aspen FR10 and Triton Five, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from PS Audio and GoldenEar.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of PS Audio Aspen FR10 and GoldenEar Triton Five first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | PS Audio Aspen FR10 | GoldenEar Triton Five |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 2.5" Planar Magnetic | Folded Ribbon |
|---|
| Midrange | 8" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 6.5" Composite sandwich | 2 x 6" Polypropylene |
|---|
| Frequency response | 32-20k Hz | 26-35k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 86.5 dB | 90 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 4 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 50-200 watts | 15-400 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 34.10kg / 75lbs | 18.18kg / 40lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 41-1/2" x 11-3/4" x 16-1/4"
1054.0 x 298.0 x 413.0mm | 44-1/2" x 11-1/16" x 16-9/16"
1131.0 x 281.0 x 421.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the PS Audio Aspen FR10 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* |
PS Audio Aspen FR10 |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
| Near-field |
Poor |
Are you nuts? |
| Small Room |
Average |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
Average |
| Large Room |
Average |
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.
**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 Aspen FR10 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.
PS Audio Aspen FR10GoldenEar 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 |
PS Audio Aspen FR10 |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
2.5-inch
|
-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 8-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 6.5-inch
|
2 x 6-inch
|
Aspen FR10 features a 2.5" Teonex planar magnetic Planar Magnetic Tweeter, a 8" Midrange and 2 x 6.5" Composite sandwich Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 550 Hz, 1750 Hz - Linkwitz-Riley 4th order acoustic. On the other hand, the Triton Five features a " Folded Ribbon Tweeter and 2 x 6" Polypropylene Woofer.
Frequency Response
Aspen FR10 has a frequency range of 32-20k 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 Aspen FR10's min frequency of 32Hz.
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
Aspen FR10 is a 4 ohms speaker compared to the Triton Five 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 Aspen FR10 can provide this impedance level.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Aspen FR10 sensitivity is rated at 86.5 dB and the Triton Five's is rated at 90 dB. This 3 dB difference makes the GoldenEar Triton Five a more sensitive speaker compared to PS Audio Aspen FR10, 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 Aspen FR10 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
Aspen FR10 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.
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 PS Audio Aspen FR10's and GoldenEar Triton Five's external dimensions. PS Audio Aspen FR10 has external dimensions of 1054.0 x 298.0 x 413.0mm (41-1/2 x 11-3/4 x 16-1/4inch) 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).
PS Audio Aspen FR10 is 77mm shorter and 8mm less deeper than GoldenEar Triton Five but it is also 17mm 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 PS Audio Aspen FR10 is approximately 1230.7cm2 / 190.8inch2 and base area of the GoldenEar Triton Five is approximately 1183.0cm2 / 183.4inch2. The Aspen FR10 requires 4% 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 PS Audio Aspen FR10 weighs 34.10kg / 75lbs and the GoldenEar Triton Five weighs 18.18kg / 40lbs. This makes the Aspen FR10 88% heavier than the Triton Five.
Here is a comparison of how Aspen FR10 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
 Driver Setup |
3-way
vs
2-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 Woofer Size |
6.5 inches
vs
6 inches
|
Larger woofer |
 Height |
1054mm
vs
1131mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Max Input Power |
400 watts
vs
200 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Sensitivity |
90 dB
vs
87 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
4 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
|
Low Frequency Response |
26 Hz
vs
32 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
35k Hz
vs
20k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Base Surface Area |
1183cm2
vs
1230cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Price per pair* |
2398USD
vs
9999USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
PS Audio Aspen FR10 |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
| Brand |
PS Audio |
GoldenEar |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
50-200 watts |
15-400 watts |
| Sensitivity |
86.5 dB |
90 dB |
| Impedance |
4 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
32-20k Hz |
26-35k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
6.5" |
6" |
| Woofer Composition |
Composite sandwich |
Polypropylene |
| Woofer Surround Material |
n/a |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
2.5" |
- |
| Tweeter Type |
Planar Magnetic |
Folded Ribbon |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
8" |
No |
| Crossover Frequency |
550 Hz, 1750 Hz - Linkwitz-Riley 4th order acoustic |
n/a |
| Firing Direction |
n/a |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1054.0mm (41.5") |
1131.0mm (44.5") |
| Width |
298.0mm (11.7") |
281.0mm (11.1") |
| Depth |
413.0mm (16.3") |
421.0mm (16.6") |
| Weight |
34.10kg (75lbs) |
18.18kg (40lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Passive Radiator |
Passive Radiator |
| Finish |
n/a |
MDF/Lacquer |
| Available Colors |
n/a |
Gloss Black |
| Grille |
Yes |
n/a |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
No |
No |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
|
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
|
5 Years |
These sit in different price classes - PS Audio Aspen FR10 costs roughly 4.2x 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 32Hz. A subwoofer would even that out. |
| Amplifier needs |
B |
GoldenEar Triton Five is more sensitive (90dB vs 87dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Amplifier match |
B |
GoldenEar Triton Five is the easier load at 8 ohms; the other is 4 ohms and wants an amplifier rated for it. |
| Headroom |
B |
GoldenEar Triton Five takes more power (400W vs 200W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size |
depends |
Similar cabinet size - neither is easier to fit. |
| 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 |
B |
GoldenEar Triton Five is cheaper - $2,398 against $9,999, about 76% less; arguably a different class. |
A PS Audio Aspen FR10
B GoldenEar Triton Five
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 Five is the easier recommendation: it leads on most of the measured areas and costs less. Take PS Audio Aspen FR10 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 32Hz anyway, so judge these on the other rows instead. Match it to your room: we rate PS Audio Aspen FR10 the better fit for a small room and a mid-size room, and GoldenEar Triton Five 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.