In this review, we will be comparing L600 and Triton Five, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Polk Audio and GoldenEar. Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Polk L600 and GoldenEar Triton Five first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
What size room are the Polk L600 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:
In the following sections, we will get into more detail in order to better understand how the Polk L600 and GoldenEar Triton Five compare and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one of these loudspeakers is the better choice for you.
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Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that L600 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.
| Driver |
Polk L600 |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 5.25-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 7-inch
|
2 x 6-inch
|
L600 features a 1" Pinnacle Ring Radiator Tweeter , a 5.25" Midrange and 2 x 7" Polypropylene Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 410Hz and 2900Hz. On the other hand, the Triton Five features a " Folded Ribbon Tweeter and 2 x 6" Polypropylene Woofer .
Frequency Response
L600 has a frequency range of 34-38k 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 L600's min frequency of 34Hz.
Below graphs depict how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average values of the Min and Max Frequencies of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
High Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
None of these speakers achieves full range experience which is commonly agreed as 20Hz-20kHz. In order to achieve lower lows / deeper bass, we recommend you pair these with a subwoofer. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Impedance and Sensitivity
L600 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 L600 can provide this impedance level.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. L600 sensitivity is rated at 86 dB and the Triton Five's is rated at 90 dB. This 4 dB difference makes the GoldenEar Triton Five a more sensitive speaker compared to Polk L600, 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. While using an amplifier within this range ensures the nominal performance , inputting a power that is higher than the max wattage can result in a damaged speaker.
L600 can handle a max power of 400 watts RMS from the amp the whereas L600 has a max power handling value of 300 watts RMS , 100 watts less than the Triton Five.
Keep in mind that a higher max power handling value doesn't necessarily make that a louder speaker
compared to a lower max handling speaker. Loudness or the sound level is also impacted by parameters
such as Impedance, sensitivity and system efficiencies.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
L600 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.
Polk L600's Binding post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Cabinet Type and Port Position
L600 has a down firing port whereas Triton Five has a rear firing ports.
Physical Specs
Size of a speaker can sometimes become an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare Polk L600's and GoldenEar Triton Five's external dimensions. Polk L600 has external dimensions of 1182.0 x 331.0 x 426.0mm ( 46-1/2 x 13 x 16-3/4inch) 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) .
Polk L600 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 50mm wider, 51mm taller and 5mm deeper than GoldenEar Triton Five.
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 Polk L600 is approximately 1410.1cm2 / 218.6inch2 and base area of the GoldenEar Triton Five is approximately 1183.0cm2 / 183.4inch2. The L600 requires 19% 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 Polk L600 weighs 35.30kg / 77.7lbs and the GoldenEar Triton Five weighs 18.18kg / 40lbs. This makes the L600 94% heavier than the Triton Five.
Here is a comparison of how L600 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 Polk L600?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of L600:
Floorstanding loudspeakerLarge grilleSmall grille4 Rubber feet (pre-installed)4 Spike feet (pre-installed)2 Jumper-wires (pre-installed)Cleaning clothOwners ManualOnline Registration
What's in the Box of GoldenEar Triton Five?
Here are the items that come with the Triton Five:
Floorstanding loudspeaker4 Rubber feet (pre-installed)4 Spikes4 Locking nutsOwners Manual
 Driver Setup |
3-way
vs
2-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 Woofer Size |
7 inches
vs
6 inches
|
Larger woofer |
 High Frequency Response |
38k Hz
vs
35k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Bi-Amping and Bi-Wiring |
Yes
vs
No
|
Allows bi-amping and bi-wiring connections |
 Dolby Atmos Drivers |
Optional L900 Height Module Speaker
vs
No
|
Dolby Atmos Compatibility |
 Max Input Power |
400 watts
vs
300 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Sensitivity |
90 dB
vs
86 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
34 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 Passive Radiator |
four 8-inch infrasonic planar sub-bass
vs
None
|
Increases the bass performance |
 Height |
1131mm
vs
1182mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
1183cm2 (281x421mm)
vs
1410cm2 (331x426mm)
|
Takes less floor space |
 Price per pair* |
2398USD
vs
3498USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
Polk Audio Legend L600 |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
| Brand |
Polk Audio |
GoldenEar |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
30-300 watts |
15-400 watts |
| Sensitivity |
86 dB |
90 dB |
| Impedance |
4 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Impedance |
3.3 ohms |
n/a |
| Frequency Response |
34-38k Hz |
26-35k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
7" |
6" |
| Woofer Composition |
Polypropylene |
Polypropylene |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
- |
| Tweeter Type |
Pinnacle Ring Radiator |
Folded Ribbon |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
5.25" |
No |
| Crossover Frequency |
410Hz and 2900Hz |
n/a |
| Firing Direction |
down |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1182.0mm (46.5") |
1131.0mm (44.5") |
| Width |
331.0mm (13") |
281.0mm (11.1") |
| Depth |
426.0mm (16.8") |
421.0mm (16.6") |
| Weight |
35.30kg (77.7lbs) |
18.18kg (40lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Passive Radiator |
| Finish |
MDF/Wood veneer |
MDF/Lacquer |
| Available Colors |
Brown Walnut, Black Ash |
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 |