In this review, we will be comparing Performa3 F208 and Triton One.R, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Revel and GoldenEar.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Revel Performa3 F208 and GoldenEar Triton One.R first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Revel Performa3 F208 | GoldenEar Triton One.R |
|---|
| Brand | Revel
United States · founded 1996 | GoldenEar
United States · founded 2010 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" Hard-Dome with Acoustic Lens Waveguide | High-Velocity Folded Ribbon |
|---|
| Midrange | 5.25" | 5.25" |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 8" Aluminum | 5" Polymer |
|---|
| Frequency response | 31Hz- 20kHz | 13-35k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 88.5 dB | 92 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 50-350 watts | 20-650 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 36.27kg / 79.8lbs | 36.36kg / 80lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 46-3/4" x 13-5/8" x 15"
1188.0 x 347.0 x 381.0mm | 54-1/8" x 12-3/8" x 20-5/16"
1375.0 x 315.0 x 516.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the Revel Performa3 F208 and GoldenEar Triton One.R 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* |
Revel Performa3 F208 |
GoldenEar Triton One.R |
| 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 Performa3 F208 and Triton One.R are 3-way speakers.
Revel Performa3 F208GoldenEar Triton One.R
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
Revel Performa3 F208 |
GoldenEar Triton One.R |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 5.25-inch |
1 x 5.25-inch |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 8-inch
|
1 x 5-inch
|
Performa3 F208 features a 1" Aluminum Hard-Dome with Acoustic Lens Waveguide Tweeter, a 5.25" Midrange and 2 x 8" Aluminum Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 270Hz and 2200Hz. On the other hand, the Triton One.R features a " High-Velocity Folded Ribbon Tweeter, a 5.25" Midrange and 1 x 5" Polymer Woofer.
Frequency Response
Performa3 F208 has a frequency range of 31Hz- 20kHz whereas Triton One.R has a frequency range of 13-35k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 13Hz, the Triton One.R can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Performa3 F208's min frequency of 31Hz.
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
Impedance and Sensitivity
Performa3 F208 and Triton One.R have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Performa3 F208 sensitivity is rated at 88.5 dB and the Triton One.R's is at 92 dB. This 3 dB difference makes the GoldenEar Triton One.R a more sensitive speaker compared to Revel Performa3 F208, 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 One.R can handle a max power of 650 watts RMS, whereas Performa3 F208 has a max power handling value of 350 watts RMS, 300 watts less than the Triton One.R.
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
Performa3 F208 features Binding post posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. Triton One.R has a 5-Way post which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Revel Performa3 F208's Binding post terminals allows Bi-amping or 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 Revel Performa3 F208's and GoldenEar Triton One.R's external dimensions. Revel Performa3 F208 has external dimensions of 1188.0 x 347.0 x 381.0mm (46-3/4 x 13-5/8 x 15inch) whereas GoldenEar Triton One.R has external dimensions of 1375.0 x 315.0 x 516.0mm (54-1/8 x 12-3/8 x 20-5/16inch).
Revel Performa3 F208 is 187mm shorter and 135mm less deeper than GoldenEar Triton One.R but it is also 32mm wider.
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.
GoldenEar Triton One.R needs about 23% more floor or shelf area. GoldenEar Triton One.R is 135mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. GoldenEar Triton One.R is 187mm 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 Revel Performa3 F208 is approximately 1322.1cm2 / 204.9inch2 and base area of the GoldenEar Triton One.R is approximately 1625.4cm2 / 251.9inch2. The Performa3 F208 requires 19% less surface area than the Triton One.R 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 Revel Performa3 F208 weighs 36.27kg / 79.8lbs and the GoldenEar Triton One.R weighs 36.36kg / 80lbs. This makes the Triton One.R 0% heavier than the Performa3 F208.
Here is a comparison of how Performa3 F208 and Triton One.R'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 Revel Performa3 F208?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of Performa3 F208:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- Grille
- 4 Spike feet
- 4 Locking rings
- 4 Washers
- 2 Terminal jumpers (pre-installed)
- Foam port plug
- Owners Manual
What's in the Box of GoldenEar Triton One.R?
Here are the items that come with the Triton One.R:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- 9-feet AC power cord
- 4 Rubber feet (pre-installed)
- 4 Spikes (with locking nuts)
- 4 Protective discs
- Owners Manual
- Very Important Note
 Woofer Size |
8 inches
vs
5 inches
|
Larger woofer |
|
Number of Woofers |
2
vs
1
|
More woofers |
 Bi-Amping and Bi-Wiring |
Yes
vs
No
|
Allows bi-amping and bi-wiring connections |
 Height |
1188mm
vs
1375mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
1322cm2
vs
1625cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Price per pair* |
5500USD
vs
7498USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
 Max Input Power |
650 watts
vs
350 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Sensitivity |
92 dB
vs
89 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
|
Low Frequency Response |
13 Hz
vs
31 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
35k Hz
vs
20k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Passive Radiator |
four 7-inch
vs
None
|
Increases the bass performance |
| General |
Revel Performa3 F208 |
GoldenEar Triton One.R |
| Brand |
Revel |
GoldenEar |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
50-350 watts |
20-650 watts |
| Sensitivity |
88.5 dB |
92 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
31Hz- 20kHz |
13-35k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
1 |
| Woofer Size |
8" |
5" |
| Woofer Composition |
Aluminum |
Polymer |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
- |
| Tweeter Type |
Hard-Dome with Acoustic Lens Waveguide |
High-Velocity Folded Ribbon |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
5.25" |
5.25" |
| Crossover Frequency |
270Hz and 2200Hz |
n/a |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
n/a |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1188.0mm (46.8") |
1375.0mm (54.1") |
| Width |
347.0mm (13.7") |
315.0mm (12.4") |
| Depth |
381.0mm (15") |
516.0mm (20.3") |
| Weight |
36.27kg (79.8lbs) |
36.36kg (80lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Passive Radiator |
| Finish |
Wood/Lacquer |
MDF/Lacquer |
| Available Colors |
Gloss Black |
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 |
A generation apart: GoldenEar Triton One.R is the newer design, against a 2013 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 One.R digs deeper - 13Hz against 31Hz. |
| Amplifier needs | B | GoldenEar Triton One.R is more sensitive (92dB vs 89dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Headroom | B | GoldenEar Triton One.R takes more power (650W vs 350W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size | depends | Revel Performa3 F208 is easier to place; GoldenEar Triton One.R is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Cabinet | depends | Ported vs Passive Radiator. |
| Expandability | A | Revel Performa3 F208: bi-amping. |
| Price | A | Revel Performa3 F208 is cheaper - $5,500 against $7,498, about 27% less. |
A Revel Performa3 F208 B GoldenEar Triton One.R
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?
The usual trade-off: GoldenEar Triton One.R measures better, Revel Performa3 F208 costs about about 36% more% less. Whether that gap is worth the money is the call only you can make - and in a normal room it is often smaller than the numbers suggest. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 31Hz anyway, which makes the cheaper Revel Performa3 F208 much easier to justify. In a large or open-plan room, GoldenEar Triton One.R has the cabinet volume to fill it more easily; in a small room, near a wall or at desk distance, Revel Performa3 F208 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.