In this review, we will be comparing Amati Supreme and Triton Five, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Sonus faber and GoldenEar.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Sonus faber Amati Supreme and GoldenEar Triton Five first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Sonus faber Amati Supreme | GoldenEar Triton Five |
|---|
| Brand | Sonus faber
Italy · founded 1983 | GoldenEar
United States · founded 2010 |
|---|
| Design | 5-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1.5" Soft-Dome | Folded Ribbon |
|---|
| Midrange | 6.5" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 8.5" Paper | 2 x 6" Polypropylene |
|---|
| Frequency response | 28-40k Hz | 26-35k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 91 dB | 90 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 4 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 50-600 watts | 15-400 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 62.00kg / 136.4lbs | 18.18kg / 40lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 46-5/16" x 16-3/16" x 20-3/16"
1176.0 x 411.0 x 512.0mm | 44-1/2" x 11-1/16" x 16-9/16"
1131.0 x 281.0 x 421.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the Sonus faber Amati Supreme 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* |
Sonus faber Amati Supreme |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Are you nuts? |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Average |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Average |
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
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Amati Supreme is a 5-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.
Sonus faber Amati SupremeGoldenEar 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 |
Sonus faber Amati Supreme |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
|
Driver Setup
|
5-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.5-inch
|
-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 6.5-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 8.5-inch
|
2 x 6-inch
|
Amati Supreme features a 1.5" Silk Soft-Dome Tweeter, a 6.5" Midrange and 2 x 8.5" Paper Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 230, 300, 1800, 5600 Hz. On the other hand, the Triton Five features a " Folded Ribbon Tweeter and 2 x 6" Polypropylene Woofer.
Frequency Response
Amati Supreme has a frequency range of 28-40k Hz whereas Triton Five has a frequency range of 26-35k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 26Hz, the Triton Five can go slightly deeper then the Amati Supreme's min frequency of 28Hz.
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
Amati Supreme 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 Amati Supreme can provide this impedance level.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Amati Supreme sensitivity is rated at 91 dB and the Triton Five's is rated at 90 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the Sonus faber Amati Supreme 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.
Amati Supreme can handle a max power of 600 watts RMS, whereas Triton Five has a max power handling value of 400 watts RMS, 200 watts less than the Amati Supreme.
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.
Sonus faber Amati Supreme
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Amati Supreme 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.
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 Sonus faber Amati Supreme's and GoldenEar Triton Five's external dimensions. Sonus faber Amati Supreme has external dimensions of 1176.0 x 411.0 x 512.0mm (46-5/16 x 16-3/16 x 20-3/16inch) 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).
Sonus faber Amati Supreme is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 130mm wider, 45mm taller and 91mm 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.
Sonus faber Amati Supreme needs about 78% more floor or shelf area. Sonus faber Amati Supreme is 91mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. Sonus faber Amati Supreme is 45mm 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 Sonus faber Amati Supreme is approximately 2104.3cm2 / 326.2inch2 and base area of the GoldenEar Triton Five is approximately 1183.0cm2 / 183.4inch2. The Amati Supreme requires 78% 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 Sonus faber Amati Supreme weighs 62.00kg / 136.4lbs and the GoldenEar Triton Five weighs 18.18kg / 40lbs. This makes the Amati Supreme 241% heavier than the Triton Five.
Here is a comparison of how Amati Supreme and Triton Five's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Floor-standing class.
Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers
Sonus faber Amati Supreme
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
 Max Input Power |
600 watts
vs
400 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Driver Setup |
5-way
vs
2-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 Sensitivity |
91 dB
vs
90 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Woofer Size |
8.5 inches
vs
6 inches
|
Larger woofer |
 High Frequency Response |
40k Hz
vs
35k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Bi-Amping and Bi-Wiring |
Yes
vs
No
|
Allows bi-amping and bi-wiring connections |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
4 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
|
Low Frequency Response |
26 Hz
vs
28 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 Passive Radiator |
four 8-inch infrasonic planar sub-bass
vs
None
|
Increases the bass performance |
 Height |
1131mm
vs
1176mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
1183cm2
vs
2104cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Price per pair* |
2398USD
vs
145000USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
Sonus faber Amati Supreme |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
| Brand |
Sonus faber |
GoldenEar |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
50-600 watts |
15-400 watts |
| Sensitivity |
91 dB |
90 dB |
| Impedance |
4 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
28-40k Hz |
26-35k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
8.5" |
6" |
| Woofer Composition |
Paper |
Polypropylene |
| Woofer Surround Material |
n/a |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1.5" |
- |
| Tweeter Type |
Soft-Dome |
Folded Ribbon |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
6.5" |
No |
| Crossover Frequency |
230, 300, 1800, 5600 Hz |
n/a |
| Firing Direction |
n/a |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1176.0mm (46.3") |
1131.0mm (44.5") |
| Width |
411.0mm (16.2") |
281.0mm (11.1") |
| Depth |
512.0mm (20.2") |
421.0mm (16.6") |
| Weight |
62.00kg (136.4lbs) |
18.18kg (40lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Passive Radiator |
| Finish |
n/a |
MDF/Lacquer |
| Available Colors |
n/a |
Gloss Black |
| Grille |
Yes |
n/a |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
Yes |
No |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
|
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
|
5 Years |
These sit in different price classes - Sonus faber Amati Supreme costs roughly 60.5x 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 | evenly matched | Much the same reach (28Hz vs 26Hz). |
| Amplifier needs | evenly matched | Similar sensitivity (91dB vs 90dB) - both want much the same power. |
| 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 | A | Sonus faber Amati Supreme takes more power (600W vs 400W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size | depends | GoldenEar Triton Five is easier to place; Sonus faber Amati Supreme is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Cabinet | depends | Ported vs Passive Radiator. |
| Expandability | A | Sonus faber Amati Supreme: bi-amping. |
| Price | B | GoldenEar Triton Five is cheaper - $2,398 against $145,000, about 98% less; arguably a different class. |
A Sonus faber Amati Supreme 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?
Sonus faber Amati Supreme is ahead, but only on 1 of the measured areas, and it costs about 60.5x 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 Sonus faber Amati Supreme appeals to you. Match it to your room: we rate GoldenEar Triton Five the better fit for a very large room; elsewhere the two are rated the same. In a large or open-plan room, Sonus faber Amati Supreme 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.