In this review, we will be comparing Sonetto III G2 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 Sonetto III G2 and GoldenEar Triton Five first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Sonus faber Sonetto III G2 | GoldenEar Triton Five |
|---|
| Brand | Sonus faber
Italy · founded 1983 | GoldenEar
United States · founded 2010 |
|---|
| Design | 2-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1.1" Soft-dome | Folded Ribbon |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 6.5" Paper Pulp | 2 x 6" Polypropylene |
|---|
| Frequency response | 38-40k Hz | 26-35k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 88 dB | 90 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 4 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 50-280 watts | 15-400 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 25.85kg / 56.9lbs | 18.18kg / 40lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 42-1/16" x 11-5/16" x 14-5/16"
1069.0 x 288.0 x 364.0mm | 44-1/2" x 11-1/16" x 16-9/16"
1131.0 x 281.0 x 421.0mm |
|---|
The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.
Drivers
Both Sonetto III G2 and Triton Five are 2-way speakers.
Sonus faber Sonetto III G2GoldenEar Triton Five
TweeterWoofer
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 Sonetto III G2 |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.1-inch
|
-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 6.5-inch
|
2 x 6-inch
|
Sonetto III G2 features a 1.1" Soft-dome Tweeter and 2 x 6.5" Paper Pulp Woofer. On the other hand, the Triton Five features a " Folded Ribbon Tweeter and 2 x 6" Polypropylene Woofer.
Frequency Response
Sonetto III G2 has a frequency range of 38-40k 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 Sonetto III G2's min frequency of 38Hz.
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
Sonetto III G2 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 Sonetto III G2 can provide this impedance level.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Sonetto III G2 sensitivity is rated at 88 dB and the Triton Five's is rated at 90 dB. This 2 dB difference makes the GoldenEar Triton Five a more sensitive speaker compared to Sonus faber Sonetto III G2, 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 Sonetto III G2 has a max power handling value of 280 watts RMS, 120 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.
Sonus faber Sonetto III G2
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Sonetto III G2 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 Sonetto III G2's and GoldenEar Triton Five's external dimensions. Sonus faber Sonetto III G2 has external dimensions of 1069.0 x 288.0 x 364.0mm (42-1/16inch x 11-5/16inch x 14-5/16inch) 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 Sonetto III G2 is 62mm shorter and 57mm less deeper than GoldenEar Triton Five but it is also 7mm 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 Sonus faber Sonetto III G2 is approximately 1048.3cm2 / 162.5inch2 and base area of the GoldenEar Triton Five is approximately 1183.0cm2 / 183.4inch2. The Sonetto III G2 requires 11% less surface area than the Triton Five 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 Sonus faber Sonetto III G2 weighs 25.85kg / 56.9lbs and the GoldenEar Triton Five weighs 18.18kg / 40lbs. This makes the Sonetto III G2 42% heavier than the Triton Five.
Here is a comparison of how Sonetto III G2 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 Sonetto III G2
What's in the Box of Sonus faber Sonetto III G2?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of Sonetto III G2:
- 2 Floorstanding loudspeakers
- 6 Grilles
- 4 Jumper-straps (pre-installed)
- 2 Binding-post covers (pre-installed)
- 8 Rubber feet
- 8 Spikes 8 Protective discs
- 8 Locking washers
- Wrench
- Dust cloth
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
 Woofer Size |
6.5 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 |
 Height |
1069mm
vs
1131mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
1048cm2
vs
1183cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Max Input Power |
400 watts
vs
280 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Sensitivity |
90 dB
vs
88 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
38 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 Passive Radiator |
four 8-inch infrasonic planar sub-bass
vs
None
|
Increases the bass performance |
 Price per pair* |
2398USD
vs
5000USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
Sonus faber Sonetto III G2 |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
| Brand |
Sonus faber |
GoldenEar |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
50-280 watts |
15-400 watts |
| Sensitivity |
88 dB |
90 dB |
| Impedance |
4 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
38-40k Hz |
26-35k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
6.5" |
6" |
| Woofer Composition |
Paper Pulp |
Polypropylene |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1.1" |
- |
| Tweeter Type |
Soft-dome |
Folded Ribbon |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
No |
No |
| Firing Direction |
n/a |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1069.0mm (42.1") |
1131.0mm (44.5") |
| Width |
288.0mm (11.3") |
281.0mm (11.1") |
| Depth |
364.0mm (14.3") |
421.0mm (16.6") |
| Weight |
25.85kg (56.9lbs) |
18.18kg (40lbs) |
| Enclosure |
|
Passive Radiator |
| Finish |
Wood/Leather/Concrete |
MDF/Lacquer |
| Available Colors |
Wenge |
Gloss Black |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
Yes |
No |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
2 Yrs (8 Yrs registered) |
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
2 Yrs (8 Yrs registered) |
5 Years |
These sit in different price classes - Sonus faber Sonetto III G2 costs roughly 2.1x 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 38Hz. |
| Amplifier needs | B | GoldenEar Triton Five is more sensitive (90dB vs 88dB), 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 280W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size | depends | Similar cabinet size - neither is easier to fit. |
| Cabinet | depends | Ported vs Passive Radiator. |
| Expandability | A | Sonus faber Sonetto III G2: bi-amping. Sonus faber Sonetto III G2 sits in a wider range (11 models), so a matched surround system is easier later. |
| Price | B | GoldenEar Triton Five is cheaper - $2,398 against $5,000, about 52% less; arguably a different class. |
A Sonus faber Sonetto III G2 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?
GoldenEar Triton Five is the easier recommendation: it leads on most of the measured areas and costs less. Take Sonus faber Sonetto III G2 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 38Hz anyway, so judge these on the other rows instead. If your amplifier is modest, vintage or valve-based, GoldenEar Triton Five is the safer partner - the other will want more current or more watts to sound its best.
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.