Triangle Borea BR04 vs Triangle Borea BRA1 Comparison

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Triangle Borea BR04

Passive Bookshelf | 44 - 22k Hz

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Triangle Borea BRA1

Passive Surround | 90-22k Hz

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Triangle Borea BR04

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Triangle Borea BRA1

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Triangle Borea BR04

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Triangle Borea BRA1

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Triangle Borea BR04 vs Triangle Borea BRA1 Speaker Comparison

In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers by Triangle. Triangle Borea BR04 is a Bookshelf speaker whereas the BRA1 is a Surround speaker.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of Triangle Borea BR04 and Triangle Borea BRA1 first before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Key Specs	Triangle Borea BR04	Triangle Borea BRA1
Brand	Triangle France · founded 1980	Triangle France · founded 1980
Design	2-way	2-way
Tweeter	1" Dome	1" Soft-Dome
Woofer	6" Paper Cone	6.5" Natural cellulose pulp
Frequency response	44 - 22k Hz	90-22k Hz
Sensitivity	90 dB	89 dB
Impedance	8 ohms	8 ohms
Power range	up to 110 watts	up to 80 watts
Weight	8.64kg / 19lbs	3.60kg / 7.9lbs
Dimensions (H x W x D)	16.7" x 8.7" x 12.3" 425.0 x 220.0 x 314.0mm	7-1/16" x 8-1/8" x 11-13/16" 180.0 x 206.0 x 300.0mm

Borea BR04 and BRA1 are members of Triangle's Borea series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.

Triangle Borea Series History

Model	Body	Frequency	Sensitivity	Impedance	Woofer
Triangle Borea BR07	Floor-standing	44 - 22k Hz	91 dB	8Ω	1 x 6"
Triangle Borea BR04	Bookshelf	44 - 22k Hz	90 dB	8Ω	1 x 6"
Triangle Borea BR03	Bookshelf	46 - 22k Hz	90 dB	8Ω	1 x 6"
Triangle Borea BR10	Floor-standing	30 - 22k Hz	92 dB	8Ω	2 x 8"
Triangle Borea BR09	Floor-standing	35 - 22k Hz	92.5 dB	8Ω	3 x 6"
Triangle Borea BR02	Bookshelf	51 - 22k Hz	89 dB	8Ω	1 x 5"
Triangle Borea BR08	Floor-standing	40 - 22k Hz	92 dB	8Ω	2 x 6"
Triangle Borea BRC1	Center Channel	57-22k Hz	90 dB	8Ω	2 x 5"
Triangle Borea BRA1	Surround	90-22k Hz	89 dB	8Ω	1 x 6.5"
Triangle Borea BRC2	Center Channel	50-22k Hz	95 dB	8Ω	2 x 6.5"

What size room are the Triangle Borea BR04 and Triangle Borea BRA1 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*	Triangle Borea BR04	Triangle Borea BRA1
Near-field	Poor	Good
Small Room	Average	Good
Mid-size Room	Good	Average
Large Room	Average	Poor
Very Large Room	Poor	No way

(* 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 Borea BR04 and BRA1 are 2-way speakers.

Triangle Borea BR04

Triangle Borea BRA1

TweeterWoofer

Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.

Driver	Triangle Borea BR04	Triangle Borea BRA1
Driver Setup	2-way	2-way
Tweeter	1-inch	1-inch
Midrange	-	-
Woofer	1 x 6-inch	1 x 6.5-inch

Borea BR04 features a 1" silk Dome Tweeter and 1 x 6" Paper Cone Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 3200Hz. On the other hand, the BRA1 features a 1" Silk Soft-Dome Tweeter and 1 x 6.5" Natural cellulose pulp Woofer.

Frequency Response

Borea BR04 has a frequency range of 44 - 22k Hz whereas BRA1 has a frequency range of 90-22k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 44Hz, the Borea BR04 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the BRA1's min frequency of 90Hz.

The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Bookshelf class in our database.

Low Frequency

Bookshelf Speakers

Borea BR04

BRA1

Min

Average

Median

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

Borea BR04 and BRA1 have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Borea BR04 sensitivity is rated at 90 dB and the BRA1's is at 89 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the Triangle Borea BR04 a more sensitive speaker compared to Triangle Borea BRA1, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.

Sensitivity

Bookshelf Speakers

Borea BR04

BRA1

Min

Average

Median

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.

Borea BR04 can handle a max power of 110 watts RMS, whereas BRA1 has a max power handling value of 80 watts RMS, 30 watts less than the Borea BR04.

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.

Amplifier - change this

Distance

Playing as

Triangle Borea BR04

Triangle Borea BRA1

Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring

Borea BR04 features Dual binding posts posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. BRA1 has a Binding post which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.

Triangle Borea BR04's Dual binding posts terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring

Cabinet Type and Port Position

Both Borea BR04 and BRA1 have front firing ports. front ported speakers offers more flexibility in placement in regards to proximity to walls&surfaces compared to rear ported speakers.

Triangle Borea BR04 Port

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 Triangle Borea BR04's and Triangle Borea BRA1's external dimensions. Triangle Borea BR04 has external dimensions of 425.0 x 220.0 x 314.0mm (16.7 x 8.7 x 12.3inch) whereas Triangle Borea BRA1 has external dimensions of 180.0 x 206.0 x 300.0mm (7-1/16 x 8-1/8 x 11-13/16inch).

Triangle Borea BR04 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 14mm wider, 245mm taller and 14mm deeper than Triangle Borea BRA1.

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.

Triangle Borea BR04 needs about 12% more floor or shelf area. Triangle Borea BR04 is 245mm 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 Triangle Borea BR04 is approximately 690.8cm² / 107.1inch² and base area of the Triangle Borea BRA1 is approximately 618.0cm² / 95.8inch². The Borea BR04 requires 12% more surface area than the BRA1 which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.

What's in the Box of Triangle Borea BR04?

Here are the items that are included inside the box of Borea BR04:

2 x Borea speakers
2 x protections grids
8 x adhesive rubber plots
1 x user manual

Reasons to choose Triangle Borea BR04 over Triangle Borea BRA1

Max Input Power	110 watts vs 80 watts	Handle more power from your amplifier
Sensitivity	90 dB vs 89 dB	Play louder with same amount of amplification power
Minimum Impedance	4.6 ohms vs 4.5 ohms	Very low impedance levels puts more pressure on amplifier
Low Frequency Response	44 Hz vs 90 Hz	Generates deeper bass
Bi-Amping and Bi-Wiring	Yes vs No	Allows bi-amping and bi-wiring connections

Reasons to choose Triangle Borea BRA1 over Triangle Borea BR04

Woofer Size	6.5 inches vs 6 inches	Larger woofer
Height	180mm vs 425mm	Easier to fit in smaller spaces
Base Surface Area	618cm² vs 690cm²	Takes less floor space
Price per pair*	475USD vs 649USD	costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time)

Triangle Borea BR04 vs Triangle Borea BRA1 Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Triangle Borea BR04	Triangle Borea BRA1
Brand	Triangle	Triangle
Speaker Type	Bookshelf speakers	Surround speaker
Power Range	up to 110 watts	up to 80 watts
Sensitivity	90 dB	89 dB
Impedance	8 ohms	8 ohms
Impedance	4.6 ohms	4.5 ohms
Frequency Response	44 - 22k Hz	90-22k Hz
Drivers
Woofer Quantity	1	1
Woofer Size	6"	6.5"
Woofer Composition	Paper Cone	Natural cellulose pulp
Tweeter Size	1"	1"
Tweeter Type	Dome	Soft-Dome
Aimable Tweeter	No	No
Midrange Driver	No	No
Crossover Frequency	3200Hz	n/a
Firing Direction	front	front
Physical Specs
Height	425.0mm (16.7")	180.0mm (7.1")
Width	220.0mm (8.7")	206.0mm (8.1")
Depth	314.0mm (12.4")	300.0mm (11.8")
Weight	8.64kg (19lbs)	3.60kg (7.9lbs)
Enclosure	Bass Reflex	Bass Reflex
Available Colors	Oak Green,Chestnut,Blue,Black Ash,White,Light Oak	n/a
Mounting Bracket	No
Grille	Yes	Yes
Moisture Resistancy	No	No
Connections
Biamp Inputs	Yes	No
Other
Parts Warranty	5 Years	5 Years
Labor Warranty	5 Years	5 Years

Verdict

Siblings in Triangle's Borea series, so they share a family sound. It comes down to size, output and price.

Area	Better	Why
Bass	A	Triangle Borea BR04 digs deeper - 44Hz against 90Hz.
Amplifier needs	evenly matched	Similar sensitivity (90dB vs 89dB) - both want much the same power.
Headroom	A	Triangle Borea BR04 takes more power (110W vs 80W) - more in hand in a big room.
Size	depends	Triangle Borea BRA1 is easier to place; Triangle Borea BR04 is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides.
Type	depends	A Passive Bookshelf against a Passive Surround - a different job rather than a better one.
Expandability	depends	Triangle Borea BR04: bi-amping; Triangle Borea BRA1: Atmos drivers.
Price	B	Triangle Borea BRA1 is cheaper - $475 against $649, about 27% less.

A Triangle Borea BR04 B Triangle Borea BRA1
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: Triangle Borea BR04 measures better, Triangle Borea BRA1 costs about about 37% 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 90Hz anyway, which makes the cheaper Triangle Borea BRA1 much easier to justify. Match it to your room: we rate Triangle Borea BR04 the better fit for a mid-size room and a large room, and Triangle Borea BRA1 for near-field listening and a small 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.