In this review, we will be comparing Borea BR09 and RP-8000F, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Triangle and Klipsch.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Triangle Borea BR09 and Klipsch RP-8000F first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Triangle Borea BR09 | Klipsch RP-8000F |
|---|
| Brand | Triangle
France · founded 1980 | Klipsch
United States · founded 1946 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" dome | 1" Tractrix Horn |
|---|
| Midrange | 6" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 3 x 6" fiberglass | 2 x 8" Cerametallic |
|---|
| Frequency response | 35 - 22k Hz | 32-25k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 92.5 dB | 98 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | up to 170 watts | up to 150 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 21.80kg / 48lbs | 27.27kg / 60lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 43.1" x 8.1" x 12.3"
1095.0 x 206.0 x 314.0mm | 43-1/4" x 10-7/8" x 17-1/2"
1099.0 x 277.0 x 445.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the Triangle Borea BR09 and Klipsch RP-8000F 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 BR09 |
Klipsch RP-8000F |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
Good |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Poor |
Poor |
(* 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 Borea BR09 is a 3-way design whereas the RP-8000F 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.
Triangle Borea BR09Klipsch RP-8000F
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
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 BR09 |
Klipsch RP-8000F |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 6-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
3 x 6-inch
|
2 x 8-inch
|
Borea BR09 features a 1" silk dome Tweeter, a 6" Midrange and 3 x 6" fiberglass Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 310Hz and 3900Hz. On the other hand, the RP-8000F features a 1" Tractrix Horn Tweeter and 2 x 8" Cerametallic Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 1750 Hz.
Frequency Response
Borea BR09 has a frequency range of 35 - 22k Hz whereas RP-8000F has a frequency range of 32-25k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 32Hz, the RP-8000F can go slightly deeper then the Borea BR09's min frequency of 35Hz.
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
Borea BR09 and RP-8000F have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Borea BR09 sensitivity is rated at 92.5 dB and the RP-8000F's is at 98 dB. This 5 dB difference makes the Klipsch RP-8000F a more sensitive speaker compared to Triangle Borea BR09, 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.
Borea BR09 can handle a max power of 170 watts RMS, whereas RP-8000F has a max power handling value of 150 watts RMS, 20 watts less than the Borea BR09.
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
RP-8000F features Post posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. Borea BR09 has a Binding post which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Triangle Borea BR09's Binding post terminals
Klipsch RP-8000F's Post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Borea BR09 has a front firing port whereas RP-8000F has a rear firing ports. Triangle Borea BR09's front-firing port gives more flexibility in placement in regards to proximity to walls compared to Klipsch RP-8000F with its rear-firing port.
Klipsch RP-8000F 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 BR09's and Klipsch RP-8000F's external dimensions. Triangle Borea BR09 has external dimensions of 1095.0 x 206.0 x 314.0mm (43.1 x 8.1 x 12.3inch) whereas Klipsch RP-8000F has external dimensions of 1099.0 x 277.0 x 445.0mm (43-1/4 x 10-7/8 x 17-1/2inch).
Klipsch RP-8000F is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 71mm wider, 4mm taller and 131mm deeper than Triangle Borea BR09.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Triangle Borea BR09 and Klipsch RP-8000F in scale.
Comparison image of Triangle Borea BR09 and Klipsch RP-8000F Size and External Dimensions
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 BR09 is approximately 646.8cm2 / 100.3inch2 and base area of the Klipsch RP-8000F is approximately 1232.7cm2 / 191.1inch2. The Borea BR09 requires 48% less surface area than the RP-8000F 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 Triangle Borea BR09 weighs 21.80kg / 48lbs and the Klipsch RP-8000F weighs 27.27kg / 60lbs. This makes the RP-8000F 25% heavier than the Borea BR09.
Here is a comparison of how Borea BR09 and RP-8000F'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 Triangle Borea BR09?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of Borea BR09:
- 2 x Borea speakers
- 2 x protections grids
- 2 x pedestals
- 8 x screws
- 8 x adhesive rubber plots
- 8 x decoupling spikes
- 1 x user manual
What's in the Box of Klipsch RP-8000F?
Here are the items that come with the RP-8000F:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- Stabilizer feet (installed)
- Grille (installed)
- 2 Terminal jumpers (installed)
- User Manual
- Important Safety Instructions
- Warranty Information
 Max Input Power |
170 watts
vs
150 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Driver Setup |
3-way
vs
2-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 Number of Woofers |
3
vs
2
|
More woofers |
 Port Position |
Front
vs
Rear
|
Gives more flexibility placing close to walls |
 Height |
1095mm
vs
1099mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
646cm2
vs
1232cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Sensitivity |
98 dB
vs
93 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
|
Woofer Size |
8 inches
vs
6 inches
|
Larger woofer |
|
Low Frequency Response |
32 Hz
vs
35 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
25k Hz
vs
22k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Bi-Amping and Bi-Wiring |
Yes
vs
No
|
Allows bi-amping and bi-wiring connections |
 Price per pair* |
1658USD
vs
1850USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
Triangle Borea BR09 |
Klipsch Reference Premiere RP-8000F |
| Brand |
Triangle |
Klipsch |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
up to 170 watts |
up to 150 watts |
| Sensitivity |
92.5 dB |
98 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Impedance |
3.3 ohms |
n/a |
| Frequency Response |
35 - 22k Hz |
32-25k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
3 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
6" |
8" |
| Woofer Composition |
fiberglass |
Cerametallic |
| Woofer Surround Material |
n/a |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
dome |
Tractrix Horn |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
6" |
No |
| Crossover Frequency |
310Hz and 3900Hz |
1750 Hz |
| Firing Direction |
front |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1095.0mm (43.1") |
1099.0mm (43.3") |
| Width |
206.0mm (8.1") |
277.0mm (10.9") |
| Depth |
314.0mm (12.4") |
445.0mm (17.5") |
| Weight |
21.80kg (48lbs) |
27.27kg (60lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
n/a |
MDF/Wood-grain vinyl |
| Available Colors |
Light Oak, Walnut, Black, White |
Walnut, Black |
| Grille |
Yes |
Yes |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
No |
Yes |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
No single best speaker here - they are built to different priorities, and the right one depends on your room, your amplifier and what you listen to.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | B | Klipsch RP-8000F digs deeper - 32Hz against 35Hz. A subwoofer would even that out. |
| Amplifier needs | B | Klipsch RP-8000F is more sensitive (98dB vs 93dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Headroom | evenly matched | Similar power handling (170W vs 150W). |
| Size | depends | Triangle Borea BR09 is easier to place; Klipsch RP-8000F is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Expandability | B | Klipsch RP-8000F: bi-amping. Klipsch RP-8000F sits in a wider range (17 models), so a matched surround system is easier later. |
| Price | B | Klipsch RP-8000F is cheaper - $1,658 against $1,850, about 10% less. |
A Triangle Borea BR09 B Klipsch RP-8000F
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?
Klipsch RP-8000F is the easier recommendation: it leads on most of the measured areas and costs less. Take Triangle Borea BR09 if its size, looks or fit in your room suit you better. In a large or open-plan room, Klipsch RP-8000F has the cabinet volume to fill it more easily; in a small room, near a wall or at desk distance, Triangle Borea BR09 is the easier speaker to get right. If your amplifier is modest, vintage or valve-based, Klipsch RP-8000F 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.