In this review, we will be comparing Australe Ez and Vestia No3, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Triangle and Focal.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Triangle Esprit Australe Ez and Focal Vestia No3 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Triangle Esprit Australe Ez | Focal Vestia No3 |
|---|
| Brand | Triangle
France · founded 1980 | Focal
France · founded 1979 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" Horn-Loaded | 1" inverted dome |
|---|
| Midrange | 6.5" | 6.5" |
|---|
| Woofer | 3 x 6.5" Double ferrite fibreglass | 3 x 6.5" Slatefiber |
|---|
| Frequency response | 35-22k Hz | 42-30k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 92.5 dB | 92 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 100-200 watts | 40-300 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 38.80kg / 85.4lbs | 26.50kg / 58.3lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 44-1/2" x 7-7/8" x 14-9/16"
1130.0 x 200.0 x 370.0mm | 44-1/8" x 10-1/8" x 14-3/4"
1121.0 x 258.0 x 375.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the Triangle Esprit Australe Ez and Focal Vestia No3 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 Esprit Australe Ez |
Focal Vestia No3 |
| 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 Australe Ez and Vestia No3 are 3-way speakers.
Triangle Esprit Australe EzFocal Vestia No3
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 Esprit Australe Ez |
Focal Vestia No3 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 6.5-inch |
1 x 6.5-inch |
|
Woofer
|
3 x 6.5-inch
|
3 x 6.5-inch
|
Australe Ez features a 1" Titanium dome Horn-Loaded Tweeter, a 6.5" Midrange and 3 x 6.5" Double ferrite fibreglass Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 215Hz and 3500Hz. On the other hand, the Vestia No3 features a 1" Al/Mg inverted dome Tweeter, a 6.5" Midrange and 3 x 6.5" Slatefiber Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 280Hz and 3100Hz.
Frequency Response
Australe Ez has a frequency range of 35-22k Hz whereas Vestia No3 has a frequency range of 42-30k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 35Hz, the Australe Ez can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Vestia No3's min frequency of 42Hz.
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
Australe Ez and Vestia No3 have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Australe Ez sensitivity is rated at 92.5 dB and the Vestia No3's is at 92 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the Triangle Esprit Australe Ez a more sensitive speaker compared to Focal Vestia No3, 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.
Vestia No3 can handle a max power of 300 watts RMS, whereas Australe Ez has a max power handling value of 150 watts RMS, 150 watts less than the Vestia No3.
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.
Triangle Esprit Australe Ez
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both Australe Ez and Vestia No3 have front firing ports. front ported speakers offers more flexibility in placement in regards to proximity to walls&surfaces compared to rear ported speakers.
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 Esprit Australe Ez's and Focal Vestia No3's external dimensions. Triangle Esprit Australe Ez has external dimensions of 1130.0 x 200.0 x 370.0mm (44-1/2 x 7-7/8 x 14-9/16inch) whereas Focal Vestia No3 has external dimensions of 1121.0 x 258.0 x 375.0mm (44-1/8-inch x 10-1/8-inch x 14-3/4-inch).
Triangle Esprit Australe Ez is 58mm narrower and 5mm less deeper than Focal Vestia No3 but it is also 9mm taller.
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.
Focal Vestia No3 needs about 31% more floor or shelf area.
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 Esprit Australe Ez is approximately 740.0cm2 / 114.7inch2 and base area of the Focal Vestia No3 is approximately 967.5cm2 / 150.0inch2. The Australe Ez requires 24% less surface area than the Vestia No3 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 Esprit Australe Ez weighs 38.80kg / 85.4lbs and the Focal Vestia No3 weighs 26.50kg / 58.3lbs. This makes the Australe Ez 46% heavier than the Vestia No3.
Here is a comparison of how Australe Ez and Vestia No3's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Floor-standing class.
Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers
Triangle Esprit Australe Ez
 Sensitivity |
93 dB
vs
92 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Minimum Impedance |
3 ohms
vs
2.9 ohms
|
Very low impedance levels puts more pressure on amplifier |
 Low Frequency Response |
35 Hz
vs
42 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 Bi-Amping and Bi-Wiring |
Yes
vs
No
|
Allows bi-amping and bi-wiring connections |
 Base Surface Area |
740cm2
vs
967cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Price per pair* |
3180USD
vs
3598USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
 Max Input Power |
300 watts
vs
150 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 High Frequency Response |
30k Hz
vs
22k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Height |
1121mm
vs
1130mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
| General |
Triangle Esprit Australe Ez |
Focal Vestia No3 |
| Brand |
Triangle |
Focal |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
100-200 watts |
40-300 watts |
| Sensitivity |
92.5 dB |
92 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Impedance |
3 ohms |
2.9 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
35-22k Hz |
42-30k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
3 |
3 |
| Woofer Size |
6.5" |
6.5" |
| Woofer Composition |
Double ferrite fibreglass |
Slatefiber |
| Woofer Surround Material |
n/a |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
Horn-Loaded |
inverted dome |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
6.5" |
6.5" |
| Crossover Frequency |
215Hz and 3500Hz |
280Hz and 3100Hz |
| Firing Direction |
front |
front |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1130.0mm (44.5") |
1121.0mm (44.1") |
| Width |
200.0mm (7.9") |
258.0mm (10.2") |
| Depth |
370.0mm (14.6") |
375.0mm (14.8") |
| Weight |
38.80kg (85.4lbs) |
26.50kg (58.3lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
n/a |
MDF |
| Available Colors |
n/a |
Black High Gloss, Dark Wood, Light Wood |
| Grille |
Yes |
Yes |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
Yes |
No |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
5 Years |
|
| Labor Warranty |
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 | A | Triangle Esprit Australe Ez digs deeper - 35Hz against 42Hz. A subwoofer would even that out. |
| Amplifier needs | evenly matched | Similar sensitivity (93dB vs 92dB) - both want much the same power. |
| Headroom | B | Focal Vestia No3 takes more power (300W vs 150W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size | depends | Triangle Esprit Australe Ez is easier to place; Focal Vestia No3 is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Expandability | A | Triangle Esprit Australe Ez: bi-amping. |
| Price | A | Triangle Esprit Australe Ez is cheaper - $3,180 against $3,598, about 12% less. |
A Triangle Esprit Australe Ez B Focal Vestia No3
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?
Triangle Esprit Australe Ez has the edge on paper, though the margin is not large. The rows marked "depends" may matter more to you than the score does. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 42Hz anyway, so judge these on the other rows instead.
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.