In this review, we will be comparing Australe Ez and Antal 40th, two Passive Floor-standing speakers by Triangle.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Triangle Esprit Australe Ez and Triangle Esprit Antal 40th first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Triangle Esprit Australe Ez | Triangle Esprit Antal 40th |
|---|
| Brand | Triangle
France · founded 1980 | Triangle
France · founded 1980 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" Horn-Loaded | 1" Horn-Loaded |
|---|
| Midrange | 6.5" | 6.5" |
|---|
| Woofer | 3 x 6.5" Double ferrite fibreglass | 2 x 6.5" Fibreglass |
|---|
| Frequency response | 35-22k Hz | 40-22k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 92.5 dB | 92 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 100-200 watts | 60-300 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 38.80kg / 85.4lbs | 29.80kg / 65.6lbs |
|---|
| 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 | 42-15/16" x 7-7/8" x 13-9/16"
1090.0 x 200.0 x 345.0mm |
|---|
Australe Ez and Antal 40th are members of Triangle's Esprit series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
Triangle Esprit Series
History
What size room are the Triangle Esprit Australe Ez and Triangle Esprit Antal 40th 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 |
Triangle Esprit Antal 40th |
| Near-field |
Are you nuts? |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Average |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Good |
Average |
(* 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 Antal 40th are 3-way speakers.
Triangle Esprit Australe EzTriangle Esprit Antal 40th
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 |
Triangle Esprit Antal 40th |
|
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
|
2 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 Antal 40th features a 1" Magnesium dome Horn-Loaded Tweeter, a 6.5" Midrange and 2 x 6.5" Fibreglass Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 180Hz and 3800Hz.
Frequency Response
Australe Ez has a frequency range of 35-22k Hz whereas Antal 40th has a frequency range of 40-22k 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 Antal 40th's min frequency of 40Hz.
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 Antal 40th 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 Antal 40th's is at 92 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the Triangle Esprit Australe Ez a more sensitive speaker compared to Triangle Esprit Antal 40th, 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.
Australe Ez can handle a max power of 150 watts RMS, whereas Antal 40th has a max power handling value of 140 watts RMS, 10 watts less than the Australe Ez.
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
Triangle Esprit Antal 40th
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Australe Ez features Binding post posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. Antal 40th has a Binding post which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both Australe Ez and Antal 40th 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 Triangle Esprit Antal 40th'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 Triangle Esprit Antal 40th has external dimensions of 1090.0 x 200.0 x 345.0mm (42-15/16 x 7-7/8 x 13-9/16inch).
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.
Near-identical footprints. Triangle Esprit Australe Ez is 25mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. Triangle Esprit Australe Ez is 40mm 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 Esprit Australe Ez is approximately 740.0cm2 / 114.7inch2 and base area of the Triangle Esprit Antal 40th is approximately 690.0cm2 / 107.0inch2. The Australe Ez requires 7% more surface area than the Antal 40th 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 Triangle Esprit Australe Ez weighs 38.80kg / 85.4lbs and the Triangle Esprit Antal 40th weighs 29.80kg / 65.6lbs. This makes the Australe Ez 30% heavier than the Antal 40th.
Here is a comparison of how Australe Ez and Antal 40th's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Floor-standing class.
Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers
Triangle Esprit Australe Ez
Triangle Esprit Antal 40th
 Max Input Power |
150 watts
vs
140 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Sensitivity |
93 dB
vs
92 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Number of Woofers |
3
vs
2
|
More woofers |
|
Low Frequency Response |
35 Hz
vs
40 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 Price per pair* |
3180USD
vs
5100USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
 Height |
1090mm
vs
1130mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
690cm2
vs
740cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
| General |
Triangle Esprit Australe Ez |
Triangle Esprit Antal 40th |
| Brand |
Triangle |
Triangle |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
100-200 watts |
60-300 watts |
| Sensitivity |
92.5 dB |
92 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Impedance |
3 ohms |
3 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
35-22k Hz |
40-22k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
3 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
6.5" |
6.5" |
| Woofer Composition |
Double ferrite fibreglass |
Fibreglass |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
Horn-Loaded |
Horn-Loaded |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
6.5" |
6.5" |
| Crossover Frequency |
215Hz and 3500Hz |
180Hz and 3800Hz |
| Firing Direction |
front |
front |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1130.0mm (44.5") |
1090.0mm (42.9") |
| Width |
200.0mm (7.9") |
200.0mm (7.9") |
| Depth |
370.0mm (14.6") |
345.0mm (13.6") |
| Weight |
38.80kg (85.4lbs) |
29.80kg (65.6lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Grille |
Yes |
Yes |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
Yes |
n/a |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
Siblings in Triangle's Esprit series, so they share a family sound. It comes down to size, output and price.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | A | Triangle Esprit Australe Ez digs deeper - 35Hz against 40Hz. A subwoofer would even that out. |
| Amplifier needs | evenly matched | Similar sensitivity (93dB vs 92dB) - both want much the same power. |
| Headroom | evenly matched | Similar power handling (150W vs 140W). |
| Size | depends | Similar cabinet size - neither is easier to fit. |
| Expandability | A | Triangle Esprit Australe Ez: bi-amping. |
| Price | A | Triangle Esprit Australe Ez is cheaper - $3,180 against $5,100, about 38% less; arguably a different class. |
A Triangle Esprit Australe Ez B Triangle Esprit Antal 40th
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 is the easier recommendation: it leads on most of the measured areas and costs less. Take Triangle Esprit Antal 40th 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 40Hz anyway, so judge these on the other rows instead. Match it to your room: we rate Triangle Esprit Australe Ez the better fit for a very large room; elsewhere the two are rated the same.
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.