In this review, we will be comparing ELYSIAN 4R and Triton Five, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Wharfedale and GoldenEar.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Wharfedale Elysian 4R and GoldenEar Triton Five first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Wharfedale Elysian 4R | GoldenEar Triton Five |
|---|
| Brand | Wharfedale
United Kingdom · founded 1932 | GoldenEar
United States · founded 2010 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | AMT (Ribbon) | Folded Ribbon |
|---|
| Midrange | 6" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 8.5" Coated glass fibre matrix | 2 x 6" Polypropylene |
|---|
| Frequency response | 30-22k Hz | 26-35k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 92 dB | 90 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 4 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 15-250 watts | 15-400 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 49.50kg / 108.9lbs | 18.18kg / 40lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 46-3/4" x 15-13/16" x 18-3/16"
1188.0 x 402.0 x 462.0mm | 44-1/2" x 11-1/16" x 16-9/16"
1131.0 x 281.0 x 421.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the Wharfedale Elysian 4R and GoldenEar Triton Five 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* |
Wharfedale Elysian 4R |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
| 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
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that ELYSIAN 4R is a 3-way design whereas the Triton Five 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.
Wharfedale Elysian 4RGoldenEar Triton Five
MidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
Wharfedale Elysian 4R |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
-inch
|
-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 6-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 8.5-inch
|
2 x 6-inch
|
ELYSIAN 4R features a " AMT (Ribbon) Tweeter, a 6" Midrange and 2 x 8.5" Coated glass fibre matrix Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 340Hz and 3100Hz. On the other hand, the Triton Five features a " Folded Ribbon Tweeter and 2 x 6" Polypropylene Woofer.
Frequency Response
ELYSIAN 4R has a frequency range of 30-22k Hz whereas Triton Five has a frequency range of 26-35k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 26Hz, the Triton Five can go slightly deeper then the ELYSIAN 4R's min frequency of 30Hz.
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
ELYSIAN 4R 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 ELYSIAN 4R can provide this impedance level.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. ELYSIAN 4R sensitivity is rated at 92 dB and the Triton Five's is rated at 90 dB. This 2 dB difference makes the Wharfedale Elysian 4R a more sensitive speaker compared to GoldenEar Triton Five, 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 ELYSIAN 4R has a max power handling value of 250 watts RMS, 150 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.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
ELYSIAN 4R 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.
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both ELYSIAN 4R and Triton Five have rear firing ports. Rear ported speakers generally need more room between the backside of the speaker and the wall compared to sealed and front/bottom ported speakers. Placing the speakers too close to the walls may cause the bass to sound boomy.
If you are limited in space and can't get the speakers away from the backwall, check our Speakers with Front Firing Ports page.
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 Wharfedale Elysian 4R's and GoldenEar Triton Five's external dimensions. Wharfedale Elysian 4R has external dimensions of 1188.0 x 402.0 x 462.0mm (46-3/4 x 15-13/16 x 18-3/16inch) 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).
Wharfedale Elysian 4R is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 121mm wider, 57mm taller and 41mm deeper than GoldenEar Triton Five.
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.
Wharfedale Elysian 4R needs about 57% more floor or shelf area. Wharfedale Elysian 4R is 41mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. Wharfedale Elysian 4R is 57mm 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 Wharfedale Elysian 4R is approximately 1857.2cm2 / 287.9inch2 and base area of the GoldenEar Triton Five is approximately 1183.0cm2 / 183.4inch2. The ELYSIAN 4R requires 57% more surface area than the Triton Five 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 Wharfedale Elysian 4R weighs 49.50kg / 108.9lbs and the GoldenEar Triton Five weighs 18.18kg / 40lbs. This makes the ELYSIAN 4R 172% heavier than the Triton Five.
Here is a comparison of how ELYSIAN 4R and Triton Five'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 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
 Driver Setup |
3-way
vs
2-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 Sensitivity |
92 dB
vs
90 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Woofer Size |
8.5 inches
vs
6 inches
|
Larger woofer |
 Bi-Amping and Bi-Wiring |
Yes
vs
No
|
Allows bi-amping and bi-wiring connections |
 Max Input Power |
400 watts
vs
250 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
4 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
|
Low Frequency Response |
26 Hz
vs
30 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
35k Hz
vs
22k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Passive Radiator |
four 8-inch infrasonic planar sub-bass
vs
None
|
Increases the bass performance |
 Height |
1131mm
vs
1188mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
1183cm2
vs
1857cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Price per pair* |
2398USD
vs
11995USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
Wharfedale Elysian 4R |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
| Brand |
Wharfedale |
GoldenEar |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
15-250 watts |
15-400 watts |
| Sensitivity |
92 dB |
90 dB |
| Impedance |
4 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Impedance |
3.2 ohms |
n/a |
| Frequency Response |
30-22k Hz |
26-35k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
8.5" |
6" |
| Woofer Composition |
Coated glass fibre matrix |
Polypropylene |
| Woofer Surround Material |
n/a |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
- |
- |
| Tweeter Type |
AMT (Ribbon) |
Folded Ribbon |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
6" |
No |
| Crossover Frequency |
340Hz and 3100Hz |
n/a |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1188.0mm (46.8") |
1131.0mm (44.5") |
| Width |
402.0mm (15.8") |
281.0mm (11.1") |
| Depth |
462.0mm (18.2") |
421.0mm (16.6") |
| Weight |
49.50kg (108.9lbs) |
18.18kg (40lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Passive Radiator |
| Finish |
n/a |
MDF/Lacquer |
| Available Colors |
n/a |
Gloss Black |
| Grille |
Yes |
n/a |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
Yes |
No |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
These sit in different price classes - Wharfedale Elysian 4R costs roughly 5x 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 30Hz. A subwoofer would even that out. |
| Amplifier needs | A | Wharfedale Elysian 4R is more sensitive (92dB vs 90dB), 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 250W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size | depends | GoldenEar Triton Five is easier to place; Wharfedale Elysian 4R is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Cabinet | depends | Ported vs Passive Radiator. |
| Expandability | depends | Wharfedale Elysian 4R: bi-amping. GoldenEar Triton Five sits in a wider range (7 models), so a matched surround system is easier later. |
| Price | B | GoldenEar Triton Five is cheaper - $2,398 against $11,995, about 80% less; arguably a different class. |
A Wharfedale Elysian 4R 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 Wharfedale Elysian 4R if its size, looks or fit in your room suit you better. In a large or open-plan room, Wharfedale Elysian 4R has the cabinet volume to fill it more easily; in a small room, near a wall or at desk distance, GoldenEar Triton Five is the easier speaker to get right. If your amplifier is modest, vintage or valve-based, Wharfedale Elysian 4R 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.