In this review, we will be comparing NS-777 and Triton Five, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Yamaha and GoldenEar.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Yamaha NS-777 and GoldenEar Triton Five first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Yamaha NS-777 | GoldenEar Triton Five |
|---|
| Brand | Yamaha
Japan · founded 1887 | GoldenEar
United States · founded 2010 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" Aluminum dome with waveguide horn | Folded Ribbon |
|---|
| Midrange | 5" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 8" PMD cone | 2 x 6" Polypropylene |
|---|
| Frequency response | 30-35k Hz | 26-35k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 89 dB | 90 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 6 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 100-250 watts | 15-400 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 24.36kg / 53.6lbs | 18.18kg / 40lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 43.3125" x 10.875" x 15.375"
1100.1 x 276.2 x 390.5mm | 44-1/2" x 11-1/16" x 16-9/16"
1131.0 x 281.0 x 421.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the Yamaha NS-777 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* |
Yamaha NS-777 |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Are you nuts? |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Average |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Average |
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 NS-777 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.
Yamaha NS-777GoldenEar Triton Five
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
Yamaha NS-777 |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 5-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 8-inch
|
2 x 6-inch
|
NS-777 features a 1" Aluminum dome with waveguide horn Aluminum dome with waveguide horn Tweeter, a 5" Midrange and 2 x 8" PMD cone Woofer. On the other hand, the Triton Five features a " Folded Ribbon Tweeter and 2 x 6" Polypropylene Woofer.
Frequency Response
NS-777 has a frequency range of 30-35k 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 NS-777'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
NS-777 is a 6 ohms speaker compared to the Triton Five which has a nominal impedance of 8 ohms.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. NS-777 sensitivity is rated at 89 dB and the Triton Five's is rated at 90 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the GoldenEar Triton Five a more sensitive speaker compared to Yamaha NS-777, 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 NS-777 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
NS-777 features 5-way Post type posts and Triton Five has a 5-way Post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
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 Yamaha NS-777's and GoldenEar Triton Five's external dimensions. Yamaha NS-777 has external dimensions of 1100.1 x 276.2 x 390.5mm (43.3125 x 10.875 x 15.375inch) 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).
GoldenEar Triton Five is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 4.8mm wider, 30.9mm taller and 30.5mm deeper than Yamaha NS-777.
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.
GoldenEar Triton Five needs about 10% more floor or shelf area. GoldenEar Triton Five is 31mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. GoldenEar Triton Five is 31mm 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 Yamaha NS-777 is approximately 1078.6cm2 / 167.2inch2 and base area of the GoldenEar Triton Five is approximately 1183.0cm2 / 183.4inch2. The NS-777 requires 9% less surface area than the Triton Five 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 Yamaha NS-777 weighs 24.36kg / 53.6lbs and the GoldenEar Triton Five weighs 18.18kg / 40lbs. This makes the NS-777 34% heavier than the Triton Five.
Here is a comparison of how NS-777 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 |
 Woofer Size |
8 inches
vs
6 inches
|
Larger woofer |
 Height |
1100mm
vs
1131mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
1078cm2
vs
1183cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Price per pair* |
1200USD
vs
2398USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
 Max Input Power |
400 watts
vs
250 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Sensitivity |
90 dB
vs
89 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
6 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
|
Low Frequency Response |
26 Hz
vs
30 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 Passive Radiator |
four 8-inch infrasonic planar sub-bass
vs
None
|
Increases the bass performance |
| General |
Yamaha NS-777 |
GoldenEar Triton Five |
| Brand |
Yamaha |
GoldenEar |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
100-250 watts |
15-400 watts |
| Sensitivity |
89 dB |
90 dB |
| Impedance |
6 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
30-35k Hz |
26-35k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
8" |
6" |
| Woofer Composition |
PMD cone |
Polypropylene |
| Woofer Surround Material |
n/a |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
- |
| Tweeter Type |
Aluminum dome with waveguide horn |
Folded Ribbon |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
5" |
No |
| Firing Direction |
n/a |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1100.1mm (43.3") |
1131.0mm (44.5") |
| Width |
276.2mm (10.9") |
281.0mm (11.1") |
| Depth |
390.5mm (15.4") |
421.0mm (16.6") |
| Weight |
24.36kg (53.6lbs) |
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 |
No |
No |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
|
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
|
5 Years |
These sit in different price classes - GoldenEar Triton Five costs roughly 2x what Yamaha NS-777 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 | evenly matched | Similar sensitivity (89dB vs 90dB) - both want much the same power. |
| Amplifier match | B | GoldenEar Triton Five is the easier load at 8 ohms. |
| Headroom | B | GoldenEar Triton Five takes more power (400W vs 250W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size | depends | Similar cabinet size - neither is easier to fit. |
| Cabinet | depends | Ported vs Passive Radiator. |
| Expandability | depends | Neither adds bi-amping, a sub output or height drivers. GoldenEar Triton Five sits in a wider range (7 models), so a matched surround system is easier later. |
| Price | A | Yamaha NS-777 is cheaper - $1,200 against $2,398, about 50% less; arguably a different class. |
A Yamaha NS-777 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?
The usual trade-off: GoldenEar Triton Five measures better, Yamaha NS-777 costs about about 100% 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. Match it to your room: we rate GoldenEar Triton Five the better fit for a very large room; elsewhere the two are rated the same. Think about the whole system, not just the speakers: the roughly $1,198 saved by taking the cheaper pair would buy a subwoofer or a better amplifier, and either usually does more for the sound than the difference between these two.
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.