GoldenEar Triton Three Tower Loudspeaker Preview

A

admin

Audioholics Robot
Staff member
A little over a year ago the GoldenEar company was launched with the debut of their Triton Two tower speakers. These tall but slim speakers garnered a lot of industry attention and press. The question that was in everyone's mind at the time was "could Sandy Gross (Formerly of Definitive Technology) launch another successful speaker company?" He gambled on yes and so far it appears to be paying off. The new Triton Three Tower speaker system is said to have most of the performance virtues of the Triton Two but in a smaller more affordable package. You still get the internal powered subwoofers and acclaimed driver technology from its bigger sibling.


Discuss "GoldenEar Triton Three Tower Loudspeaker Preview" here. Read the article.
 
Sugarbear

Sugarbear

Junior Audioholic
Never really been a fan of built-in powered subs in towers but, to each their own...
 
gene

gene

Audioholics Master Chief
Administrator
Never really been a fan of built-in powered subs in towers but, to each their own...
there are definitely pros and cons to it.
  • Pros - usually better bass response compared to passive tower, takes up less space than separate towers and subs
  • Cons - bass modules can't be optimally located in the room and usually aren't up to the same level of performance as dedicated powered subwoofers
 
T

thxtheater2

Audiophyte
I personally wasn't impressed with the Tritons

I had the chance to listen to the Triton Two Loudspeakers and I was really disappointed. I really wanted to like these speakers, but even up against Paradigm monitors and then against the Paradigm signature series, these speakers had just terrible, terrible midrange. I know that these speakers have gotten loads of great reviews, but I'm really surprised and was disappointed in my listening session. It seems that these are geared towards more "boom boom" action home theater than being accurate speakers. Did anyone else audition these and come away with a similar impression?
 
cpp

cpp

Audioholic Ninja
I listened to the Triton 2's through a ATI AT-1800 amp and was impressed I bought the ATI amp and the Tritons. The wife loves the looks and the sound for her HT and when she's happy life is good. Of course the Tritons had over 200 hours on them. No regrets at all.
 
slipperybidness

slipperybidness

Audioholic Warlord
Silky smooth highs, excellent lows, can't complain about the mids either. Bought a pair of 2s and never looked back.
 
pragmatic001

pragmatic001

Audiophyte
I've had my Triton Two's for a few weeks now, I probably have a couple hundred hours on them (I leave them running during the day). It took me awhile to really dial them in, but oh man it was worth it. They blow my mind every time I sit down to listen.

I would say they sound like an excellent planar / dynamic hybrid. You get the massive soundstage and never-ending highs of a planar (thanks to the folded ribbon tweeter & perfectly matched midrange) with the dynamics and bass authority of classical drivers.

I'm a huge fan of these speakers, but make sure you listen to them with gear that will really show you what they can do.
 
AcuDefTechGuy

AcuDefTechGuy

Audioholic Jedi
There are a few factors to consider with every audition.:)

Taste/perception, room acoustic, speaker placement/setup, pre-amp modes (direct vs EQ), source/recording.
 
AcuDefTechGuy

AcuDefTechGuy

Audioholic Jedi
I listened to the Triton 2's through a ATI AT-1800 amp and was impressed I bought the ATI amp and the Tritons. The wife loves the looks and the sound for her HT and when she's happy life is good. Of course the Tritons had over 200 hours on them. No regrets at all.
Nice amp and subwoofer you got there.:D

I just now realized you have ATI and Rythmik. :D
 
AcuDefTechGuy

AcuDefTechGuy

Audioholic Jedi
oh yes, following the master :D
If you own a Denon, ATI, & Rythmik, then you are already a Jedi.:D

Then once you add a Philharmonic or Salk, you become a Jedi Master.:eek:
 
haraldo

haraldo

Audioholic Spartan
It's smaller cousin.... GoldenEar Technology Triton Two is being reviewed in Stereophile by Robert Deutsch here:

GoldenEar Technology Triton Two loudspeaker | Stereophile.com

There will also be a followup by John Atkinson

Some measurements here, as always in Stereophile but of course not up to the standard of what Gene does :p

Quite extended response....


There are some quite significant panel resonances in the cabinet:




Are you gonna review model Three guys?
 
slipperybidness

slipperybidness

Audioholic Warlord
It's smaller cousin.... GoldenEar Technology Triton Two is being reviewed in Stereophile by Robert Deutsch here:
The 2 is the big brother. 3 is the smaller configuration
 
R

Rob from NJ

Audioholic Intern
I'm with thxtheater2 on this one. I demoed the Triton 2 this weekend with high expectations due to the great reviews across the publications. I walked away extremely disappointed. I heard muddied bass that slightly overwhelmed the midrange. In fairness, I did not ask about the position of the bass knob/level. Also, the speakers were in close proximity to a bunch of other speakers in the listening room. I'll give the speakers a second listen, paying more attention to the bass setting and positioning of the speakers.
 
cpp

cpp

Audioholic Ninja
I'm with thxtheater2 on this one. I demoed the Triton 2 this weekend with high expectations due to the great reviews across the publications. I walked away extremely disappointed. I heard muddied bass that slightly overwhelmed the midrange. In fairness, I did not ask about the position of the bass knob/level. Also, the speakers were in close proximity to a bunch of other speakers in the listening room. I'll give the speakers a second listen, paying more attention to the bass setting and positioning of the speakers.
I heard the same thing, until I got the store to set up the speakers in their proper place ( spacing) using decent equipment. They moved the test into a room about the size of our room, and the speakers sounded so much better than being cramped or bunched between other cabinets and backed up to walls. And of course I got to utilize the bass settings and my music. They are for some, but not for all depending on your music taste. Of course ours are used only for movies and TV and party music.
 
slipperybidness

slipperybidness

Audioholic Warlord
Here's my take as an owner of the 2s.

Very nice speakers, great SQ, love the ribbon tweeters. The imaging and soundstage is incredible. Listening to 2 channel music, my GF didn't believe me at first that the center speaker wasn't putting out any sound.

With all speakers, proper setup is crucial. These speakers do need some elbow room to sound their best, more than the average speaker. The low freq radiators are on the sides, so it is best to have about 2-3 feet of open air around the speakers. I have mine connected only with speaker wire (as GE reccommends), the subs are not connected with the LFE input in my setup. I keep my bass dialed in differently on each speaker. 1 is near the middle of a large room and it is set at about 11oclock. The other is towards the corner so it gets reinforced off the walls and I keep it at about 9oclock position. For music, this is great. For movies, for that punch in the gut, I don't even bother with trying to bump up the tritons, I let those duties get handled by an external sub, and I would suspect most people would want to do the same. In essence, I have 3 subs :D

When I auditioned these, they were attached to an ~$800 NAD integrated amp. They sounded great. Later in the audition, I checked on the sub volume knob and realized it was only at 9oclock. Of course I adjusted it up just to see what it would do. In use at home, I don't think I've ever found a need to go above the 12oclock position for any music. I do listen to a lot of electronic and hiphop with the low end, and I am most impressed with these speakers and the nice bass response they put out.

On a side note, a couple of items that nobody has seemed to mention that are also selling points to me, but could be subjective. I really like the plain-jane aesthetics (like all my equipment). I want to know that my money went to the sound quality and not to the aesthetics. When you see my living room setup, it is all black boxes and uninspiring, you would never guess that you are looking at a $10K to $15K setup. But, when the neighbors walls rattle, you know where the money went. Also, I really like the integrated grill up front. If my cats were to decide to scratch on them, they would only tear up the cheap fabric sock and not the speakers or cabinet. The grill is like a metal half circle all the way down the front. You could just about hit it with a baseball bat and still have speakers that operate correctly.
 
haraldo

haraldo

Audioholic Spartan
The thing that a speaker sounds bad doesn't necessarily mean it's bad speakers, it means they're not good in this environment :Dan be

It can be....
- Horrible room acoustics
- Incorrect placement
- Too small room, speakers overloading the room
- Many other things

I will rule out amplifiers as they come with their own sub-amp's...

To say that speakers are bad based on a quick auditioning at a dealer is too easy :p

I heard the same speakers sound absolutely horrible and extraordinarily well in the same room with the same equipment driving them, differences being only placement in room and switching the listening direction
 
AcuDefTechGuy

AcuDefTechGuy

Audioholic Jedi
If the speakers were really bad, everyone will hate it. It would not get any raving reviews.:D

Placement and room acoustics are so crucial for so many speakers, including the $25K B&W 800D.

Most retail stores just don't have the best setups compared to most homes.
 
R

Rob from NJ

Audioholic Intern
cpp, thanks for the feedback.

slipperybidness, great review.

Happy to hear your both enjoying your Triton 2s. During my next listening session, I will be more assertive controlling the listening environment at the audio store.

I have a few questions about your overall impressions of the Triton 2 system for movies. My new speakers will be used for movies/sports/TV approx. 95% of the time (similar to cpp). I wish I had the time for music as it definitely reduces my stress level, however, with my work schedule and the family, I'm short on this time. I can only dream of retiring and spending time with a great speaker system.

Putting the explosions/battles action scenes aside (covered by the external subwoofer or two), how does the Triton 2 system perform with movie soundtracks in the following areas:
- Accuracy and detail especially with dialogue at lower volume levels, noting that the center speaker will be the primary source of dialogue.
- Imaging and soundstage
- Ambiance - ability to hear small sounds in the movie that other speakers may not capture.
- Surround sound

In general, any additional impressions of your speaker system with movies compared to other speakers that you've owned and/or spent significant time listening to.

Thanks and I appreciate any feedback on your experiences with GE Triton 2 system.
 
newsletter

  • RBHsound.com
  • BlueJeansCable.com
  • SVS Sound Subwoofers
  • Experience the Martin Logan Montis
Top