Initial impressions of Triangle Titus 202 speakers
Once in a while God smiles.
Just got back from demoing and reluctantly purchasing the Triangle Titus 202’s. I say reluctantly because the owner’s equipment and speaker placement wasn’t optimal by any stretch; an old Sony portable CD player, a newish Yamaha 75W AVR, cheap 20 AWG speaker cable and setup about 5 feet apart on short 24” speaker stands. To add insult to injury he had one speaker pointing straight ahead and the other at a 45 degree angle and the left side of the room was open to his kitchen area. I politely asked if I could put the speakers atop his Klipsch floor standers … they were also angled at zero/45 degrees … so I could hear them at ear level and he politely refused. Oh well. I put in my reference CD in the weenie/crap Sony unit and go straight to track 8. Well they sound clean and neutral but I wasn’t exactly doing cartwheels. I disconnect his 3.5mm cable from the Sony CD player and hook up my Blackberry and play some 320kb MP3 files and I hear a noticeable improvement. The room & setup is really skewing the sound but what’s the saying nowadays, it is what it is. I decide I’m going to pass on them at the price he’s asking.
Like a used car salesman he asks, how much would it take to get me in the driver’s seat. Now I’m stumped. Could all those internet reviews been wrong, is the crossover damaged? Aesthetically they’re clean as a whistle, no visible root rot on the mid/bass speaker. He said he was using them as rear surrounds the last 5 years. He picked them up in Belgium in 2005, so they have the better tweeter Triangle replaced in 2004 and they don’t sound sibilant by any stretch. I figure, what the hell and offer him half the asking price. He huddles with his wife and they proceed to discuss the matter in Chinese. They counter that I add another $75 and we have a deal. I shake my head no and start heading to the door since I’m not exactly all in on this. I literally put my hand on the door on the way out and he says, ok they’re yours.
Crap!!!
But I gave my word and feel honor bound to complete the deal. I pack them up and head home to face the music, literally & figuratively. I told the missus before leaving that unless they were as good as the Epos M12.2’s, which she liked, and significantly cheaper I wasn’t going to buy them. Now I feel like Ralph Cramden when he faces the camera and bellows,
I GOTTA A BIG MOUTH!
Guess who’s at the front door when I get home? Yup … Attila the Nun. She told me she was going down to her sister’s house and go shopping and wouldn’t be home till 3 this afternoon.
She lied!!! Nah, she just changed her mind; too cold for shopping …
that’s a first … and let’s listen to your …
everything is mine unless the price is right and worth it; in which case it's “ours” … new toys. Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy.
I give her a sheepish look and feign fatigue. Instantly her hubby deceit radar is triggered and she slyly suggests I set the speakers up so she can listen to them and I can go rest.
Okie Dokie sweetheart. I disconnect the LS50’s and fire up the Triangle’s, while I die a million deaths till I put in my reference CD.
Holy $hit on a Stick! They sound great.
She tells me, you’re right, they sound like those Epos we listened to at Quest for Sound, without being too bright and you got them for half the price; good boy. And like a grateful puppy who hasn’t been swatted with the newspaper I’ve got a $hit eating grin on my face. I guess the internet reviews and the salesman at Quest for Sound were pretty accurate in their description.
Like I said at the beginning of the review, once in a while God smiles.
From listening to them the last 3 hours, I more than happy; I’m elated. They have the same detail and mid-bass clarity that made me fall in the love with the Epos M12.2’s without the fatigue factor. Sorry to go on about the purchase and my personal life. I’ll write up my further impressions next week with a little more detail and some pics.
Thanks for your indulgence.
