GE Triton 2+ or Focal Aria 936?

Thanks for the feedback all!  Went to a local stereo shop, they had some Focal and GoldenEar floor standers.  Did not have the exact models I was look for but gave me a taste of what they sound like (I guess).  In the end, the Focal tweeter seemed a bit edgy to me and the GoldenEar was okay but not great.

@tgstaples

What electronics were used to power/demo each of the speakers?

Did they have them connected with a decent preamp/amp, good interconnects, decent speakers cables -or- a low grade speaker switcher and limited electronics - sometimes the case. I’ve heard good speakers sound lousy in an audio store and bring them home and they sound like different speakers all together.

@decooney Thanks for the feedback!  They used Rotel preamp and amp.  Similar to what I have at home.  Not exactly sure what cables were used.  The switcher was the one built-in to the Rotel preamp.

@tgstaples
I’ve heard both, I’m a big AMT fan in my own custom build speakers, and GE did a decent job with their HVFR tweeter implementation and they added internal subs as you know. I helped my sister with the Focal 936 for her integrated tube system. The 936s is a little brighter than the GE with no sub, but can sound truly musical with a subwoofer too. I’d think hard if you think you want to add a sub later. Focal does a nice job too, they make all the drivers in-house and a bit more musical as others have said. Can you see yourself adding a nice small sub later, seem possible?

@decooney 
Yeah, I'm a little concerned that the 936 would be too bright paired with my Rotel gear.

Yep, adding a small sub is a possibility.

Regardless, the frustrating part of this is not being able to audition the models I'm interested in.  My local shop is mostly interested in custom installs.  So, the little guy is not on their radar.

I understand they cannot have every model of the brands they carry.  However, having only the lower end of Focal and GE seems silly.

They had a good range of Dynaudio but entry point is a bit higher.  Have to admit the Evoke 50s we're really nice... 🙂

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