Golden ear Technology reference

Hi @kjl1065

First of all, welcome to the forum! As you're probably gleaning already, there are a lot of opinions here. I'm a Golden Ear Triton Reference owner and prior Golden Ear Triton One owner, so naturally I would recommend them.

You should know that this particular forum doesn't give much love for Golden Ear, for whatever reason. If you head over to the Golden Ear forum, you can read about all the positives. 

Of course, your could also read the scores of professional publications and hundreds if not thousands of satisfied customer testimonials. 

Obviously you would want to hear the speaker first hand (or first ear?). But like any other piece of gear (speaker or otherwise), only so much credence can be given to a dealer audition. 

Also worth keeping in mind is that there is flexibility on the pricing. Lastly, if you are near or around zip 11520 I'll invite you to listen. I'm a member of an audio club and have listened to perhaps as many as 15 different quality speaker pairs (I'm a two channel stereo listener only), the most expensive of which was a $200K pair of alta statement towers, where the T1s could basically fit inside its cabinet. Suffice it to say in my view/opinion I'm not missing anything and am perfectly content with my T Refs. 

Something else to note for the folks who can't get past the price difference between T1 and TR.... The T Refs are stunningly beautiful. Yes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but there is no comparison from both a sound and physical appearance perspective when evaluating T1 to TR.

Best of luck.

Hi ozzy.

Not true, however, I understand the dealers apprehension in wanting (or not wanting) to remove the grills. There is a flyer (obtainable by emailing Golden Ear, or you can PM me) and the procedure itself is doable by a "lay person". However, it involves lying the speaker on its back, removing screws from the underside of the base and *carefully" lifting/pulling the grill forward. Personally, I wish it were a bit easier.

That said, of course you realize there are plenty of photos of the drivers, readily and widely available. Still, I agree with you that it would be nice if the grill could be *easily* removed.

But if the grill is removed correctly and the speaker is handled properly there wouldn’t be any kind of damage.

EDIT:

Note there is no Golden Ear published literature as to how to remove the side radiator panel grills. I posted a procedure and pictures on the Golden Ear forum. This is much more easily accomplished. I would recommend doing this (removing them). Why? Because when you see the quality of the workmanship, not just the radiators, it is rather convincing. 

You’re welcome, @ozzy

See my edit in my previous post regarding the radiator grills.

In answer to your question, yes, the grills (all) are on and the base is attached when boxed new.

david_ten - They are good speakers, but did not move or impress me (and I factored out the room, setup, and gear used).

Hi David. You and I are typically "on the same page" with most things audio, so I'll preface my reply by stating I'm not looking or wanting any kind of debate. This is all in good spirit.

To your point/statement, I'd just like to humbly submit that "factoring out" all of the items you mentioned is no easy task.

I can't do that, but remain happy for you that you can.

fleschler - I hope that the Triton(s) are available to hear at least once at the LA/Orange Audio show in June so that I can at least sample them.

I'll keep the hope alive that you can hear them. Best!

@david_ten 

Appreciate the explanation David. And you're right, I did have a hard time hearing a difference between my Oppo 205 and the Schiit Yggdrasil, until I worked through what to listen for. 

Seems you know me rather well, because you're also right in that I do "love them" :) 

Thanks!