GoldenEar Triton One

Whatever you decide, be sure to audition the T1s beside at least one other brand of speaker under the same conditions.

I listened to some T2s at a local dealer a while ago, and was impressed. Then we moved to B&W CM10, and there was no comparison. The B&Ws had much better timbre, a more "rounded" representation, each instrument sounded more like itself, and had better delineation, spatially and timbrally. They made the T2s sound electronic by comparison.

Stereo5: you miss my point.

At the audition that I was describing, the B&Ws just happened to be in the same room (so easy to hook up), and the CM10s were--of the selection there--the closest in price to the Tritons.

I wasn't recommending the B&Ws as such, just pointing out that the Tritons could sound pretty good on their own, but needed to be compared to another brand/model. I'm guessing many others could substitute for the B&Ws, though--personally--I was quite impressed by the CM10s (save for a slight bass rolloff).

Comparing the two, it became clear to me that the Triton 2s were engineered first for home theatre applications, and that for some people they would serve fine for stereo.

I haven't heard the 1s and don't know how much of an improvement they represent. But based on the experience with the 2s, careful auditioned--and above all, careful comparisons--are called for.