Opinions of GoldenEar Triton 1


I'm moving to a larger house and want some new speakers.  In spite of the cheesy name the GoldenEar Triton 1 looks like an interesting candidate. It's been a long time since I listened to a ribbon tweeter but I remember liking them.  Will some of you who have experience with these speakers please comment on what you did and did not like about them?  Also, what other choices in that price range stand out as being a "bargain"?  
Thanks for your comments.
danoroo

Showing 2 responses by jaytor

I've owned the Triton 2+ for close to a year. When I first got them, after they had burned in for a few hundred hours, I was fairly happy with the purchase. They have an excellent three dimensional sound stage, excellent bass performance and good slam.

As I've become more familiar with them, I find myself perusing the forums looking for my next speaker purchase. I know this is part of our hobby, but I've owned other speakers that I've been happy with for many years. 

So where do they fall short?

There is a bit of hardness in the upper midrange that I find annoying. This is particularly noticeable on certain types of music with sax, horns, harmonica, etc. 

Their presentation is on the dark side. I'm sure my high-frequency hearing isn't what it used to be, but other speakers I've owned have had a lot detail in the harmonics of strings, snare drums, piano, etc. Vocals, particularly female vocals, lack some of the naturalness I'm looking for. 

But probably the biggest issue is that they just aren't emotionally involving enough. I get bored listening to them after a while. Occasionally, I'll listen to a song where these speakers really shine. This is generally jazz with cello and bass, drum music, electronic, etc. In other words, music that really leverages the bass performance and dynamics of the bass and lower midrange. But a lot of the music I listen to is vocals and they just fall short here.

When I first got the speakers, I was using a Krell FPB-300 amp, but unfortunately, the amp crapped out and I couldn't justify the expense of fixing it (for a third time) since it was over 20 years old. So I found someone who was willing to take it in trade to use for parts. 

I ended up getting Nord NC500 Mk II monoblocks.  I wanted something that didn't require me to run the air conditioning all the time (partially because the compressor is right outside the wall where the system is located). These have taken a LONG time to break in, and seem to exacerbate the Triton's shortcomings. 

Other components include a Bryston BDP-2 streamer feeding an Yggrasil DAC via AES/EBU. Parasound JC-2. Balanced connections. All DH Labs cables. PS Audio Power Plant 3 for all source components. Amps and speakers plugged into dedicated circuits. 

Other speakers I own include Revel F30, Revel F50, Totem Mani-2. Previously owned Magnepan MG-1, Tympani IV, 3.6R, Duntech Sovereign, Revel Gems, Studios. 

The Triton 2+ isn't exactly the same as the Triton 1, but I think the tweeter, midrange drivers, and crossovers are very similar if not the same. From what I understand, the Triton 1R is a significant upgrade - closer to the Reference. I've heard the Reference briefly in a store setting, but I didn't spend enough time with them to come to any conclusions. 

My two cents...
I'd like to follow up on my previous comments. Even though I am not completely satisfied with my Triton 2+ speakers, I will say that they are the best sounding speakers I've owned in this price range and have truly amazing bass performance for their price and size. They also image quite well, particularly in the sweet spot - very wide and deep without making instruments sound too big.

Part of my dissatisfaction is likely due to my room. I've had to use a fair amount of acoustic treatment to tame the room modes since the room is almost perfectly square, and this has probably resulted in a "duller" sound than they might otherwise be capable of. 

The speakers are also more attractive than I was expecting based on photos. The thin angled profile combined with the glossy top and plinth really works quite well. It doesn't look like gorgeous furniture like some of the Sonus Faber speakers, but I'd rather have the production cost focused on sound instead of fancy woodwork.

I'm planning to relocate my listening room to a larger room in my house in the near future, and perhaps the Triton 2+s will work better there. 

I don't have anything against Goldenear, and I would seriously consider their higher-end products (1R and Reference) once I relocate my listening room if my current speakers still aren't working for me.