Opinions of GoldenEar Triton 1

Actually Jimimac they have a much bigger sound stage if you set them up correctly, 

If you set them up correctly, which tends to mean far apart with a very sharp turn in the face of the speakers.  they sound quite big, if you send us pictures of your room we can advise you.

Prof, the earlier Triton did sound dark and  where a bit boring. 

Having an 11.2 Golden Ear HT system in my home. I was intrigued by the GE Tritons for my stereo listening .  It wasn't until I met Sandy G at AXPONA this year that I was able to hear the Triton 1R's using the Prima Luna system to drive them.  In that hotel setting , they sounded wonderful without any sound bats or room treatments.   ( I am used to my B&W 802s ).
 
When I got back to St Louis , months passed and my fav dealer let me come to his home to listen to his Triton Reference ( using all top line Bel Canto equipment to drive them ) which were not set up the best IMO , but I was quite impressed with what I heard from the first note. 

I noticed he had a new set of Triton 1R's sitting in his home office and he allowed me to take them home later that week.  I demo'd them in my home for a week and never gave them back !!!  ( Yes I paid for them ). They DO sound better than the Trition Reference and at a lower price. The dealer was happy I wanted them, but not HIS as the 1R's are on back order for those that may want them and now he's waiting !   ( But I'm a good long time customer so he'll get over it . ) 

For me and my discerning ears, these are exceptional floorstanding speakers and I cannot believe how pleased I am with their sound playing all genres of music and all variations of input,  TT, CD, and Streamer and at varying listening levels.  They just disappear when the music begins and my smile appears.  

I highly recommend these to those of you who don't have deep pockets and want to listen to great musical reproduction that is clear and precise easily meeting or exceeding speakers costing thousands more. 

Happy Listening ! 

SHAD 

I have the GoldenEar Triton 3+ speakers and McIntosh MA252 amplifier.  Contrary to what others have written here, I don't find the speakers flat, dull, boring or harsh.  I listen to music mostly at 60 to 80 dB.  I don't know what they sound like at 90 dB or above because I don't want to suffer from hearing damage.
I have the built in subwoofers set at about 12:50 on the dial on the back of the Tritons.  They sounded a little thin at 12 o'clock.  My speakers are a foot from the front wall.  I like that these sealed speakers can be placed so close to the wall without causing problems.

My amp has a sub out, and so I added a PSB 450 sub.  I am running the Tritons full range.  I am not using a receiver or room correction.  The sub adds some heft to bass below 60 hertz.

I find this combination to be very detailed with an extended treble.  There is good accuracy with cymbals, bass, and throughout the frequency range.  There is plenty of air, dynamics, and attack.  I am listening to Miles Davis and the brass does not sound subdued at all, but it is smooth and not harsh or hard.  Bass is full and powerful without being excessive, boomy or bloated.  Vocals are very pleasing, and acoustic guitar has a gorgeous tone.  I have the speakers 11 feet apart, and the soundstage is exciting and fun to listen to.  I can listen for many hours without fatigue.

I am wondering what is causing all of the criticism.  Is it that people made their minds up before they listened that nothing made in China can be worthwhile, or is it that people are so passionately loyal to their current brand that they have closed their minds, or is it that some lucky folks have uber expensive systems that are better in some ways than most other speakers such as the Tritons from GoldenEar?  Or something else? 

Maybe it is just that we all hear differently.  I auditioned the Triton 3+ speakers at a dealer with the McIntosh MA252 amp and they sounded good, and in my home they sound fantastic.

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.