GoldenEar Tritons?

[rogue]

Has anyone heard of/heard these? They seem to be getting glowing reviews and look pretty interesting overall - powered sub w/ ribbon tweeter setup. Also not that expensive, at $3k for a pair of the triton two's.

http://www.goldenear.com/products/triton-towers

[skullguise]

_{I just briefly heard these a couple weeks ago at a dealer in NH. They are good, perhaps very good considering the sound for the $. But they didn't grab me in a musical sense, more a "hi fi" sense. Good extended top end, pretty deep bass but a bit flabby, nice imaging, etc. But I wasn't getting INTO it as much as I have other systems there. Maybe a slight midrange deficiency compared to other frequencies? Hard to tell; but it's usually voice and things like piano that get me right away.}

_{Now, take this in total context of short listen, unfamiliar dealer system, etc etc. He felt the line shows good promise, though, and is looking forward to the new smaller floorstander and I think monitor coming out.}

Edited February 6, 2012 by skullguise

[rogue]

Thanks for the impressions. Sounds like these share some of the same attributes as Definitive Technology speakers (less musicality and more hi-fi focus) which is not surprising, given that GoldenEar has the same co-founders. I heard Def Tech speakers a while back, and was not very impressed, especially given all the praise they had in the 'press.' These may be different, but I'll have to check them out for myself.

Which dealer did you visit in NH? I'm also from MA, so just wondering

[skullguise]

Another Mass-hole Dealer is up in Derry, NH, Fidelis.....

BTW, for what it's worth, I think they were better than what I remember Def Tech sounding like......

Edited February 6, 2012 by skullguise

[Pars]

Really stupid name though... GoldenEar? Really?

[n_maher]

Really stupid name though... GoldenEar? Really?

Marginally better than Schit, marginally.

[Pars]

I actually kind of like Schitt; kind of self-deprecating. Golden Ear just sound pretentious as fuck to me. YMMV

[teufelshunde]

Pretentious name, to be sure; but Sandy Gross co-founded Polk, then Def Tech, and now GoldenEar. Perhaps a bit of chutzpah on Sandy's part is understandable.

I've owned a pair of Golden Ear Triton Two's for about 5 months now, and I'm very satisified with them.

Most everything in life involves trade-offs.

My trade-off was needing a pair of L-R Mains that would function as audiophile grade stereo speakers AND anchor a robust Home Theatre sound system.

Not an easy requirement to satisfy; but the Triton Two's seem to straddle that need with some competency.

They're surprisingly musical.

The High-Velocity Folded Ribbon tweeter is as good a tweeter as I've heard anywhere.

And with each tower sporting its own 1200W Class D amp powering a two driver/two radiator sub-woofer section, they produce plenty of impact when a screenplay demands that something go Boom!

I auditioned them in a room with a pair of B&W 800 Diamonds running off the same source and amp.

The Tritons surprised me.

They're not Magico's or Wilson's; but for $3K you'll get your money's worth and then some.

There's more than a little hype surrounding these speakers (do they really go down to 18Hz...really?) so you should judge for yourself.

I can't say for sure that you'll like these; but if you audition a pair I'm pretty sure you won't walk away thinking you've wasted your time.

[naamanf]

They're not Magico's or Wilson's; but for $3K you'll get your money's worth and then some.

To bad their not Magico killers for $3K.

Not sounding like Wilson's is a good thing in my book. There is a dealer in NE that carries them along with some others speakers I would to listen to. Maybe time for a road trip.

[skullguise]

The High-Velocity Folded Ribbon tweeter is as good a tweeter as I've heard anywhere.

Yes, the highs stood out in my listen, but I have heard some I've liked better (Maggie true ribbons, Gallo CDT, and Eminent Technology)

There's more than a little hype surrounding these speakers (do they really go down to 18Hz...really?) so you should judge for yourself.

Hmmm, maybe the quantity of bass was overloading the room (which was smaller, even if treated), so take my thought on slightly flabby bass with a possible grain of salt.

I can't say for sure that you'll like these; but if you audition a pair I'm pretty sure you won't walk away thinking you've wasted your time.

Agreed here; there were many things to like, but I ultimately came away thinking more hi-fi.....very good hi-fi.....but it was more about the technical aspects of the sound, not the music.

[Aura]

These are very intriguing to me, thanks for the impressions and thoughts, fellas. I've got a potential dealer ~ 30 minutes from my apartment, so I might need to check these out as well.

[swt61]

To bad their not Magico killers for $3K.

Not sounding like Wilson's is a good thing in my book. There is a dealer in NE that carries them along with some others speakers I would to listen to. Maybe time for a road trip.

I never cared for Wilson or Focal top end. And they ain't cheap.

[naamanf]

I never cared for Wilson or Focal top end. And they ain't cheap.

The older Wilsons were Focal, probably the reason they sucked. Now the JM Lab Be Utopias are on my short list of favorites.

[swt61]

I hate to be the one to inform you that she's not part of the package...

[rogue]

So anyhow, I did end up hearing these about a week or so ago over at Fidelis. I'm also looking for some new speakers to serve as double duty in a stereo/HT system.

My impressions pretty much mirror those of skullguise..a very nice sound, but not particularly musical or captivating - 'hi-fi' does seem to describe it well. I did enjoy the ribbon tweeter, although it there was a bit of stark contrast between it and the mid-range driver, perhaps just owing to the mechanical disparity between the two. As such, the mid-range was a bit lacking and dry for my tastes. Horns and male vocals in particular were not very impressive. The bass was done fairly well, although it was flabby-ish and missing something in terms of accuracy and extension, something which I've noticed before in speakers with integrated (sub) woofers like these.

Overall, I liken these to some of the Def Techs that I've heard before, which makes a lot of sense given their origin and design philosophy. I had similar feelings about those - they sounded good overall, but lacked an element of refinement and musicality/engagement, something which I most definitely require.

As an alternative, we listened to some Triangle Antal 30th anniversary editions (http://www.triangle-...n/esprit/30ans/). Now that's more like it! A bit more treble energy than I'm used to, but a beautiful and engrossing mid-range, and a bit more refined bass as well. About $700 more (for the pair) than the Golden Ears, but worth it, IMO. I'm still looking into possibilities but these are definitely on the list.

Edited April 2, 2012 by rogue