Compared to to other GoldenEar dealers I am having a very late start with the Triton Ones. After months of delays they arrived two days before the start of a ten day family vacation. That was good in one way – I was able to put a CD on repeat and let them break in those ten days.
These have been highly anticipated and the first question asked is “How do they compare to the Triton Two?”, which really puts me in a spot. I have had a year’s worth of glorious listening with the Twos, and I hear a lot of similarity, but the Ones bring the realism and ease of music to a higher level. I never seem able to discuss the lows, mids, and highs the way reviewers do, but I am able to say that the sense of “being there” that the Ones bring is at a higher level. As is the larger sound stage. As for bass, I must admit that having set the bass control louder than normal for break-in, I left it that way for a few days. Honestly I had a lot of fun with the extra bass until I got out my test rig and reduced it for accurate sound. In the process I learned that the low 100Hz crossover to the subwoofers lets you the bass be cranked way up without corrupting the midrange.
I’ve had two audiophile friends drop in for different purposes and both declared the Ones to be a huge leap past the Triton Two.
My wife always hates being asked how to describe differences in sound, but when asked told me she liked them better – that they are easier to listen to, and that she found herself more involved with the music. As she put it, music is always going on in the house and when she finds her attention hijacked by the music she knows she likes the speaker.
While I was on vacation other dealers were selling the Ones and the new owners have been emailing and forum-posting their reactions. GoldenEar sent me an email today with these customer comments.
In an email to his dealer:
Your statement pretty well sums up my experience with the Triton Ones thus far…powerful, deep, well-defined bass (when it’s on the recording, not forced or boomy) that you can feel as well as hear. A very wide soundstage … and the detail is amazing. … Female vocals were awesome being both realistic and natural … The sound emerges from a jet-black space and the air around the individual instruments and vocals is surreal. They sound great with all the types of music I have thrown at them thus far, large-scale orchestral works, small-scale chamber pieces, pop, rock, jazz, blues, and c&w…instrumental and vocals, male, female and groups. Although the sound is certainly the most important aspect of a loudspeaker, the Triton Ones are also very stunning visually, being minimalistic but with a sense of elegance and they are relatively unobtrusive…at least as unobtrusive as a pair of 80 lb., 54″ monoliths can be. As good as the Triton Ones are upon initial listening, I can hardly wait to hear them once they are broken in. A real winner and one I look forward to enjoying for a long time to come. Please pass along our appreciation to Sandy and the other folks at GoldenEar.
And a few posts from our website forum:
The imaging is off the charts realistic and the overall soundstage is just right, not too big or small. Instruments sound so lifelike and great separation, even on complex songs. Plugged in some Magnepans just to compare and it’s not even close, the Tritons are a clear winner in every way. Very pleased and pretty close to the holy grail!!
Short note to say they sound amazing!! Like the Twos but bigger, more expansive sound stage and better detail … man do they sound beautiful with only an hour on them. Did a quick sample of various jazz, vocals and classic rock, all spectacular.
I received my Triton One’s last Friday … I am truly amazed by these speakers and they are everything I was hoping for. I am completely satisfied with my purchase and became a huge fan of Goldenear after purchasing a 3D array and SuperSats last year.
In playing around with the Ones I learned one thing for sure – they will show you the different sounds of different amps. I compared the Audio Control AVR1 100wpc receiver (a rebadged Arcam AV600), a Vincent Audio SV237 150wpc hybrid integrated amp, a Vincent Audio SP331Mk 150wpc hybrid power amp, and a Bel Canto REF150S 75wpc power amp. The receiver is voiced like a tube amp, and it’s my preference for general listening, as I think its sound is a little sweeter, even though it is less well-defined (therefore less “accurate”). That helps with inferior CDs. Both Vincents have that smooth hybrid sound of tubes married to the dynamics of transistors, with the bonus of Vincent’s amazingly solid bass. The surprise is the Bel Canto – not only that it’s the most accurate, or that it has an amazing sweetness that you wouldn’t expect from a digital amp. No, the surprise is how dynamic those 75 watts are. At this point I am not sure which one to use for demonstration, but I am leaning toward the Bel Canto, if only to show that the Triton Ones do not need megawatts to rock.
So the Triton One is here. It not only improves on the concepts first seen in the Triton Two but adds newly developed technologies. I predict that the professional reviewers will be all over this speaker heaping praise.