Article 1 - Can't Build A Triton

Why You Can't "Build a Triton" Using Satellites and Subwoofers

The concept of building active subwoofers into full-range speakers has evolved over many years. When the first products with active bass sections were introduced, it was thought that the idea was to get the the subwoofer box (or boxes) out of the room. But that is merely just a side benefit of this design. In reality, the purpose and benefit is (and always was for Sandy) to achieve much better integration of the subwoofer with the rest of the system. In fact, the subwoofer section in the Tritons is more than just a subwoofer, it is a powered bass section that goes down deeply into the sub bass. With separate subwoofers, even a pair, you can never achieve the integration that we have in the Tritons. And now, with the advanced DSP that we are using, the results are extraordinary. And, of course, having dual subwoofers is also a tremendous advantage in terms of bass dynamics and bass in-room performance.

That's not to say we are not strong supporters of the sub/sat speaker system concept as they offer several benefits, not the least of which is "aesthetic" or "fit" in one's home environment. Of course GoldenEar sub/sat systems can certainly sound very good, and are a good solution for certain particular applications. And its a great way to build your system in stages (beginning with Triton Fives or Sevens and then adding a separate subwoofer later, for example). Or when shelf mounted speakers are a requirement, or when wall mounted speakers or soundbar are desired, to go along with a wall mounted TV, for instance.

The Benefits of the Triton Design

The powered-bass-section Triton models deliver spectacular performance from deep bass to sparking highs, all from amazingly compact, unobtrusive enclosures. As opposed to the vast majority of speakers that will legitimately reproduce bass frequencies down below 40 or 50Hz that are very large, heavy, visually imposing and really expensive. These extreme performance Tritons eliminate many of those typical large floorstanding speaker issues, at prices that almost seem to good to be true (they're not, honest). The Triton series provides a group of benefits that are rare in the world of high performance, full-range, audio speakers:

We have done all of the "heavy lifting" in terms of subwoofer satellite integration, to a level of accuracy that would be nearly impossible to achieve in a sub/sat system, so you can get the best possible performance from your speakers.
They are exceptionally compact for such high performance speakers and therefore easier to locate in typical rooms, both aesthetically and sonically, than typical towers.
Their cosmetic design using narrow, tapered enclosures wrapped in black cloth both enhances their sound performance (narrow front baffles make for much better dispersion characteristics and reduced diffraction resulting in exceptional imaging and sound staging) and reduces their visual footprint significantly.
The narrow baffle design essentially gives you the benefits that compact studio monitors are known for in terms of imaging and soundstaging, while the Tritons can deliver the dynamic full range performance no compact monitor can approach.
Triton's all deliver surprising bass performance, not just for their size and price, but compared to speakers many times their size and price. The powered Three, Two and One can deliver powerful bass performance in most any size residential room without a sub. (Even the non-powered Five and Seven can easily operate full range in small and medium size rooms without the need for a subwoofer. Still, you might want to consider adding a sub if you're using them in a home theater application.)
Tritons incorporate custom-built GoldenEar drivers which are engineered specifically for their tasks at hand. Every driver performs to an exceedingly high level, offering high accuracy, smooth response and low distortion. The Tritons' larger enclosures and multiple drivers are more dynamically capable than small satellite speakers, even ours.

Sub/Sat Systems Can Sound Great Too

Of course, Sub/sat systems do allow placement, and design, flexibility ... the ability to place the individual speakers where they'll "fit" to optimize the viewing system and/or aesthetic. Whether it be a wall mount SuperSat option to match the look of a wall mount TV, or a 3D Array Soundbar option to address this extremely popular configuration, sub/sats benefit from this ability to match

the satellite location to the desired design and look. And bookshelf speaker like our Aons can often be a great choice for main or surround applications when the environment demands it. And of course, a great system can be assembled using our Invisa in-wall and in-ceiling models to create a spectacular, and nearly invisible, sub/sat system (see the next article). Add one or more ForceField subs to any combination of the above to complete a truly outstanding GoldenEar system.

We've covered subwoofer/satellite setup in the GoldenEar owners manuals, to some extent on our web site and in more than one past issue of this Newsletter, which are archived on our web site as well. Our point here is that at times it can be a bit daunting to precisely optimize placement and the satellite/subwoofer interface to get a seamless and accurate transition between them. Suffice it to say if you want the best possible performance from a sub/sat system you need to spend some time dialing in all those variables that can have substantial impact on the end result. We strongly recommend that have your GoldenEar dealer help you get in installed and sounding fantastic.

With careful and proper setup and integration, GoldenEar's compact satellite, bookshelf and soundbar speakers with ForceField subwoofers deliver world-class performance for countless hours of listening pleasure. But, if you can fit in a pair of Tritons, you will bypass the integration process and get exemplary performance and simpler setup, with results that are perfect to maximize your music and movie listening enjoyment.