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Positive Feedback ISSUE 75
GoldenEar Triton Seven Loudspeakers
During interview for Forbes Sandy Gross asked himself a question: "Why have you founded your third company instead of just retiring?". And he answered: I think I'm a serial entrepreneur. I simply love to be busy creating wonderful products while having fun with many friends I gained over 40 years in this industry. The satisfaction that come from first imagining some new product and then a year or two later seeing it with my own eyes is incredibly exciting. Geoffrey Morrison, "12 Questions For Sandy Gross, The Co-founder Of Three Legendary Audio Companies", Forbes 12/3/2014, see HERE. These three companies Sandy mentions (starting from the oldest one) are: Polk Audio, Definitive Technology and GoldenEar, whose speakers are subject of this review. To be clear both previous companies still exist and are doing well. Sandy Gross graduated from John Hopkins University in 1972. Initially he studied engineering but then switched to sociology and behavioral sciences. After graduation together with some friends he founded Polk Audio in, as he said, a garage. In 1990 Definitive Technology came to life. In both companies Sandy was responsible for creating new products, for sales and marketing, and ultimately in his second firm he became a CEO and General Manager. GoldenEar, where he also acts as CEO and General Manager, was founded in 2010 and he did it together with his wife Anne Conaway and Don Givogue, a friend from Definitive Technology. No wonder GoldenEar and Definitive Technology products are quite similar. Both companies offer mostly floor-standing speakers covered almost completely with a black fabric. The top series, Triton, sports active bass. The model under review called Seven seems to be an exception among otherwise similar speakers. The treble/midrange section is an example of D'Appolito Configuration, with two identical woofers and a tweeter between them. Such a configuration is a way of correcting the inherent lobe tilting of a typical mid-tweeter (MT) configuration, at the crossover frequency. What is special about Seven is a tweeter—there is no classic dome but rather Air Motion Transformer. It was invented by a German engineer Dr. Oscar Heil, and has been used by many companies, although each of them has given their solution own, proprietary name: • Precide (Switzerland) - Air Velocity Transformer (AVT), • ELAC (Germany) – JET, • ADAM (Germany) – Accelerating Ribbon Technology (ART), • EmotivaPro (USA) – Airmotiv, • MartinLogan (USA) - Folded Motion Tweeter (FMT), • Burmester uses the name Air Motion Transformer. GoldenEar also gave its own name to Heil's transducer calling it High-Velocity Folded Ribbon Tweeter (HVFR). This particular type of driver was used for the first time by American company ESS (ElectroStatic Sound) already in 1972. Although one has to remember about Peter Walker (QUAD), who during 1952-53 period developed a driver called Quad Corner Ribbon Loudspeaker, which was a horn-loaded hybrid ribbon driver. It was often mistaken with a regular ribbon tweeter but in fact it sported a "Folded Ribbon" not a flat one. Air is compressed and decompressed in something that looks like an accordion. A small 25 mm driver is an equivalent of a classic 8" driver. But at the same time it is much faster than any smaller dome. There are also some downsides—first of all price, as it's really expensive, and secondly application is quite tricky if one want to get required effects.
And there is one more thing that differentiates Triton Seven: the way low-mid drivers are loaded. If you take a look at the photo you'll see that there are only small drivers on the front baffle and that these are the only ones in this particular model. But at the side there are two others that look like large membranes, what are they? The first drivers ever worked in an open/infinite baffle. They were installed into flat panel and that was it, that was a loudspeaker. The next step was folding this baffle in a way that created two side walls but the back still remained open. In 1930 Albert L. Thuraz from Bell Labs applied for a patent for a bass-reflex. Driver was installed in closed enclosure with a hole (holes) where a short tunnel (pipe) was inserted which enhanced low frequency reproduction. The real revolution though came with an acoustic suspension loudspeaker presented by Edgar Villchur in 1954. His invention (one of many as he invented also dome driver and spring suspension for turntable subchassis) improved bass response for smaller cabinets. Each of these solution has its pros and cons. Over the years designers worked hard to maximize the former and minimize the latter. They came up with new solutions like bass woofer loaded with a transmission line (PMC, Castle) or with a passive radiator. And the latter is used in Triton Seven. So the membranes one can see at the side are not drivers but passive radiators, that are moved by the air moved by the back side of small drivers placed on the front baffle. This gives sonic results of something in between bass-reflex cabinet and a sealed one. SOUND Recordings used for this test (a selection) • Black Sabbath, 13, Vertigo/Universal MusicLLC (Japan) UICN-1034/5, 2 x SHM-CD (2013). • Daft Punk, Homework, Virgin 8426092, CD (1996). • Daft Punk, Random Access Memories, Columbia Records/Sony Music Japan SICP-3817, CD (2013); review HERE. • David Sylvian, Sleepwalkers, P-Vine Records, PVCP-8790, CD (2011). • Dead Can Dance, Anastasis, [PIAS] Entertainment Group, PIASR311CDX, "Special Edition Hardbound Box Set", CD+USB drive 24/44,1 WAV (2012); review HERE. • Deep Purple, Now What?!/Now What?! Live Tapes, EAR Music 0209064ERE, 2 x CD (2013). • Electronic, Electronic, Factory Records/EMI Records 5099990743122, "2 Cd Special Edition", 2 x CD. • Eric Clapton, Journeyman, Warner Bros. Records/Audio Fidelity AFZ 180, "Limited Edition No, 0281", SACD/CD (1989/2014). • John Coltrane, Lush Life, Prestige/Universal Music (Japan), "Jazz The Best. Legendary 100, No. 55", CD (1961/2008). • Nirvana, In Utero, Geffen GED 24536, CD (1993). • OMD, English Electric, 100% Records/Sony Music Japan SICP-3810, CD (2013); review HERE. • Radiohead, Kid A, Parlophone/EMI 27753 2, CD (2000). • Radiohead, The King of Limbs, Ticker Tape Ltd., TICK-001CDJ, Blu-spec CD (2011). • Randy Brecker, Włodek Pawlik, Adam Klocek, Night in Calisia, Pawlik Relations, CD (2014). • Thom Yorke, The Eraser, XL Records/Beggars Japan WPCB-10001, CD (2006). At some point I had an idea to base this whole review on impressions of listening to just one recording—Night in Calisia by Randy Brecker, Włodek Pawlik and Adam Klocek, who were rewarded a Grammy 2014 for it. Why? Because in the middle of my time with these speakers I attended a live performance of this recording that took place in Jagiellonian University Auditorium Maximum in Cracow and I was able to experience this beautiful, might music "personally". It was amazing! What a power, what a swing! Brecker's trumpet live sounded absolutely fantastic and the gentleman himself proved beyond any doubt that age did not matter! The guy on a bass—he's my guru at moment. The drummer—the same. Simply—that was an outstanding ensemble of remarkable musician. Plus there was also the Cracow Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Adam Klocek and I didn't think I'd seen them playing so well ever before. Maybe because they simply loved this music? They rocked their heads, tapped their feet together with the audience. And you have to remember—there were the people that by trade play music written by composers that were (mostly) long gone. I wanted to use this single recording because it combines it all—lyricism and power, subtlety and wild energy bursts, improvisation and following a script. This one recording precisely shows what these speakers can do well and what they can't and it gives a hint about the intentions of their designers. No, it actually shows clearly what they managed to achieve!
Triton Seven exhibit clear "preferences". I know that purists believe that speaker, or rather whole system, should play every genre of music equally well. They are right, a neutral sounding product isn't "picky", doesn't have "preferences". When it does it mean that it's not that good. They are right, but not quite. I mean they are are in theory. In practice every designer has to compromise while trying to achieve his own vision of a perfect sound—let me repeat: HIS vision and not some non-existing actual one that could be recognized by everybody. Some designers following their visions can achieve amazing results. During the course of this test I verified and changed a list of recordings I wanted to use (that initially was the same as the one used for Pro-Ject CD Box RS + Pre Box RS Digital review). It didn't take me long to start picking many new albums I wanted to listen to. The reviewed speakers actually played them all in a very nice, pleasant fashion, without any irritating elements, without anything that would actually spoil a pleasure of listening to the music. But there were some recordings that sounded better then others and it's not about the quality of recordings but about some kind of music. So anybody who wants to spend this kind of money on speakers and spends most time listening to rock music, especially its heavier flavor plus musicians like: Vangelis, Jarre, Yorke, Rojek, Clapton, Knopfler, and bands like: Radiohead, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, should look no further as these are loudspeakers for you. Because Triton Seven are capable or creating a wonderful spectacle that is based on a powerful, heavy bass. The upper treble is slightly rolled-off which allowed me to listen without any fatigue to even the less-than-perfect metal recordings (played mostly from vinyl). I simply didn't put any attention at all to any technical downsides of these focusing my entire attention on how rich and powerful electrical guitars sounded and how involving the whole presentation was. This last element might be most interesting for you. These are not "perfect" speakers, I'll get back in a moment to what they can't do. But within compromises and choices designers made, I think Triton Seven are perfect. Speakers sound very coherent meaning that all drivers are very well integrated together. Passive radiators are unique tools that allow to "shape" the sound and very few designers really know how to use their potential. Seeing two of these in an inexpensive speaker was kind of a warning sign for me for so I had to start with assessing their input to the sound.
If you check the manufacturer's specification of this speaker you'll find a very optimistic 29Hz as the lowest reproduced frequency. Well, that's rather a wishful thinking of course, but unlike on many other similar occasions this time it was not that obvious when I actually started to listen to them. The lowest guitar string plays 42 or 41Hz (depending on chosen tune). When played with Tritons Paweł Pańto's bass of Night in Calisia (a reminder – my guru!) was nicely differentiated, fast, punctual, no delays, no artificial suspense. This fact alone already made these speakers worth attention. But an even more important fact was that while these speakers couldn't really convey that much energy as others that really played 30Hz, it didn't bother me at all. Everything that was happening at the same time in higher frequencies sounded so good, so involving attracted so much attention that I didn't care about lowest tones. I'd even say that these American speakers deliver such a huge sound in such an effortless way that they could make many other large speakers sound, in comparison, as those have some limitations in bass reproduction. I read some reviews that stated that Tritons delivered bass that made listener think there was a subwoofer in a room. I agree in terms of amount of bass and its extension but other than that this bass has nothing to do with so called "subwoofer bass" that is usually separated from the rest of range and that pumps crazy amounts of air just to convey the last detail of dinosaur's step. This richness of the sound I mentioned makes Deep Purple, Black Sabbath on one side and Radiohead and Rojek on the other really "breath". These speakers create so called black background and throws colors on it including gentle, but amazingly tuneful treble. The AMT (Air Motion Transformer) driver's performance is simply fantastic. It offers very open sound but yet smooth, non-offensive and forgiving (if recording needs it). It's like attack was at the same time very distinct but rounded. I have no idea how it is possible but that's exactly how I perceived it. Tritons offer than a "tender beat", without any sharpness or harshness. There seems to be bit less energy in the treble than in my Harbeths, but still it's the British speakers that sound warmer.
Everything I wrote about treble is important but still the most important element of Triton's presentation is midrange. There is a slight emphasis here and it's there in quite a wide range. This part of range is not so dynamic as bass, nor so "gentle" as treble. Resolution is also not among the best I know. So if you listen so some sophisticated music like Coltrane's for example it will sound quite good. But it won't give you the same level of pure fun, enjoyment as Tritons generated playing Black Sabbath, or the depth of presentation they delivered playing Vangelis. Simply they can't differentiate dynamic and timbre shades in the midrange as they can in bass and treble area. Summary As I said before I initially wanted to base this review on a single recording. And while I changed my mind eventually still the Night in Calisia was the main "star". Simply these powerful, energetic pieces were conveyed by American loudspeakers in a very convincing way. The orchestra supporting the band was also presented in proper scale with proper dynamics. I have no doubts that designers of these speakers love exactly this kind of music and that's why it is conveyed in such a wonderful way. Surely these speakers would do also very well in a home cinema system but these are not just front speakers for such a system. Manufacturer's literature says:/font> An interesting and little-known fact is that although our loudspeakers have often been praised as being the absolute best available for home theater, our engineering team, along with Don and myself, have always devoted most of our listening time to music. This is true more than ever at GoldenEar because exceptional performance on music is more important to us now and, additionally, is the real key to home theater excellence as well. We have found that the qualities that allow a speaker to excel in the reproduction of music and home theater are clearly easier to refine to an ultimate level when working with music. That's not just marketing talking—it's the truth that is confirmed with every recording delivered by these speakers. Richness, depth, air, subtlety, somewhat forgiving nature, power and energy—these would be the tags I'd use for these speakers. DESIGN Main features of these speakers were described before. These are: • D'Appolito array, • Air Motion Transformer tweeter, • two passive radiators. These are quite large speakers one knows what one paid for. They look differently than most speakers as they are covered almost completely with some sort of black fabric that is acoustically transparent. It's a sort of grill sock that is fastened on the top of the speaker and this element is hidden under plastic cover. A plinth that speaker sits on is also made of plastic. One can use spikes or rubber feet under it (manufacturer delivers both). Enclosure is made of MDF baffles reinforced (inside) with braces.
Triton sport 3 drivers: 2 x 143 mm (5.25") low- midrange woofers, with a heavy, cast-basket and a polypropylene diaphragm, plus Dr. Heil's ART tweeter. These woofers manufacturer describes as: 5.25" High-Definition Bass/Midrange Driver specifically designed for exceptionally long-throw, for tremendous dynamic range and extraordinarily deep bass response. The HVFR sports a stiff, cast front with company's logo on it. Two woofers are supported by two 200 mm passive radiators, made of MDF plate with vinyl layer. Their rubber suspension is quite soft. Speakers are equipped with a single pair of gold-plated binding posts. A complex crossover is mounted on a small PCB and it sports air and core coils, polypropylene and electrolyte capacitors. The inside of the cabinet is filled with artificial wool.
Speakers seem to be quite an easy load -with 8 Ω nominal impedance and 89dB efficiency. Frequency range, according to manufacturer, covers impressive 29Hz - 35kHz. Recommended amplification allows to use both low-power amps (from 10W) up to powerful beasts offering up to 300 W.
During this test I places Tritons on Acoustic Revive RST-38H platforms and they were toed-in so that my ears were in axis with drivers. Any other placement resulted in some anomalies in midrange and treble area. Specifications (according to manufacturer) Driver complement: 2x High-Definition Cast-Basket Mid/Bass Drivers 5 1/4", 2x Planar Sub-Bass Radiators 8", 1x HVFR™ High-Velocity Folded Ribbon Tweeter (ART Dr. Heil) Recommended amplification: 10-300 W Efficiency: 89dB Frequency response: 29-35kHz Impedance: 8 Ω Dimensions (height is with base installed, no spikes ): 146 (W, front) x 184 (W, back) x 279 (D) x 101 (H) mm Weight: 14.5 kg Price (in Poland): 5880 PLN/pair
GoldenEar Technology Country of origin: USA
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