GOLDEN EAR Triton Reference

The Triton Reference has no less than 10 drivers in each cabinet, none of them is ‘a stock model’. The upper part employs what Golden Ear calls the High-Velocity Folded Ribbon tweeter, which is a variation on Heil Air-Motion Transformer, that was modified for better performance and higher sensitivity. The tweeter is surrounded by two 6” polypropylene bass/midrange drivers with ribbed phase plugs to control dispersion. These three drivers are sharing one internal enclosure with angled rear and side walls.

The bottom section of the Triton Reference is all about low frequencies. The front baffle hosts three 6”x10” composite fiber/Nomex quadratic bass drivers, powered by a built-in 1800 W Class D amplifier. The amplifier takes the signal as a high-level input from speaker binding posts, alternatively the low end can be driven via a LFE input just above the speaker posts from an external AV processor. Instead of a bass reflex port, the Triton Reference employs 4 big passive quadratic radiators (2 per each side) that mimic a tuned transmission line. The manufacturer suggests that the Triton reaches down to 12Hz (-6dB). Unlike many other speakers that often overstate the bottom end extension, the Golden Ear Triton Reference’s specification is a real thing, as proved by listening.

The cabinets are tall and slim, and their gravity centre is reinforced by a thick steel plate that is integrated into their plinth. They are available only in piano black.