Golden Ear - Triton (closer to the) Reference

Due to a move to a smaller house (soon) I have been looking for speakers that are smaller / would work in a smaller space, than the large DIY system I have used for years. To mach my Thöress - EHT Integrated amp (15W) I need speakers with relatively high sensitivity, and I would prefer active bass system as well, as I have had very good experiences with active filters/bass during the years. So, what speakers would fit that? And at a resonable price, since I’m a bit on a budget due to the new house project.

Long story/search short: I bought a pair of Golden Ear - Triton Reference speakers. The Triton Reference has been discontinued, and remaining stock are sold out at around half of retail.

I have used the speakers for a few months now and I must say, that I’m positively surprised. They can’t match the ‘’ease’’ of the big systems with their 18” woofers and big horn tweeters, but they come closer, than I had though possible from smaller speakers with a form/factor like these.

Having worked with speakers for 40 years or so, I know that speakers in this price range tend to have compromised cross over parts (this often also go for much more expensive speakers). And sometimes also quite badly designed cross overs. In the case of the Triton Reference the cross overs are very well designed, this is evident from measurements and listening to the speakers. Huge respect to the design team..! However there is potential to get closer to that reference standard the speakers are named after by using parts out of scope for the budget these are made for. It’s interesting reading the HiFi+ review (link below) where the reviewer mention one area where the T Ref does not quite match more expensive speakers, and he suspect this might be due to budget cross over parts. I agree, and since I feel these speakers has big potential, I was thinking: What if..? I looked inside the speaker and I found what I expected…

With the support of Tony Gee who runs Humblehomemadehifi (see link below) the speakers now have optimal cross overs, much improved Furutech wiring, and gold plated copper speaker terminals from ETI. The cross over function is exactly as the original filters, so measurements are the same. However, sound is not. As can be seen from the pictures top quality cross over parts are MUCH bigger, than the original, so it does take some work to shoe-horn the cross overs into the cabinets. An easier option is to run the new filters externally, and some would argue this can lead to even better sound. I liked the keep the form/factor, so I shoe-horned the cross overs into the cabinets.

I should mention, that I’m not being paid or anything by Tony Gee to make this thread, I’m just a happy customer who want to share the hidden potentials of these speakers. If you’re interested in upgrading your own Triton Reference speakers, Tony can help you out with the new filters. I share this as a heads-up to Triton Reference owners out there, maybe you’re interested in updating your own speakers? Having gone through the update process myself, I have a lot of experience/details to share, also a lot of detailed pictures on how to do the various steps needed.

Measurements:

Review:

Tony Gee:

So what about the sound?

Read the reviews from owners of various speakers where the cross overs are updated with top quality components (link below). The same can be said or the Triton Reference, and any speakers basically when we get rid of iron core inductors on the midrange, electrolytic caps etc etc… For me being used to speakers with top quality cross over components in front of the speaker drivers, I heard some smearing of the notes on the Triton Reference, and a slightly ‘’mechanical and artificial’’ nature of the treble range. Also transparency was good, but not what I would consider high-end quality. All this has changed now.

The updated Triton Reference speakers both sound the same as before, and at the same time very different: The same as the general sound is as before, nothing has been changed in the concept of the speakers. But also very different, as they now have that addictive ‘’ease’’ we hear from (very expensive) speakers. The sound is at the same time much more relaxed and much more transparent and dynamic. The first I noticed was the treble range where I often use Cowboy Junkies - The Trinity Sessions (on vinyl). It’s a ‘’difficult’’ recording, that can lead to sibiliance and a somewhat ‘’splashy’’ treble. Listening to Sweet Jane could be challenging before, now there is that ‘’ease’’ and the Triton Reference manage the critical passages with resolution, much higher transparency, improved focus and dynamics, but without the ‘’edge and smear’’. I have been listening to anything from solo piano to Massive Attack, and the pattern is the same: Ease, transparency, focus, dynamics and resolution is improved by some margin. The speakers simply sound more ‘’real and natural’’. I notice this by getting sucked into the music much more than before, and even if I try to listen for differences/improvements, I forget this and get’s lost in the music instead. To me that’s a strong indication of the speakers sounding more ‘’real’’.

Post your questions and comments in the thread below, and I’ll be happy to help if anyone out there is as crazy as I am

Here is a bit of system context: I play vinyl on my Sikora Standard MAX, and the electronics are Thöress - Phono Enhancer and Thöress - EHT Integrated.