Anyone compared GoldenEar Triton 7 with Triton Reference?


Hi folks -- newbie here.

Has anyone compared GoldenEar Triton 7s with GoldenEar Triton References?

Asking because I have Triton 7s + subwoofer, and am looking to upgrade. So I auditioned [7’s + subwoofer] and References side by side at 2 different dealers, playing my own music, and switching back and forth repeatedly between the two sets. To my ears, the References provided maybe 40% bigger soundstage, and maybe 5-10% better detail and clarity. This was surprising to me, given the large difference in price points: $8.5K for Reference vs. maybe $3K for Triton 7 + sub. (Maybe my ears aren’t experienced enough to appreciate the differences...?)

Has anyone directly compared the 7s and Refs in similar listening environments? How did you think they compared?  (How much better did you think the Refs were...?)

Thanks!
otinkyad

Showing 4 responses by winefix

I have had the References, 5s with and without proper sub, and 2s and 1s.
All in same treated room and with a ton of equipment. (Yggy dac, Hegel H160, H300, Peachtree Nova300, Primaluna, Raven, and much more)
To me and many of my industry buddies, the Triton References are WAY overpriced and cheaply built. $8500 Are you kidding me !!! That was my reaction after breaking them in for a serious listen.
I much preferred the Triton 5 with a single SVS SB16 Ultra. And save $5k
All personal taste, but you would not believe how many speakers I buy to evaluate and then re-sell. (Yes, Geek alert!)
While I still like the 1s and 5s for money, and have reccomended them a lot to friends (especially used) Cheap build, but sound fantastic for the relatively low cost. Reviews for References are all over the top, Love to see what GE spends per year with the magazines.
My Tritons are all long gone and the Triton References, I sold them the quickest after just a month.


I am not sure they want me listing their name and company title. That's for them to do (if they choose) Rest assured my friends have spent many a time listening to each others gear including mine, and also at shows. 
 Everyone has their own thoughts, and I was chiming in as I have a ton of experience on this topic and brand, and can give reccomendations based on my "own" experience and opinions. You can dismiss it or not.
Not many folks have tested each of those GE models I listed with the same equipment in the same space for hundreds of hours. I still love the brand and the house sound, just cant be convinced on the Trefs.

As for cheaply built, that is my opinion on all the Tritons, and dont mind it per se at the Triton 5 price point or a little higher, but I definetly REJECT it at $8500 for the references and a whopping 70% premium to the Triton ones. Also- the reference grill wasnt even seated properly in the tabs when I got the speaker, it was bowed out on one speaker from the factory and had to get a diagram sheet from GE to take off and put back on and screamed cheap parts when shined a flashlight and was up close with the drivers and parts. They do offer amazing customer service BTW and I have even spoken to Sandy during that time.

So to recap, overall love GE and the house sound, and think they over deliver bang for the buck for some models, but not at the higher price point. As per the orginal poster's question, I would say to stay with the 7s or 5s and use a serious sub.
 


@stereo5 

I am an experienced consumer with nearly $250k worth of gear in and out of my rooms. Also, vast experience with furniture grade cabinets as well. So, yeah you could say I know a thing or two about quality parts in audiophile equipment.
Always look at build quality up close and assess ergonomics, not just the sound.
As stated, love the GE house sound and dont mind the quality of parts used for the lower priced models, but for the Tref
and $8500 !!! I guess it’s like calling someone’s kid ugly, looks like you are offended. Sorry, I stand by my own opinion on the Tref and lack of value and build quality for the price point. You might think it’s built like a Harbeth, if so, great !!
But, Not what I would recommend and not even close to what I feel are better quality drivers I have owned in Zu, Vandersteen, Gallo, off the top of my head. 

As for Spatials, love em !! They use 4 15” inexpensive paper woofers from Eminenece (made in USA) and a high quality and absolutely amazing compression drivers which I think are from France?
Top of the line crossovers from Mundorf and it just works like magic for less than $4k retail and factory direct for much less for demo model with 20 year warranty. 
Had the M3 Triodes and now have the M1 Triodes.
To me, both wipe the floor of the GE refs.
X2 on my list of speakers to try next year along with others. Pretty pricey though and may not offer value. Can’t comment just yet on them.
As always your mileage may vary, just offering my experienced opinion. 




Otinkyad,

My main room is 20x15x8 and both Triode Masters worked great without a sub.
4 - 15” open baffle woofers was all I needed 99% of the time in that space for bass. Playing Royals from Lorde sounded pretty damn low. Some tracks sounded a hair better with a sub, but I really did not need it.