Opinions of GoldenEar Triton 1

I have the GoldenEar Triton 3+ speakers and McIntosh MA252 amplifier.  Contrary to what others have written here, I don't find the speakers flat, dull, boring or harsh.  I listen to music mostly at 60 to 80 dB.  I don't know what they sound like at 90 dB or above because I don't want to suffer from hearing damage.
I have the built in subwoofers set at about 12:50 on the dial on the back of the Tritons.  They sounded a little thin at 12 o'clock.  My speakers are a foot from the front wall.  I like that these sealed speakers can be placed so close to the wall without causing problems.

My amp has a sub out, and so I added a PSB 450 sub.  I am running the Tritons full range.  I am not using a receiver or room correction.  The sub adds some heft to bass below 60 hertz.

I find this combination to be very detailed with an extended treble.  There is good accuracy with cymbals, bass, and throughout the frequency range.  There is plenty of air, dynamics, and attack.  I am listening to Miles Davis and the brass does not sound subdued at all, but it is smooth and not harsh or hard.  Bass is full and powerful without being excessive, boomy or bloated.  Vocals are very pleasing, and acoustic guitar has a gorgeous tone.  I have the speakers 11 feet apart, and the soundstage is exciting and fun to listen to.  I can listen for many hours without fatigue.

I am wondering what is causing all of the criticism.  Is it that people made their minds up before they listened that nothing made in China can be worthwhile, or is it that people are so passionately loyal to their current brand that they have closed their minds, or is it that some lucky folks have uber expensive systems that are better in some ways than most other speakers such as the Tritons from GoldenEar?  Or something else? 

Maybe it is just that we all hear differently.  I auditioned the Triton 3+ speakers at a dealer with the McIntosh MA252 amp and they sounded good, and in my home they sound fantastic.

I'd like to follow up on my previous comments. Even though I am not completely satisfied with my Triton 2+ speakers, I will say that they are the best sounding speakers I've owned in this price range and have truly amazing bass performance for their price and size. They also image quite well, particularly in the sweet spot - very wide and deep without making instruments sound too big.

Part of my dissatisfaction is likely due to my room. I've had to use a fair amount of acoustic treatment to tame the room modes since the room is almost perfectly square, and this has probably resulted in a "duller" sound than they might otherwise be capable of. 

The speakers are also more attractive than I was expecting based on photos. The thin angled profile combined with the glossy top and plinth really works quite well. It doesn't look like gorgeous furniture like some of the Sonus Faber speakers, but I'd rather have the production cost focused on sound instead of fancy woodwork.

I'm planning to relocate my listening room to a larger room in my house in the near future, and perhaps the Triton 2+s will work better there. 

I don't have anything against Goldenear, and I would seriously consider their higher-end products (1R and Reference) once I relocate my listening room if my current speakers still aren't working for me.

The day we auditioned the 3+ and 2+, we played around with positioning quite a bit. I thought both models were very forgiving of room placement (they  do want to be toed in, but they don't need to be very far from the back wall) and both models had quite a wide sweet spot - an absolute must for us as my spouse and I usually listen to music together.  I HATE narrow sweet spots and would never consider speakers with that limitation.

With the Goldenears fed by a Saturn R, we both found the timbres realistic on acoustic instruments and vocals, much more so than anything else we auditioned in a comparable price range, and they were not at all dull (dealer began our day by pushing Focals and Paradigms BTW). None of the other speakers really passed the "massed strings" test.  My husband is a retired symphony bassoonist and clarinetist, and he is extremely picky about natural sounding music reproduction, as am I, a mere former singer. 

As for dealer comments, I welcome them, as long as they declare their status. Dealers are NOT the enemy - they are a resource. I;ve learned a lot from audio pros over the years, Ultimately, it's my ears that will decide any purchase.