Here is my report on the Triton 7s playing in my living room system:
The living room is about 20 ft X 20 ft, and 24 ft high ceiling, but has a stairway up to an open loft, and a hallway to the front door, in addition to that space. Another wall opens in two places to the kitchen and dining room. Lots of room to fill with music.
With Magnet power conditioner, an Oppo 83SE plays the discs, to a Triode TRV 88SE (45 wpc integrated tube amp, KT88s), ICs and Speaker cables are MIT CVT Terminator 2s. See the pic.
Just a bit of background, I am a planar speaker guy. I love wide open sound. I cannot stand box colorations from my speakers. I have had Maggies and then Apogee Stages almost as long as I can remember. BUT I have wanted dynamic speakers for years. I love bass, no bass with planars. I am a tube guy. Tubes and planar speakers do NOT play well together. So I gave up on tubes & bass and enjoyed my planars with SS amps for years. Too many compromises and I was not hearing music as I wanted to hear it, UNTIL GoldenEar Tech. came along.
I have a home theater set up with Triton 2s in the front, T3s surrounds and T7s rear surrounds. I got one more pair of T7s for the living room, I guess you would call me a GoldenEar fan boy!!!
The living room system was set up for smaller music: guitar, piano, male and female solo voices, folk, small jazz or chamber music, beautiful music to play when company comes, when eating in the adjoining kitchen/dining room, no big powerful music. My little tube amp cannot play that loud. I really was not sure it could even power the T7s adequately. Was I wrong!!!!
I was shocked when I put the Triton 7s into my system, the music was BIG, WIDE, OPEN, FULL and beautiful, right out of the boxes they sang!!!! And Bass, I had bass in spades and just could not believe it. Everybody that hears them looks for the subwoofers. These speakers fill this large room with music, totally balanced music, rich and full. Sorry, I am a foodie, these speakers play delicious, rich, sweet, creamy music!!!!
For example, I put on Norah Jones “Come away with me”, I use this to test my system, but I do not really like this music, I nearly had saliva running down my chin, WOW, delicious!!!!! The mids were a dream come true, luscious sound. The bass was more than I expected, round and full with plenty of power/definition and authority. The highs are a bit rolled off in my system, the MIT cables and tubes do this I think, but it sounds great. The speakers, even set up the way I have them now were so revealing, that when I had a tube get some distress, I heard it immediately, even while playing music.
Then I put on Beth Hart and Joe Bonamassa “Don’t Explain” to see what power was there, I was going for my fav--wait a min, I got stuck on “Your heart is as black as night”, HOLY MOLY!!!!! I was drooling, this was just MUCH better music than I dreamed full range speakers were gonna give me, no sub added. The bottom is incredible!!!! Her voice was aching and when she sang “I’d rather go blind” well give it up folks. These speakers rock and they sing the BLUES!!!!!
A Jazz album I use for testing speakers, “The Famous sound of the Three Blind Mice Vol. 1” sounds like a bunch of beginners trying to play Jazz to me, sorry, I just don’t like this kind of music. BUT the upright bass, drums and piano are recorded so closely and with a layer of digital glare. They just sang in this system. It sounded like a big bass was being played badly in my living room. Thought I was gonna have to serve them boys some sushi.
Willie Nelson’s guitar on “Spirit” is spectacular in simplicity, purity of tone and image. His voice, everybody knows his voice, is just RIGHT (no chestiness, no nasal sound other than his own—pure Willie, whether you hate him or love him). “Spheres” by Daniel Hope, adds some great violin to some beautiful classical music. The imaging is wonderful, the space around the musicians clearly defined. The House of Blues tribute album to the Rolling Stones, “Paint it Blue” just filled the room with “Satisfaction” and “Wild Horses” rocking as much as I needed in this room. These speakers are doing all I ask of them and MORE.
I did not try full on loud rock and roll, nor full on orchestra yet. I would very much like to try out a powerful hybrid amp or solid state amp with the T7s in the future. I am sure the top would open up more and the bottom end be a little more controlled (I really don’t know how they could sound better). They probably would be able to handle larger presentations of music with more power given. That is for a later date.
I can’t say enough about these speakers. For their size and price (and ease of integration into nearly any home system or room) they just cannot be beat!!! They are simply over-achievers in every way. I can’t believe I am saying this, but unless you are a real bass head (like I thought I was) you will not need a sub with these speakers for two channel music!!! For home theater, yes, probably.
I wish I was a reviewer and could do justice in words to these speakers. They deserve it. And let me say this, they deserve as good a system/associated electronics and setup as can be had. Mine is not the most expensive stuff, but the cables cost more than the speakers did. IF I had a better front end player, IF a better and more powerful amp, I can only dream what this would sound like. Heck, I am sure my room is holding these speakers back more than anything else. But with more modest systems I would be amazed if these speakers do not thrill as well. One could start cost effectively with the Triton 7s and a receiver, and then build a system to die for through the years around these speakers. I do not think they would ever become the weak link!
Hope this helps someone,
Enjoy and God Bless,
Wayne
God bless the child that's got his own.
Triton Seven
