Hi all
I am brand new here and have been researching on this forum and reviews for a few days now. I must admit I am quite excited about the Goldenears based on all the great reviews

Please excuse the length of the post. I have tried to be clear on what I would like help and insights into but I will explain myself now.

Ok here is my requirements:
85% Home theater and TV (including blu ray concerts which I am just getting into)
15% music

Firstly I am in a unit. Sorry I dont have dimensions on hand and i suck at estimating so I will have to measure when I get home. However it is a small/medium size combined lounge and kitchen with about 9-10 feet ceiling heights I think. I sit about 1 metre and a half to the tv

I am wanting a matched 5.1 system that I can keep for 20 years or so if they last that long
Here is what I am weighing up against
Triton 7s for L and R
Super centre XL for Centre
Aon 2s for rear (or super sat 3 but do these need a stand or can they stand up by themselves?)
Forcefield 5 for sub

or am I better off getting
Triton 2s for L and R minus the sub altogether with the same centre and AON 2 surrounds?

My Idea is to get the Triton 1s years down the track and to put whatever is on L and R as the surround and the Aon in the surround back positions.

Unfortunately the costs of golden ear are much more expensive in Australia rrp compared to what I see in the US despite our dollar being valued almost the same. I guess the shipping costs cause we are so far away. So in Aussie dollars the cost difference between these 2 set ups is about $800 AUD to get the tritons 2s without the sub instead of the 7s with the ff5.

The main questions are
1. Is Triton 2 overkill for a unit and am I better off with the 7s and then one day get the 1s?
2. Is a forcefield 5 overkill for a unit if I get the 7s in general? Would a smaller sub like the 4s or 3s be sufficient or no sub at all?
3. Will I miss bass if I get the triton 2s and forgo any sub at all for home theater or should it be enough in a unit for movies?
4. What would be better long term 1s at the front with 7s at the back or 1s at the front with 2s in the back? I have heard great things about the 7s and that they are somewhat unique compared to the bigger ones.
5. Should I be considering the triton 3s at all in this situation as a middleground? Once again uis a sub nesseary?
6. Is having a ff5 to pair with the Triton 1s in the future a waste of a sub?
7. Do Supersat 3s need stands to stand up by themselves and are they good enough for surround duties? Is it an overkill to get AON 2s as surrounds? It will only be $200 for me to get the AON 2s which I assume is a much better speaker than the Supersat 3 but is it unnecessary and overkill for surround duties?
8. I like all sorts of good quality recording music like the eagles, dire straights etc but I have a real soft spot for metal. Not that I listen to it on speakers much but would both setups go hard for metal as well? Is there any music this isnt good for?
9. Would the 2s be too boomy as it will have to go up against a back wall and side wall. I would be lucky to get it 1 foot away from back and side wall in my place. I have heard the 7s are easier to place and arn't as fussy.
10. Does anyone have any comparison to the paradigm tribute speakers compared to the triton range? I hard in one review the triton 2 rivals the signature s8s or even beats it.
I can probably get the tributes for $4500 which is what the tritons 2s are going for here so any comparisons or experiences you want to share will be great. I balked at getting them as they dont have a matching centre or surrounds really where the golden ears do which I like. I havent heard the goldenears yet but really like what I am reading online and in the forums here.

In regards to bass keep in mind I cant get too bass heavy since we are on the top floor and have neighbors below so keep this in mind. We have a little 5.1 Jamo and I try to keep the bass low because I consider the neighbours. In saying that though I would rather have something better even if I cant use it until later in the future or for sometimes during the day when I can crank it up.

You guys are all very helpful and I like that the moderator is active here too so any suggestions from anyone will be great. Thankyou all in advance

Hi Steveo and welcome!!!!!
You are in the right place and I promise you, if you get a chance to audition the GoldenEars you are going to love them.
I have not heard the Paradigms you asked about, but it has been my experience that no speakers anywhere near the price of the GEs sound even close to this good.
I was looking for the size of your room, waiting for you to get the tape measure and let us know. Not that this dimension makes a Big difference to me. I always say, get all the speakers you can, all the system you can afford, because units or houses come and go, but a great speaker system lasts for years and years. (And planning ahead for the Triton Ones in the future, sounds like a great idea to me).

Here are just a few observations I have after reading your interesting questions:
Since you are more into home theater than music only (I am totally into blu ray concerts now too, they are awesome!!!!) I am tempted to say a sub is a must have. Perhaps not the ForceField 5, which is a bear, you could scale down to the FF3 or FF4. I have the FF5 WITH the Triton 2s and that is NOT too much bass for me. My only hesitation here is consideration for your neighbors. BUT, hopefully you won't have them forever.
My guess is that the Triton 7s would work better set that close to a corner. And they would obviously benefit more from a sub for movies. NO, the Triton 2s will not be boomy, you can turn down the bass when they are too close to a wall, but then there will be less bass. And for someone who likes Metal, you need bass.
No the Aon 2s are not overkill at all for surrounds, not at all. I am using Triton 3s and Triton 7s as rear surrounds (7.1). But the Aons will need stands or some way to mount them.
I like the way you are looking to the future and planning out your moves. That is smart and it looks like you are doing your homework very well.
I am sure if you go with any of the system components from GE you will start to get wonderful sound right away, and you can continue to add/build on that later.
You are asking the right questions in the right place, keep it up and PLEASE report back and let us know what you decide, how it works out for you.
And enjoy the music (15%?), a, er, ok mostly movies (85%.
God Bless,
Wayne
Oh, yeah, prices for audio gear totally sucks outside the USA. And it is not the shipping costs. I live in Thailand and know your pain.

The question is, how long are you going to be living in this small "unit"? If for an extended period of time, wouldn't a smaller system make more sense? How about Aon 2's (front L/R); SuperCenter X (center) ; Aon 2's (surrounds) and a ForceField 3 or 4.

You say you haven't heard the Tritons...prepare to be wowed...the HFVR (High-Velocity Folded Ribbon ) high-frequency radiator is a thing of beauty.

Thankyou Wayne and Anthem for you replies. I Wayne I have read your replies and contributions on other threads and I really appreciate your detailed answer.

Anthem I don't plan on staying in the unit forever and would rather towers now so they can last forever.


I actually heard the GoldenEar yesterday for the first time. I only heard the Triton twos with the xl centre and s3 surrounds. The system sounded great for movies but we ran out of time to hear the 7s and any music really.

My concern now is I have heard the Triton twos do not pair well with side and back walls.

The dealer told me I need at least half a metre from the back wall and side walls to get the best sound. He even said having it close to the wall can cancel the sound. My question is does anyone here run the Triton 2s right near a side and back wall? Will it be minimised if I toe it in?

I am thinking now of getting the above system and maybe a Def tech 4000 sub. The reason? The force fields I were told are down firing and could interfere with my neighbours below. If any one has any comments or experiences on the way issue please let me know.

Thanks Steveo!!!
How far apart can you get the Triton 2s and still leave 40-50 cm between them and the side wall? And YES, by all means toe them in to point them directly at your seat of honor. And then, how far away will you be when listening?
Remember you can dial down the volume on the T2 subs when they are placed too close to side and rear walls. And then later, when you have a bigger room you can dial them back up and let those bad boys grunt.
My T2s are too close to the side wall, but it is stepped, part is only 30 cm and most of the side panel is 50 cm. I get LOTS of bass. The best? Probably not. But I have them toed in so part of the sub panel is farther away from the wall, and NO, there is no way this is gonna cancel itself out when toed in like this.
The FF subs fire forward, but augment that with a down firing radiator. They put out LOTS of bass! IF you crank them up, they will annoy neighbors whichever way they fire.
Hope this helps, enjoy the search,
God Bless,
Wayne

Hi Wayne I just measured and because I have an entertaining unit I can get about 1.85 m between the Triton 2s.

I have taken a I of the wall. You can see my current jamo sub with the blue light. That is where the speaker will go. I can probably only get about 15-20cms from the side wall. Will the sound bounce off my cabinet as well? I obviously will move the side table that's in the photo as well. I will also have to find room for the sub too. I am concerned I won't have room due to the design of the speakers. They sounded great yesterday and all the reviews rave about them.

Hopefully I can find a work around or just place it there and see how I go.