Hey guys,
I used to have GE Triton Ones and I loved them but unfortunately had to sell them due to different voltage country relocation.
Now I'm thinking about rebuilding my stereo-HT setup and I'm trying to decide between 3 options:
1. GE Triton One.R (or the Triton Reference)
2. GE Triton Five + GE 12" subs (L+R)
3. Emotiva Airmotiv T2+ for the fronts + 12" or 15" Emotiva subs (L+R)

First, between the first 2 options - considering that the powered Tritons are basically 2-way speakers on top of a sub, is there real benefit compared to the passive Tritons with matched subs? Has anyone performed a direct comparison between such two options?

Second, has anyone performed direct comparison between the Tritons and the Airmotivs of the same size?

Thanks in advance.

Anyone?

Hi Drumace

I don't want this to go unanswered, so here's a few thoughts:

Re 1.R or T Ref vs. T5 plus GEt subs, I would lean toward the 1.r or T Ref option, option 1. The bass integration afforded by the built in powered bass section is hard to beat. I don't doubt the T5/GEt sub combination would sound awesome also, but for bass integration, it's all there, engineered in, in the 1.R and T Ref. Plus, the 1.R and T Ref both have the newer Reference technology, with upgraded tweeters, mid/bass drivers, etc.

Re option 3, Emotiva Airmotiv T2+'s, I can't help you there. I haven't heard them.

Hope this helps a bit.

Rick

Hi Drumace,

Follow-up to Rick's comments: I own a set of Triton Ones and a set of Triton Sevens. I have experimented with using the Sevens, along with a Paradigm Sub, compared to using just the Ones with their integrated subs.

My view is that, for music reproduction, using the Ones with their integrated subs is much superior to using the Sevens with a separate Subs. My current setup - dedicated exclusively to music - is simply a Cambridge 851A Stereo Amp driving my Triton Ones via speaker connections. At reasonable sound levels (not overly loud), the Ones provide very nice overall musical sound - whether listening to orchestral, vocal, choral, jazz, bluegrass, or combinations. Plenty of bass.

At low volume levels, I use a second AV Receiver to provide augmented bass by sending a sub-level signal to the Ones' sub input. I only use this boost at very low volume levels.

Hope this helps,

Art

Thanks everyone for the comment.
I think my biggest concern (and based on past experience with other brands) is active electronics failures and in this case - the subs.
What if these fails over time and you're out of warranty? Especially now that Sandy is out (sadly) and the company is in the hands of a completely different company (and approach to the audio industry, unfortunately not in the good way). That scares me a lot because we're talking about a massive money investment that can become obsolete if the subs fails one day.
When you have external sub, if it fails one day you could relay on one sub for a while and purchase pretty decent ones from companies that specialized in subs (e.g. SVS) and your speaker investment remains safe for decades.
What are your thoughts?

Hi drumace, Even though GoldenEar Technology is under different ownership (The Quest Group), we are committed to supporting every product GoldenEar Technology has ever manufactured. This would be true for in warranty repairs or for out of warranty repairs. AudioQuest truly shares the same service oriented vision that GoldenEar has shown since its inception. The amplifiers built-into the Triton towers are modular and can easily be replaced or serviced. Obtaining service on GoldenEar products in the future will not be an issue.