I have been a proud owner of two Triton Two towers for a month or so.

I have them hooked up to a NAD T748 amplifier and CD player that are also brand new. I am using simple speaker wire setup. Bass level on the speakers is set to 12 oclock -- default position. I have everything hooked to a Panamax M5100 power conditioner unit with separate circuits for everything including both the speakers, the amp, the cd player and cable line and ethernet. I thought I was doing everything right. There's nothing unprotected unconditioned in the entire loop of devices hooked up to the system.

I listen to classical music mostly with some pop and world music thrown in for good measure.

A few days back, I noticed that one of the towers was kind of making a high pitched buzzing noise especially during piano concertos or while playing "someone I used to know" by Gotye. I kept trying different records and sound settings to make sure it was not the setup or something to do with the amplifier.

Now as of tonight I am sorry to say that the "4.5" High-Definition Bass/Midrange Driver" or possibly the "High-Velocity Folded Ribbon Tweeter (HVFR)" is shot. I am pretty sure it is the 4.5 High Def though.

I am no newb, I am no deaf person who plays everything loudly, I have never damaged a piece of audio equipment in my life and I am almost 40. I thought you really can not rock out to classical music enough to blow out a month old speaker (maybe pipe organ music too difficult for speakers? No way). I have not heard any distortion coming from either of the speakers.

So I am very puzzled, did I do something to my speaker (my first intuition is always to find fault in myself) or was this just a manufacturing issue that developed into a problem once the speaker was broken in.

I am devastated as Tritons are amazing speakers and thanks to them I have returned to listening to classical music once more after a ten year hiatus. I have never heard music reproduced so expansively with so much detail with such affordable speakers. I love them. I really do. It is not healthy.

Should I file for warranty?

Could they just ship me that driver? The whole speaker seems such a hassle to take back to the dealership for replacement.

Thoughts? Suggestions? Please no beatings or burning at the stake because I don't know as much as everyone else on this forum.

In the words of the great audio philosopher, "stuff happens" ... or something like that . No worries though, I'm sure you did not damage them - the Tritons are amazingly robust. As far as I know we have had zero use-caused failures (a handful of shipping related issues like loose wires and the like though).

The drivers are mechanical devices and a bit of debris or a small defect of any sort can cause noises - we have seen a few 4.5" midrange drivers that initially passed QC but later developed a buzz, so I suspect your diagnosis is correct. If that is the problem it is easily rectified with a replacement driver. However, for this warranty repair we will need your GoldenEar dealer to verify the problem, order any required replacement parts and then perform the repair. So, please contact your dealer to get this process started. It should only take a couple days to get you back to 100% again.

And of course feel free to contact GoldenEar customer support via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for further assistance. Glad to hear you've been enjoying the speakers so much, we'll do our best to get your issue sorted out and resolved very quickly.

Thank you for the quick response. I am getting in touch with the local dealership: Audio Systems in Austin right now. They were wonderful to work with when we were trying to pick our new speakers, I am sure they will help us sort this one out also.

I will provide a full update after we resolve the issue and I owe you still a more detailed review and pictures and perhaps a list of music that shines on the Triton Twos.

More on that later.

Thanks again.

I wanted to complete this thread.

My triton II was completely replaced within a week of dropping it at the reseller. The replacement sounds great as expected.

I am very happy with the customer service and the product.

I have owned my Triton Two's for approximately two years now and have accepted the absence of a bright high end since that was what was described in the review literature I read early on. However, I have begun to audition other speakers at various showrooms (including Triton two's and am able to hear instruments (high hats, triangles and other percussion instruments) that are not audible on my home speakers. I went as far as having my hearing checked by an ENT specialist and was told I did have minimal hearing loss which should not affect those sound frequencies. It occurs to me that I ordered my speakers (from Audio Breakthrough in Long Island) just at the time that GE was experiencing some problems with the ribbon tweeters resulting in the delay in delivery of my order. I have fairly good equipment (Denon AVR 4311; Oppo BDP-83; etc etc) I would really love to resolve this issue but don't have any objective way of measuring those frequencies emanating from my tweeters!! I am a handicapped senior citizen and not able to throw these towers over my shoulder and take them back to the dealer for testing. From what I know GE has a reputation for excellent customer service.
Is there any way you can help me solve this dilemma????????
Thanks so much,
Frank Marin

Sorry to hear you are having an issue with your Tritons. Impossible to diagnose via internet unfortunately, I can tell you that there is nothing missing on the Triton Two, in the way of high frequencies, if it is working properly. I can also tell you we never had an issue with the tweeter, quite the opposite as it has been amazingly dependable. Our slow delivery a year and a half ago was simple demand outstripping supply for many month. We eventually caught up.

Please contact your dealer to arrange for them to come to your home and diagnose the problem. We will act quickly to solve any issues they identify.