The Official GoldenEar Technology Speakers Thread

[Bluvette]

Originally Posted by sonic_debauchery

The sound is phenomenal. The soundstage is wide and at the same time you would think the singer is right in front of you performing. The bass these speakers put out gets better with time. I only have 5 hours on them, they get better everytime i listen to them. The break in is 100 hours. Recommended by store staff.

They are the most accurate sounding speaker i have heard. Before i bought them i spent 3 hours with them in store. Ran off a disc of songs i was very familiar with, and listened. I took everything from acoustical to dance.

These are speakers that according to hometheaterreview.com sound as good as speakers costing $24K. Sound and Vision gave them an award and mentions that they can give $50K speakers a run. I wouldn't have believed it until i got in some time with them in store and finally in my living room.

Congrates and thanks for sharing. I get over to the store a give these a listen.

[sonic_debauchery]

Can somebody tell me how to do a hardware review? I click on it and see no direction on how to post.

[victorvondoom88]

Originally Posted by sonic_debauchery

Can somebody tell me how to do a hardware review? I click on it and see no direction on how to post.

Having not done one I'm not entirely sure but it seems I can review any gear that I have tagged in my HT gallery. I'm not sure if that's a requirement or not.
I would very much like to read your review on these as they are on my radar for sure.

[Kobe_Beef_Short_Ribs]

I am building my first 5.1 surround system. Because I always have to be a budget audio enthusiast (wife + kids to support), in the 2-channel world my peeve has always been lack of clarity and spaciousness in the upper mid-range. Hey if SO would let me allocate the funds, I'd buy top-of-the-line Focal Audios with Beryllium dome...but alas.

I recently heard some GoldenEar Super Sat 3's at my local hi-fi shop, and could instantly tell that tweeter was for me (aka the best sound in my price range). Plus I like the flexible placement options....we live in Silicon Valley where houses are too expensive so we live in a small condo.

I snagged the last NAD T-747 from Crutchfield last week @ $599 because I will not want 3D TV until they get it right w/o glasses (which i predict is at least 5 years away). An Oppo 93 is coming any day now.

As I implied earlier, the multi-channel world is still very new to me. I just set up 3 SS 3's as LFront, RFront, Center with the NAD for the first time today. Lots of adjustments and break-in time to come of course....yet I already hear the potential with this system. More feedback and questions for you GE owners to come.

Best,
-KBSR

[sonic_debauchery]

I have spent my 7th hour with the tritons and supersat 50. The sub in the tritons lit up tonight. The sub is amazingly accurate. Operates very tightly and cleanly. My dad got the forcefield 4 and a new onkyo tx-nr 809, which are an awesome combo. The ff4 is very similar to the tritons sub, just bigger. The tritons operate during bass lines tight. No extended booming. In Aerosmiths song "Dream On" the scale in the bass licks is well defined. Never heard that with my paradigm reference speakers. I highly recommend GoldenEar equipment. It is money well spent for years of enjoyment. Will let everyone know more as i get to know these speakers.

KOBE BEEF SHORT RIBS congrats on the ss3's, pair them with a force field 4 and you will be amazed at the accuracy! I want some ss3's for my 11th pair of speakers in my now being built theater. Let us know how you like them.

[Bluvette]

Has anyone posted any pictures of their GoldenEar speakers on the HT picture section yet??

[sonic_debauchery]

Have spent 60 hours with these babies. The longer i use them the better they sound. I like bass and at the one o'clock position they shake the room. I am extatic about these speakers. Anyone reading, if you are considering new speakers, these are phenominal. These speakers can compete with Paradigm S series and hold their own. Sound and vision magazine says they can hold there own against speakers costing 50K in the February - March 2011 issue pg 30 and has given them the coveted SV 2010 editors choice award.

Tokyo drift from the fast and furious series will shake the room with the low bass and fill it with the car sounds like the cars were in your living room. I have never heard fidelity of this caliber.

I was a pardigm loyal guy for the last 10 years. Now i feel that paradigm has overpriced their speakers.

I want to thank Sandy Gross and his team for making a speaker that is better than the competition and priced at a point that is just right.

[jsr]

I would love to hear a set of the GoldenEars. However, I'm not a fan of the cloth covered look...makes it look cheap. I wish they came up with a more attractive exterior and some nice grills/covers so you should show the speaker.

[sonic_debauchery]

These speakers look far from cheap my friend!

[josh6113]

Originally Posted by sonic_debauchery

These speakers look far from cheap my friend!

I agree...:-)

[sonic_debauchery]

Happy 1 year anniversary to Goldenear!!!! (September)

You build an amazing speaker, and can't wait to see what you have in store for the future.

I am up to 75 hours on my triton II's and ss50, they get more amazing with every hour!!

[sonic_debauchery]

AUGUST 2011 W4 ALERT

Only 1 Year Later - But it Feels Like a Golden Anniversary


<August 24, 2011> It was but one year ago when Sandy Gross, a well-known loudspeaker designer who was instrumental in building such well-known brands such as Polk Audio and Definitive Audio, launched his new venture - the appropriately named GoldenEar Technology. Gross has decided to celebrate the anniversary at this year's CEDIA Expo by launching another salvo of new products in the war for the hearts and minds of the industry's audiophiles.

Stevenson, Maryland-based GoldenEar launched to great fanfare at the Expo last year in Atlanta and by the end of the show a clearly ebullient Gross told the ALERT that the company had signed up 100 new dealers all across the U.S. as well as several international distributors for a stunningly successful launch. At CEDIA Expo 2010, GoldenEar launched several new models - most notably the top-of-the-line Triton Two tower speakers that have been well reviewed by both the press and dealers with one dealer telling the Alert that they are "crazy good."


Mini-monitors, maxi-sound...
Now Gross follows up only one year later with the launch of several new models, expanding the line to provide the perfect solution to an even greater range of installation settings. Leading the launch this year are new bookshelf models called the Aon 2 and Aon 3. According to the company, these models were originally designed for near-field professional studio mix monitors. As such, the goal was to achieve the highest possible quality in the most diminutive form-factor practical.


The Aon 2 and Aon 3 can be bookshelf or stand mounted and are engineered to offer what the company calls a high-definition reproduction with three-dimensional imaging that is said to be comparable to the company's flagship Triton Two towers. Although clearly unable to offer the level of bass as the big towers, the company says that through the use of extensive technology - principally via side mounted planar low frequency radiators for bass loading - the speakers offer a full range performance without the requirement of a subwoofer.


The Aon series of speakers borrows extensively from the research and technology of the company's Triton Two models with specially designed cast-basket bass/midrange drivers and the spectacular High Velocity Folded Ribbon (HVFR) tweeter...as used in the Tritons. Also, the design incorporates a truncated pyramid design to reduce resonance issues and a reduced baffle for more open less diffracted sound.










Aon 2

Aon 3


Bass/Midrange Driver

6-inch

7-inch


GoldenEar's HVFR

Yes

Yes


Side-Mounted Planar
Low Frequency Radiator


2 x 6.5-inch


2 x 8-inch


Frequency Response

42 Hz - 35 kHz

38 Hz - 35 kHz


Dimensions

12" H x 8" W x 10" D

14" H x 9" W x 11" D


MSRP

$399 each

$499 each












Architecturally articulated...
Sure to please installers and integrators, GoldenEar also launched a line of in-wall and in-ceiling speakers under the name Invisa. The company says they call the line Invisa because thanks to their magnetically attached grills and hidden flanges, they are designed to blend in with their surroundings and become virtually invisible.







The line currently encompasses three models: the Invisa 650, Invisa 525, and the Home Theater Reference (HTR) 6500 and GoldenEar says that they are not just another pretty face - these speakers perform. All three models utilize GoldenEar's remarkable (and pivot-able) HVFR tweeter, complex multi-element crossovers, high-frequency equalization switches, and have been engineered for a higher level of acoustic performance than is normally attainable with an architectural speaker line.


The Invisa 525 and 650 feature a one-piece driver/frame/flange design with minimal footprint and based on a special marble-infused polymer. The HTR 6500 features GoldenEar's signature cast-basket 6.5-inch bass/midrange driver which is angled under the grill such that it is optimized for in-ceiling installations.


The Invisa 650 and 525 are suitable for either in-wall or in-ceiling installations. As you would expect, they come with paintable, micro-perf grills that are available in either a round or square shape.











The Invisa HTR 6500 is designed for an in-ceiling mount purposed for either front- left/center/right or side/rear surround duties. It features a 9.5-inch diameter grill and drivers angled at 28-degrees towards the listening position. The company says the design rivals free-standing box speaker performance. And this performance is enhanced by engineering to minimize diffraction for an open, box-less, 3-D imaging.


Retail pricing on Invisa has not yet been finalized, but the company says the line will launch in late 2011.


May the force be with you...



Finally, GoldenEar has launched a new higher end subwoofer called the ForceField 5 to augment its existing ForceField 3 and 4 subwoofer line-up. The company says that while the existing models were well received, dealers asked for - and now will receive - an "over-the-top super sub."








The ForceField 5...thanks to its long-throw 12-inch woofer with a high-gauss magnet structure and a massive DSP-controlled 1500-watt digital amplifier and a pressure-coupled downward-firing 13-inch x 13.9-inch quadratic planar infrasonic radiator...will, the company says, "leave listeners breathless."


With a frequency response down to 12 Hz, you could pretty efficiently move your house off its foundation if you're not careful. The ForceField 5 also features direct-coupled Sub/LFE input, left and right speaker-level inputs (5-way binding posts), and 100 Hz high-pass L & R speaker-level outputs (also 5-way binding posts). Dimensions are 14.5" H x 15" W x 18" D.


The ForceField5 is expected to sell for just under $1,000 MSRP and will be available in late 2011.


GoldenEar will be showing their line at the upcoming CEDIA Expo in SR11.


You can also learn more about GoldenEar at http://www.goldenear.com.

[Kobe_Beef_Short_Ribs]

Here is my modest 3.1 system: 3 SuperSat 3's (with a budget sub until I can get a GE ForceField).

You can probably see why I needed the flexible speaker placement the GoldenEar satellites offer. I wish I could get the fronts a little further apart but am bound by the bay windows. Still, after some hardware and settings tweaks on the other components, I cannot overstate how impressed I am with the sound coming from this compact system! It is even decent for 2.1 Dolby stereo music. Thank you GoldenEar for a great product.

[jsr]

Oh, those Aon bookshelves look quite interesting. Hoping a local dealer will have them to audition in the near future.

[Ryan Peddle]

Glad you are enjoying the speakers. Nothing beats a well invested purchase along with actually really enjoying the sound you get from them Thanks again.

[sonic_debauchery]

Can't wait to hear the forcefield 5, 12 hz should crack my foundation

[COACH10810]

I had my first experience with these speakers earlier today. Recently I had done some looking for a new set of LCR speakers. Currently I have Axiom M80's and the VP-180 but really haven't been wow'd by them recently...

Anyways, I had gone into a Def Tech dealer in Johnson City Tennessee and had the opportunity to speak with the owner of the company. He told me he has stopped selling the Def Techs but wanted me to hear the Golden Ear speakers..

What I had practically decided on was the BP8080 and CS8080 but just needed a listen to confirm.

The Triton Two towers sounded incredible and I am sure they would do a great job as a front speaker......but the tiny center channel has me worried. I have always been a fan of a full range center and just think that the Supersat 50C might underwelm me.. My thought was to purchase a pair of these and see how they work with my current center channel before purchasing the 50c. I asked if this would be something he would recommend and I was told if I didn't like the way they sounded, he would take them back...

I guess I wanted to see how the 50c does as a center channel?

[Kobe_Beef_Short_Ribs]

@ Coach,

My opinion is, for multichannel, Tritons as the fronts would automatically compel a SuperSat in the center. The GoldenEar tweeter is unique...quick and responsive...so a different company's center would create a blur in the treble.

The good news is, while not "full range", the SS-50 in a center configuration is surprisingly thumpy for its size. I heard it against a $600 B&W with two 5" cones and didn't think the B&W was bringing anything to the party that wasn't already covered by the bass in the Tritons.

[COACH10810]

I appreciate the feedback and that makes sense. Currently, I am doing some reading over at AVS as well and seeing if anybody else has experimented with something else for a center..

[sonic_debauchery]

COACH

Here is why the 50 doesn't need to be giant.

Don't I need a bigger, full range center speaker for use in a TritonCinema Two?
The real question is, what does a large center do that a small one does not (outside of take up space)? The only answer: to play lower (that is, more bass). Although some might argue this a good thing, over the years we've found that most customers' home theaters actually need small and unobtrusive center channel speakers.

The SuperSat 50C is just such a product. While it doesn't reproduce the lowest registers by itself, the TritonCinema Two system already has a great solution to help it do so: the twin powered bass sections of the Left/Right Triton Twos! When you set up a TritonCinema Two system the Tritons do the 'heavy lifting' and handle the center channel bass information. By setting the Tritons to LARGE, the SuperSat 50C center channel to SMALL (with something like a 120 Hz crossover, which will allow the 50C to play as loud as the Tritons), and the Subwoofer to NONE, the receiver/processor will take care of directing the center channel bass information (which is mono) to the left and right main Triton speakers. Because you have two Tritons, the center channel bass will appear to come from right between them... right there with the center channel! It's just like listening to a mono recording - everything appears to come from the center in between the two main speakers. It's actually like having a virtual or phantom center channel subwoofer. Now the SuperSat 50C center channel will have great dynamic range and will sound like a BIG, full-size, full-range speaker, but in the small package most people need.

And most importantly the SuperSat 50C is designed to produce the same spectral response as the Triton Two with the same tonal balance from the lower midrange through to the top end. The SuperSat 50C's performance is much closer to the Triton Two performance than you may be lead to believe from the physical appearance of the two products. Although the SuperSat 50C speaker is designed to look very small, the drivers have been optimized to have very similar acoustic characteristics and output to the Triton Two Tower drivers. Looks can be deceiving, since GoldenEar has both the experience and facilities we had the pleasure to design all the drivers for the complete GoldenEar product line starting from scratch in our in-house laboratory, for a no compromise match in performance (timbre, dispersion characteristics, and output levels). So, the Triton Two and SuperSat 50C were, so to speak, "made for each other".

I just finished my 100 hour break-in tonight. These speakers will make everything sound better. I considered axiom m80s and the giant center. I heard the GET2's and i was done looking.