GoldenEar's Sandy Gross on the Triton Reference Loudspeaker | Stereophile

[@daveapex493]

I do not know why folks feel they need to negatively comment. For free, whether we agree or not - we get to hear the insights of a historical speaker designer and editor of one of the few remaining successful industry publications - My only negative = too bad we were not able to have such video interviews with the audio pioneers in the 70's like "Bud Fried". Thanks for posting this video and looking forward to more.

[@hardstuff57]

Dave Apex, well said.

[@davidlewis8124]

I concur.

[@JesusISdaonlyway]

Sandy's understanding, artistic perspective, philosophy and approach to loudspeaker design is unique yet pretty straightforward. In a less is more kind of way. He's one of my biggest inspirations.

[@talibe801]

I sell Golden ear speakers at ultimate audio in Portugal,and they´re very good for the price.especially the new ref one beautifull looks and sound.

[@arthurwatts1680]

From memory, Ken Ishiwata had a similar role with Marantz (albeit without any financial stake in the company). He did seem to have more technical input, to the point of suggesting specific electronic components, but he didn't sit down and design the circuit from the ground up - that was left to Marantz engineers (FWIR).

[@michaelangelo1955]

Hi Sandy!!! You don't remember me, I 'm quite sure, but I met you in the late 70's in Baltimore. I was with John Hornor and you were with Mattie and maybe Ken Dunn. I worked at Stereoland at the time. Matt lived in my mother-in-law's basement on Lakeview Ave. It's thrilling to see and more importantly, hear what you have come up with here. Being from Baltimore, I feel a connection to your speakers. The 2+ is perfect in my room with an Mc 240, Mx 110. I have a Fudderman in storage waiting to be rebuilt. It's a pleasure to see you in these interviews. Next Axpona maybe I'll come by and say hello. Thanks again.

[@OrganNLou]

Brilliant! Sandy is so down to earth, yet very bright!

[@JordanKL1]

John Atkinson, Higher sensitivity means more motion at a given power input which yields the higher SPL. Less distortion from the amplifiers side sure, but the cone itself still has to work just as hard. The electro-mechanical transfer is more efficient, but the mechanical transfer (cone to air) is just the same.

[@MrRAW1968]

I’ve listened to some Goldenear Triton speakers, both at audio shows and dealers, and was not impressed. I would love to like it because of the advantages in technical design, for instance the amplified woofers and nice tweeter. But the sound was never inspiring to me. Maybe the rooms or electronics used where not ideal, but I ended up with von Schweikert unifield speakers (coaxial design). These speakers are quite rare in Europe, but very fine sound, especially in the midrange. Maybe I have a listen to Goldenears one day in my own room to give it the opportunity to do their best.

[@TheBTG88]

John Dunlavy had two anechoic chambers at his factory and was a huge proponent of measurements. That’s why his speakers are revered to this day.

[@arthurwatts1680]

I could make Sandy's speakers 'disappear' - they would reappear at my place, and that's when the *real* magic would begin :D

[@salvadorrodenas3071]

Interesting video, like all previous. I see it as a complement to the material and virtual audio magazines in a near future if not actually right now.

[@SuperMcgenius]

Thank you mr g for your great work over the years,

[@vitogenovese1586]

This man has left humanity something terrific!!!

[@96thundercat]

I own a pair of the Reference and they are great! I suggest comparing them to other brands .. Blind audition these, you'll pick the Refs over most all others for the cost.

[@normrubio]

I'm listening to Sandy talk about the Tritons while listening on my Tritons.

[@aleXtreme_]

The eyecontact is real

[@albertelazar4069]

I heard the Triton Reference speakers at a local dealer, and I thought they sounded HORRIBLE. What was very evident was how the subwoofer section distorted the rest of the speaker in terms of distortion, cabinet resonance. There was LOTS of it, and made the whole listening experience very mediocre and average, especially at that $8500.00 price point! How a lot of these fake mostly positive reviews of the speaker is beyond me, it’s scary how misleading the audio industry could be to us consumers🤦🏻‍♂️

[@Muzammil.S]

Triton 3, Gen1 user here.

[@dobledekersoulwrekr]

The prices have just gone to such extremes in relation to the wages that nothing is remotely affordable anymore. -Merriam-Webster Dictionary

[@dirtharris]

John Atkinson appears to one of those annoying types who listens not to understand, but listens to reply. He might as well be interviewing himself.

[@ejay220]

I own GERef and I love them

[@albertelazar4069]

I heard the Triton Reference speakers at a local dealer, and I thought they sounded HORRIBLE. What was very evident was how the subwoofer section distorted the rest of the speaker in terms of distortion and cabinet resonance. There was LOTS of it, which made the whole listening experience very mediocre and average at best, especially at that $8500.00 price point! It’s baffling how many fake and mostly positive reviews of the speaker they are, its scary how misleading the audio industry is to us consumers 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@Acoustic_Theory]

What happened with the Air Motion Transformer, as ESS originally called it, is that the patent expired (though the trademark did not, which is the real reason why everybody has their own name for what is basically the same concept) - and then China stepped in. The AMT is a beautiful technique for high frequency reproduction. The way to picture it is a conventional planar-magnetic membrane ribbon diaphragm that is divided up into multiple small vertical sections which can then be folded up. Where the technique loses value is in midrange reproduction, because the area of each individual panel or section of the ribbon diaphragm is small, and the aspect ratio is high (each section is very narrow and very tall), so the mechanical resonance frequency ends up being high, and the lower frequency output is limited by the compliance of the diaphragm material, not only in tension but also in bending. So it is a good format for tweeters, where excursion is small, and that is where it is best applied, because it lets a transducer designer fold up a large ribbon radiating surface (which normally experiences narrowed dispersion because of its large size) into a small space, radiating through a small aperture that is more like the size of a dome tweeter. The other downside to AMTs is that they require as much or more magnetic material because the magnetic gap is very wide compared to conventional planar ribbons or dynamic drivers, and the magnets need to use rare-earth Neodymium to achieve the needed strength in a practical size, so their cost is higher than a dome tweeter of similar physical size. Also, while I have heard some very, very good AMT ribbons, the best tweeters I have heard are actually the "true" aluminum ribbon format tweeters from RAAL. But for a speaker that has accessible pricing, the AMT is the best sounding tweeter, maybe only taking a back seat to the conventional metal dome tweeter in the area of dynamic impact, but the AMT definitely sounds "nicer" and more "airy", with more fine detail than domes can achieve. An ideal speaker would probably use an AMT tweeter, matched with a dome midrange speaker whose low moving mass complements the low mass of the AMT while having the lower midrange distortion of a dynamic driver, and then one or two midwoofers of about 7" diameter with aluminum or composite cones that maintain pistonic operation. At least, that's what I would pursue.

[@jaapaap5]

it's always the same. in the interview they say it sound "the best on the planet" then in a show it sounds like crap, and they blame the room. now i look at the room here and i wonder "is it so difficult so build a mess on a show"?

[@CockatooDude]

Yeah it is strange. Every speaker which should be good sounds like crap at audio shows. The Kef Blades for example. I remember Z Reviews saying he didn't review Kef speakers for the longest time because of that, but when he bought a (much cheaper than the Blade) pair to review they sounded amazing in his room. I guess it really is hard to build a mess at a show.

[@20CycleMonger]

John, I have been a reader since the 80's and HFN&RR days in the UK. Always admire your work. However now that we can see into your workspace, it's time to tidy up! Perhaps you could review some state of the art CURTAINS to hide the rats nest behind the speakers in this interview? Or a curtain shoot out with measurements to back up your findings? Please, for the sake of our sanity! Respectfully C.

[@alanladdseinekatze859]

Great conversation here, thanks a lot for that. But those reference speakers seem to aim at customers having had first hand experience on high end equipment since a long time, such as I do. Speaking on my behalf, having started as a consumer of high end, then being a producer of music for several years, having you approach the art from a totally different angle, the world is changing and for me this means: less is more. I have had it all, you know, and I am bored and spoiled. I got rid of everything and got myself some Bose PC speakers and these do the job. I know what the ultimate sound is, and it does not satisfy at all, great music does.

[@sszhao11]

Alan Ladd seine Katze bullshit, bose dont have tweeters and eq the shit out of the sound. and no way it can reproduce a good recording faithfully

[@blackknight7017]

ALAN, WELL PUT. I AGREE.

[@davejones4740]

ATLEAST HE'S HAD A GOOD GO AT IT, EVEN THOUGH HE DOESN'T DO THE DEEP SUMS OR CALCULATIONS. NOTHING WRONG WITH HIS PASSION.

[@BloodEagleMWO]

I am unsure how to reach him on a personal level - but maybe someone else has the knowledge I seek. From an early age, I began admiring audio, and then speakers, and then what I'd consider high end speakers, only to realize I was only just hitting tip of the iceburg. So I guess I could say, I stopped "admiring" speakers once you get to those "millionaire" exclusives of 50K-250K per that are justifiably inaccessible by the masses..... With that said - I have always enjoyed, and own numerous, definitive technology speakers. I still remember buying my first, the SM350 pair which I later added a center channel to. I have grown, wisdomly, since then - and I own numerous definitive technology speakers (currently the 9060, D11, D9, and their center, along with NUMEROUS subwoofers offered by them, 2 descend 8, paired to front channel speakers, and a SC4000 and a SC8000) - Martin Logan ESL, Bowers and Wilkins 6 Series and 7 series, and now........finally, a Center channel Golden Ear Reference. I am very happy with it. Anyway - the knowledge I seek - there was a line from Def Tech a little while back - Called the Mythos. Numerous speakers available within the lineup. But, due to similarities - it is safe to assume Gross was somehow involved in the development and/or management of the Mythos line? It seems likely, but I'd love to hear that he went on from the Mythos to exit Def Tech and create golden ear, and that Golden Ear is the Evolved Mythos line? Though, possibly, due to legality - he can't "SAY" that..... anyway, someone get back to me?

[@TheCarusoGroup]

Just heard some GoldenEar Triton Reference, Triton 1 and Triton 3 speakers. They were among the very best I’ve ever heard at any price, but given the relatively low cost compared to some of the other best I have heard, they are my new favorite.

[@oturgator]

I don’t mind if somebody comes up and says, hey we don’t have a freaking idea between what we measure and how we perceive sonic concepts like; staging, liveliness, brilliance, boominess, etc... but we treat the loudspeaker like an instrument. If it starts to sound as good as we want, we ship it. It turns into a soup of commercial BS when people try to explain why their speaker sound better by giving examples like; it has to have a width of a human head because human voice reproduction is the key, or curved profiles are superior to other designs, or having an anechoic chamber and measuring loudspeakers in that room reveals everything that you have to know about sound, or having no breakup in the diaphragm will reveal the best sound. Firstly, if you don’t have a breakup that means that your power response is not flat, which the human ear is more sensitive as compared to on axis frequency response, unlike most people think. There are thousands of speakers, amplifiers, CD players that measure flat between 20Hz to 20kHz and yet they all sound different. Just be honest and say, look, according to my listening taste, our bill of material budget and our targeted customer range, we think we had to voice the speaker like this. Don’t go down that hole, trying to explain why a technology is better than the other and the one you have picked had more advantage than the other, because it is not.

[@GrumpiestKitten]

Why is the power response not flat when there is no breakup?

[@raffiequler7510]

Oturgator is a nice name for a fake Google profile. I rarely have pleasure reading so much bullshit in one giant paragraph. Keep writing some more drivel. You will get far in life.

[@oturgator]

GrumpyKitten Because of the beaming of any radiating surface you choose. There are infinitely many point sources on a surface, on-axis they may be equidistant and in phase, off-axis, there will always be time delays between points, which will define the directivity of the source. When all the radiating surfaces are examined, a certain roll-off characteristic is present in the power response above their pistonic range.

[@edwardpotasznyk1691]

speaker manufacturing is a racket at higher price levels

[@TheRockerxx69]

No pls quasi d lppolito Config. Hate It!

[@zaldam]

TheRockerxx69 Why?

[@TheRockerxx69]

Andrej J l don t like highs mudded beteeen two mid Ranges . I m of the B&W School

[@juliaset751]

I have always found that the MTM configuration is best at preserving the size and location of instruments and blending the sound into one source. With the tweeter above, you are almost always aware that the sound is coming from different locations. IMHO.

[@TheRockerxx69]

live music is not puntiform, as a former live tech sound man, with a lot of stage experience, ...let s be frank, nothing compare to live music, no stereo can achieve that, ok, live music comes from many sources, if you are listening in front of a stage, be it jazz or a chamber quarted, music comes from many sources, 3d I would say, restricring it to a sole source it s too minimizing, tweeter gives a lot of vital information, the breath of the room, headroom, resolution, if you mud it between two midranges it s a crime for me....but it s a question of taste...

[@AGC828]

I'm not so sure mentioning that GoldenEar speakers are made in China was a good move. As products made in China still do not have any established level of quality even though big name companies are having their products assemble in China (e.g. Apple, Nikon..etc.). China is where Japan was in the 60's and 70's as far as their rep for "quality". Difference is big companies do try to make sure they have a good quality of control setup. But even then..it's hard to convince the public. Speakers that "disappear"...for me they were the Vandersteens. Forget if they were being powered by solid state or tube amps. If it was a digital rig or analogue. But the airiness and the fact that I felt the speakers literally disappear in the dark room...impressed me. More so than any other speaker I've heard (e.g. B&W 800 series, Wilson Audio Watt Puppies, Thiel, etc.). Many speakers can "sound good" but to have a good soundstage, lifelike sound and "disappear" is so hard to do.

[@Zhiloreznik]

8500 .. which middle class are we talking about 🤔

[@jorisboulet3619]

i got some KRK rokit 8, i call those afordable

[@carlfuggiasco7495]

With the greatest respect I could think of I must say something about these KZbin presentations. I have subscribed to Stereophile off and on and mostly on for 30 years. An the Absolutes sound for the last ten years. My point is this..... even though I love the stuff you write....you seem to all live like slobs. Rooms are a mess and speakers placed in a way no audiophile would set up a listening room. It's John or Herb or Michael and not so much Art but it's all a jumbled messy old guy train collector like bachelor pad. I am not impressed! I am not trying to be mean I love you guys but really you need to tidy up a bit.

[@raffiequler7510]

Carl, make a video of your place if you even have one.

[@utubecomment21]

"Rooms are a mess and speakers placed in a way no audiophile would set up a listening room." This is the issue, real people living real lives. Theories like 1/3 speaker placement, fancy 'Listening Rooms' may or may not be achievable for all. speakers have to work in all different environments, from 'listening rooms' wood floors (faceplam), to rooms with no kind of room treatment (another facepalm). Tell me speakers are going to perform the same in the room this interview is taking place in, in comparison to a listening room? This is before we get in the the impossible variations in electronics and brand choices. Truth is; it doesn't matter who is designing the speakers, engineers can only do their part in a very convoluted chain!!

[@gurnnardley7120]

If it bothers you so much, maybe you should call stereophile and offer your services as a maid. mr felix unger.

[@ianmedium]

Carl Fuggiasco I must say that I find it a relief they live like normal people, it makes me trust their reviews even more as they do not live in a perfect space, it is filled with the detritus that we all live in which means the sound they hear is probably going to be close to what we can achieve in our rooms. I love these and can’t wait for more reviewers set ups.

[@frankjames4573]

LOL... They sit around every day, listening and trying to perfect the end result of music reproduction. That's fine, and great that they do that. The trouble with that is, they become overweight and a bit lazy! We, the end user, don't have to live with them, just enjoy the fruits of their labour, effort and design! I'm pleased there are folk out there that do this, then I dont have to! Your comment made me laugh, as I noticed that to! Frank...

[@milojenikolovski7522]

Made in China, America great again. Im from Serbia, I like to buy Made in USA speakers for 8500 dollars. For this money you can buy even better Made in Germany or Denmark speakers... Why go to China??

[@jn3750]

Too bad my friend. USA made speakers typically cost at least 10+ grand or even 400,000 USD (Wilson Audio) that has no equals.

[@philipgana9913]

@@jn3750 not entirely true. The likes of Tekton (double impact ) & Zu audio are kicking ass at a rock bottom price

[@blackknight7017]

WHAT'S WRONG WITH CHINA...

[@gurnnardley7120]

maybe next year when Sandy gets his 75% federal tax break, he'll then be financially able to do whats right and move production (back) to N. America ....don't hold your breath.

[@salvadorrodenas3071]

Gurn Nardley you better wait seated

[@glennmcdonald7673]

Sandy's doing the right thing by keeping the price down for the average consumer, what you thought, America's labor would run the price sky high.

[@Grassy_Gnoll]

"$8500 is very affordable considering you can spend six figures on speakers these days." Let me get this logic straight: Since obscenely priced speakers exist in the market, it's OK to have ridiculously priced ones? There's a guy running around selling water for $50,000. Therefore, my $1000 water is a real bargain!

[@alegreviews]

He says that they are good for the price, and can be compared to something more expensive. I own Triton 3 and they sounds great for the money. I haven't tried $8500 ones though.

[@raffiequler7510]

These speakers don't look nice. I prefer PSB speakers for the look and sound.

[@chasevineland1508]

Looks like a hack job using car speakers and ribbon tweeters from parts express. Hype

[@CockatooDude]

Looks are often deceiving.

[@vote4ulvio]

They sound great I've heard these at an audio show.

[@DiMoraDiamond]

Have you heard them? I have T1’s. They are fantastic.

[@dontcare563]

Do you even own a stereo?

[@glennmcdonald7673]

Hater !