The Nomad's transient articulation was superb. In Charles Wuorinen's Speculum Speculi, with Fred Sherry conducting Speculum…
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The Nomad's impressive low-level dynamic capabilities made it easy to analyze individual phrasing techniques in jazz-piano solos, such as McCoy Tyner's on his The Real McCoy (LP, Blue Note BLP 4264) and Herbie Hancock's on his Empyrean Isles (LP, Blue Note BN 84175). But there was a loss of detail in high-level, highly modulated dynamic passages on the Tyner LP and in Chick Corea's piano solo in "Humpty Dumpty," from his The Mad Hatter (LP, Polydor PD-3-6130).
I reviewed GoldenEar Technology's first speaker, the Triton Two ($2999.98; all prices per pair), in February 2012. It was and is an outstandingly good speaker, but I thought then that if GoldenEar would apply the same expertise to the design of a speaker with fewer cost constraints, the results could be better still. Sandy Gross, president and CEO of GoldenEar, must have been thinking along similar lines when he named the speaker Triton Two, leaving One for a more ambitious future product.
But the Triton One was slow in coming. Meanwhile, in the three years following my review, the…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Belt-drive turntable with integral phono preamplifier, headphone amplifier, and Ortofon 2M Red moving-magnet phono cartridge. Motor: 24V AC synchronous. Platter: machined MDF, 11.7" (300mm) diameter. Speeds: 331/3 & 45rpm. Wow: 0.06% (in accordance with DIN specification). Flutter: 0.04% (in accordance with DIN specification). Rumble: <–80dB (IEC 98A, unweighted). Effective tonearm length: 9.8" (251.4mm). Overhang: 0.64" (16.4mm), Löfgren A. Offset: 21.8°. Tonearm mass: 10gm (without cartridge). Stylus-pressure adjustment range: 0–3gm (with…
The Triton One proved extraordinarily revealing of the effects of the various comparisons and tweaks I was making with the DS-PW. The effects of using different cables (three HDMI, one XLR) between the PW and DS were easily audible. The same with the beneficial effect of substituting Hi-Fi Tuning Supreme fuses for PS Audio's stock ones. And when, late in the listening period, PS Audio sent me updated firmware for the DS, the resulting improvements were obvious. The Triton One is a high-resolution loudspeaker, which had its payoff in listening to music as well as listening for the effects of…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Music Hall Ikura record player; Rega Planar 3 turntable; Syrinx PU-3 tonearm; Clearaudio Virtuoso Wood, Ortofon 2M Blue phono cartridges.
Integrated Amplifier: Creek Destiny.
Loudspeakers: Dynaudio Excite X14, Emotiva Airmotiv 4S, Epos Elan 10.
Headphones: Grado SR125.
Cables: Interconnect (all MIT): MI-350 CVTwin Terminator, MI-330SG Terminator. Speaker: Acarian Systems Black Orpheus, Accent Speaker Technology Blue Thunder. AC: manufacturers' own.
Accessories: Various by ASC, Bright Star, Celestion, Echo Busters,…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Three-way floorstanding loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1.06" by 1.31" High-Velocity Folded Ribbon (HVFR) tweeter, two 5¼" midrange cones, three 5" by 9" woofers powered by an internal amplifier, four 7" by 10" passive radiators. Crossover frequencies: 100Hz, 3.5kHz. Frequency range: 14Hz–35kHz. Sensitivity: 92dB/2.83V/m. Nominal impedance: 8 ohms. Recommended amplification: 20–650Wpc. Built-in subwoofer amplifier: 1600W, class-D.
Dimensions: 54" (1385mm) H (with base, no spikes) by 5¾" (150mm) W front by 8" (205mm) W rear by 165/8" (425mm) D. Weight…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Sources: Ayre Acoustics CX-7eMP CD player, PS Audio DirectStream DAC & PerfectWave Memory Player CD/DVD transport.
Preamplifier: Convergent Audio Technology SL-1 Renaissance.
Power Amplifier: McIntosh Labs MC275LE.
Cables: Digital: Nordost Valhalla 2 XLR (AES/EBU), Nordost Blue Heaven HDMI, PS Audio HDMI 10. Interconnect, Speaker, AC: Nordost Valhalla 2.
Accessories: PS Audio P5 Power Plant AC regenerator, Arcici suspense rack, PolyCrystal amplifier stand, Furutech RD-2 CD demagnetizer.—Robert Deutsch
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone to measure the GoldenEar Triton One's frequency response in the farfield, and an Earthworks QTC-40 for the nearfield responses. The Triton One has a very high specified voltage sensitivity of 92dB/2.83V/m. My B-weighted estimate was 91.3dB(B), which is within experimental error of the specification.
The One's nominal impedance is specified as being "compatible with 8 ohms." The solid trace in fig.1 reveals that the impedance magnitude ranges between 3 and 6 ohms for much of the audioband,…
The more integrated amps I review, the more I want to tell manufacturers: Please, skip the DAC, omit the phono stage, lose the Bluetooth—just give me the best sound quality, and the most vivid, most transparent line stage and control center (with pre-out) you can design. Make sure this line stage has appropriate gain, and high input and low output impedances. Give me at least four balanced and single-ended inputs. Make sure the volume, balance, and tone controls are durable and degrade the sound as little as possible. That way, I can add a DAC, server, phono stage, or Bluetooth, of any…
I couldn't tell exactly where the mikes were placed, but in the three Embryons desséchés (Dried Embryos), I felt I was back home, sitting next to my childhood piano teacher. The piano sounded as I imagine it sounded to M. Thibaudet while he was playing it. In the first movement, both Thibaudet and the Azur 851A got the cabaret-like "purring" of the holothurian just right. Pianist and amplifier seemed in sync—I could feel the varied forces of Thibaudet's fingers as they struck the keys. At this point in my listening I could best describe the sound of the Azur 851A as relaxed and enjoyably…