Loudspeakers

Also, like other GoldenEar designs, the Triton One.R has fixed grilles over the drivers – full length down the front, and one on each side over the bass radiators, with the rest of the speaker finished in gloss black. I know KH has his own feelings about the effect of the main grille and its plastic frame, but in use I didn't feel it got in the way of the fine performance on offer here. Finally you'll need a mains supply for each speaker to power the subwoofer section, while those wanting to use the One.R in a home cinema configuration will need both speaker cable and a mono interconnect of the same length for each speaker.

Like A Boss
Fortunately the One.R has no shortage of power-handling capability, as the test system involved a mighty Constellation Audio Centaur II 500 power amp. To say this drove the GoldenEar speakers rather well is something of an understatement, but used with PM's usual Melco/dCS Vivaldi One front-end [HFN Feb '18], it showed just what these slimline US speakers could do.

Springsteen's Darkness On The Edge Of Town [Columbia CD 86061] saw the speakers creating an open and expressive soundstage with no shortage of detail, with The Boss's voice especially characterful. The low-end punch from that active sub-bass section is also confidence-inspiring, as it is with pianist Paul Lewis's reading of Mussorgsky's Pictures At An Exhibition [from Harmonia Mundi HMC902096]. The sonorous weight of the instrument is appealing, with a lovely limpid feeling in the second promenade underpinned by clean, tight rhythms in the left hand.

Full Blooded
Up the scale to the speed and textures of the overture to Mozart's Don Giovanni, from the Scottish Chamber Orchestra's collection of arias and overtures [Linn CKD 460; 192kHz/24-bit], and the deftness of the speaker matches that of the ensemble's playing, along with the punch to drive the dynamics of the score. It's perhaps a shade more 'of a piece' than the instrument-spotters might like, but none the less enjoyable for that, and with a totally unforced presentation.

That combination of bass power, definition and intimacy serves well a favourite test track, 'In The Mountains' from the Espen Eriksen Trio's Never Ending January set [Rune Grammofon RCD 2173; 96kHz/24-bit]. Andreas Bye's powerful, metronomic drumming, opening the track, might raise fears that it will swamp the whole ensemble, but as Lars Tormod Jenset's bass and Eriksen's delicate piano join in it's apparent that the One.R speakers have it all under control, while still delivering the trio in a big, full-blooded manner. It's a delicate little study, but the sound here is full-on 'front row of the jazz club', with a real sense of just how punchy acoustic instruments can be close-up.

Even a multi-sampled track like Moby's 'Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?', from Play [Mute CDStumm172], benefits from the ability of these speakers to reveal its layers without holding back on the infectious slam and drive, showing just how well GoldenEar's designs combine commerciality with hi-fi finesse. Crank them hard and they're party animals, especially with the low-down grunt of those active bass sections, but they do all this without ever becoming ragged.

Their ability to conjure up the ambience of a well-recorded live set is made clear with Brian Wilson's 'God Only Knows' from his Live At The Roxy Theatre set [Sanctuary SANDD107]. This has just the right amount of rawness, combined with fine musicianship to bring a smile to the face. Segue almost inevitably into Barenaked Ladies' 'Brian Wilson' – also live and from the Hits From Yesterday & The Day Before set [Rhino/Raisin'/Warner Bros 8122-79757-3], and the One.R speakers conjure up the singalong live concert atmosphere of the track before crashing the band into action in a totally foot-tapping manner.

Delicate Touch
As already mentioned, I tried moving the speakers about while spinning some favourite tracks through them, but this was to little avail. You'll soon go back to using them pointing straight at you, and with the bass control set to the 'normal' position.

Like that, the One.Rs give a wonderfully rich and ripe view of the John Wilson Orchestra's Rogers & Hammerstein At The Movies album [Warner Classics 3193012], and in particular the light and shade of 'The Carousel Waltz', which whirls and spins from the most delicate of touches to great stabs of bass brass as it builds to its joyful climax.

Hi-Fi News Verdict
GoldenEar's Triton One.R speakers are not a cut-down version of the company's range-topping Reference. They're no less than a more compact and affordable alternative to its flagship, offering so much of the company's refined and totally entertaining sound at an even more affordable price. With their powerful, tuneable bass and ability to conjure solid musical images, the One.R is a mesmerising listen.