Polk L800 vs Goldenear Triton one.r trying to decide

polkrt3000p

Hello Guys, I am a long time Polk fan and have SDA 1.2 TLSs, CRS, Monitor 5s RT3000p and many other Polks, however, I have neared it down to The L800 or the GE Triton One.R both seem to be hard to find or being discontinued soon. I can get a pretty good deal on a brand new set of GE for 4k but ends May 31st. I am wondering if anyone has heard these and how they sound different. I am hoping for something that has good bass and treble. I love the RT3000p and the GE does have a built in amp for the subs, but they are smaller speakers vs the Polks. I would use a Adcom 555II to drive either set with a Sunfire Preamp. As far as price not the biggest factor but something to consider. I do have a sunfire sub as well, but they are replacing a set of RT1000 in the living room. So maybe wife factor based on looks could come into play somewhat. I kinda give up looking for a great set of RT3000p or SRT as they are very hard to find. When I called a couple of stores both recommended the GE over the Polks, so I was kind of suprised. They thought the GE would have more bass. Without able to hear them, I just read about them, both seem to get great reviews. Any thoughts as I would like to pull the trigger soon if all possible before they are not available. Also does the Adcom Amp work well with the Polks, I thought I read something like you need a certain type of amp. My room is a living upon to a kitchen fairly big area. I would like something that has the air movement like the RT3000p in base and I am also good with the mids and treble, not hearing the new Polks. Thank you ahead of time.

polkrt3000p

Just noticed a few typos, please excuse me. Thanks.

Emlyn

The Triton One.R will be closer in sound quality to the RT3000p but way better in bass performance.

Although not huge speakers the built in subwoofers are designed for high output and low bass performance. Goldenear and the owner's previous company Definitive specialized in those. Bass would be more pronounced than that in the L800s.

But, I have never really liked powered tower speakers of any sort.

nooshinjohn

The L 800 is anything but lacking in the bass department. If you’re looking to build a system that is both musical and capable of delivering amazing home theater performance, I cannot recommend the Legend line highly enough. Mine replaced the SDA 1.2TL’s. Mine have seen near daily use for the past 2 1/2 years and still delight me every time I turn my system on.

I cannot speak to the Golden Ears, but I too have never been a fan of powered subs inside a tower speaker. I don’t care how well built the cabinet is, but I cannot shake the thought that having that much bass power within the cabinet, must somehow interfere with everything else, the speaker is asked to do. I know they are well regarded, but just not my cup of tea.

VR3

The problem with built in powered woofers is users treat them as subwoofers and not woofers.

Also most have dedicated cabinets for the upper array within the larger cabinet

treitz3

nooshinjohn wrote: »

I cannot speak to the Golden Ears, <snip> but just not my cup of tea.

You said it best. "Grossly" over exaggerated bass. Pun intended.

Tom

boston1450

VR3 wrote: »

The problem with built in powered woofers is users treat them as subwoofers and not woofers.

Also most have dedicated cabinets for the upper array within the larger cabinet

I think that goes the same for some powered stand alone subwoofers. Some buy the cheapest disposable powered subs & beat the snot out of them & then complain when they fail

VR3

No doubt, then they have the knowledge to fully rebuild them, impressive really

Polkrt3000

Thank you guys for the thoughts to ponder!

mikejedi0619

If you want a more music only I think the Polks will still sound clearer and beat the GoldenEars
I have heard the GEs
They are nice and more musical than Sandy’s old Def Tech powered towers. But still they have the built in subs , they are gonna color the sound somewhat. Good or bad depending on what u like

I own still Mr Gross’s —Def Tech 7002 , CLR 2500 and they kick butt for home theater but they just don’t have the neutrality of something like the Polk. I do enjoy them for what they do an occasionally do listen to music on them if I’m feeling the mood for them for music.

But my upstairs L200 sound much better on music to my ears.

Just a thought.

Polkrt3000

So what I am hearing you guys think the Polk will sound more clear. Some say the bass will be stronger on the GEs I would think two 10s per side should be better but all is waited on the amp. I won’t be changing my amp out so not sure if the Adcom 555II will be enough to get them to sound great. As the sensitivity is a lot lower than the GE I think the polks are 87 and GE is 92. And the amp will just need to drive the high end. Which I loved about the RT3000p. I felt the bass was stronger on the RT3000p then the 1.2TLs but the 1.2TLs filled the room better. I got the ok to pull the trigger on either one, although I’m sure the Polk size maybe a little concern but seemed ok with it.

nooshinjohn

Polkrt3000 wrote: »

So what I am hearing you guys think the Polk will sound more clear. Some say the bass will be stronger on the GEs I would think two 10s per side should be better but all is waited on the amp. I won’t be changing my amp out so not sure if the Adcom 555II will be enough to get them to sound great. As the sensitivity is a lot lower than the GE I think the polks are 87 and GE is 92. And the amp will just need to drive the high end. Which I loved about the RT3000p. I felt the bass was stronger on the RT3000p then the 1.2TLs but the 1.2TLs filled the room better. I got the ok to pull the trigger on either one, although I’m sure the Polk size maybe a little concern but seemed ok with it.

The L800 is not as big as you think. They are not small by any means, but they are smaller than the TL’s. The L800’s fill the room beautifully, and the bass is deep, clean, powerful and articulate. You cannot go wrong with them. If you live in SoCal, you are welcome to hear what they can do at my place.

Polkrt3000

So with Adcom 555 amp these will sound the best.

Polkrt3000

Meaning between the GE Triton one.r and l800. Sorry if I’m saying the same thing

Tony M

I haven't heard the Polk L800s but I do own the G.E. Triton Ones for many years now. I power them with an NAD powerful receiver.

The Triton Ones are OUTSTANDING speakers. There are enough reviews by people who listen to high-end speakers and equipment that say they do everything right ...except the narrow tweeter band on the horizontal plane. The Heil tweeter is crisp and clear but if you stand up above it, the highs diminish.

The bass...I'd say perfectly tight and powerful. The mids...perfect.

These Triton Ones give me goosebumps and literally make me smile with acceptance that I have reached a high point in my speaker collection. Seriously.

Polkrt3000

I want to thank you all for your thoughts, after thinking about it for a few days I decided to to just make a decision. I ended up going with Goldenear Triton one.r. I almost got the Polks, but I could not find any specials on price and Polk themselves were out of matches for now. I could have picked up a refurbished set cheaper than the GEs but just didn’t want to take the chance on a damaged piece or something weird about it. I bought through a place that sold both and they said either is very good and a slight lean on the GE for bass so I decided to go that route. Still keeping my many other Polk sets in the house for sure. In hope I made the right choice, but if they sound anything close to the RT3000p and replacing my RT1000, I should be good. Tough choice for sure. Once again thanks for the advice. I just couldn’t justify in my head 2k extra for a set of new l800 unless I went refurbished. First set of GEs hopefully they don’t disappoint.

mikejedi0619

Awesome ! The GEs are excellent speakers .. let us know how you like them

PSOVLSK

Congrats!

F1nut

a slight lean on the GE for bass

Granted, I have not heard the GE, but I can tell you from first hand experience, the L800 has it in chest pounding spades!

Polkrt3000

Thank you guys, woke up this morning thought did I make a mistake. I will let you know I am getting them the first week of June.

Tony M

It seemed to be a coin toss here on the forum.

I think you would've been happy with either choice since you own Polk speakers now and like them too.

I own a lot of Polk speakers also and I like/love every pair of them. The RT2000Ps sound spectacular to me also with their powered woofers. My RT3000Ps were the woofer output challenge to beat and the Triton ones do bass better. Yes better. Can you believe it?

My SDA-SRS2s have that AMAZING SDA going for them ( I love their SDA ) and their bass is spectacular also. But the Triton Ones do bass better but in a stereo presentation.

I think you're in for a massive treat and won't have a tiny bit of buyer's remorse at all.

Enjoy.

Emlyn

Both fine choices but different flavors. The L800s do benefit from more amp power than the other option. Just the way they work. You should have no regerts.

polkrt3000p

Sounds good guys, hate buyers remorse, trying to take something back is always a hassle for sure. So Tony M, you think the GE Triton One.R might have more bass output then the RT3000p, or am I reading that wrong. Thank you guys, yes, kinda seemed like a coin toss a bit from the group, for what I was looking for in Bass, hope the Mids, treble is decent, as this is first for a ribbon tweeter, always like the Polk tweeters and Polk Midbass.

polkrt3000p

Also the full warranty on new vs refurbished Polk, was kind of a good piece of mind. Even though, guessing the Polks won't be an issue. As my RT3000p are around 24 yrs and the 1.2tl lost track guessing over 30 yrs. Just had to replace the amps on the Rt3000ps I think 3 times, drivers still great.

Tony M

I've heard the most powerful bass from my RT3000ps and it is IMPRESSIVE to say the least. Like you said earlier, they truly move air. My pants legs would flutter! I loved demoing them.

Those subs remind me of car subwoofers. They are also fast and tactile. They can shake foundations...I know. Watch the movie "9" with the 9 dolls. In the beginning, the story starts off nice and easy for about 7 minutes or more...Then all hell brakes loose for a bit. That is my demo movie to showcase the RT3000Ps and the rest of my surround system. I also had a 12" Klipsch sub in each front corner or earlier on, besides my couch as end tables.

Also, I used the Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring movie beginning. When Sauron's finger w/ring hits the ground and causes a sound wave of destruction...I swear my couch would shake like a real earthquake was happening. Good times!

I've owned Pro speakers where the woofers have the hard accordion surrounds and the bass is TIGHTER and seems higher pitched in some way. Michael Jackson's hits sound GREAT to me on those kinds of woofers.

These Tritons seem to combine the car subs and Pro-woofers together. They sound right and tight.

I think I have the volume dial set at 50% on my Triton Ones. I think I read some reviews many years ago and followed their recommendations.

I have them toed in to where the fronts point toward the outsides of my head. I can see the inside sides just a little. The 10' h x 18' wide wall becomes the soundstage. I'm smiling now just thinking about it.

I'll try to get a picture today/asap to show the set-up. My couch is a 5 patio-door panels prop for now until I replace my old ones on the back porch. But you'll get the idea.

I just picked up a pr. of Def. Tech BP-10bs last week and have been loving the reunion to their awesome sound that I remembered from years ago.

Polkrt3000

Wow you have a lot of gear, I noticed the RT3000 in there and a pair of NHT speakers and GEs older Polk SDA towers and Def Tech I think. Plus many others I may have missed. I bet it rocks in there

Polkrt3000

My wife would kill me, I sold 3 sets of Infinity Studio monitor 120s and one pair of Klipsch I had in the garage to bring some cash to the table. At one time I had 18 speakers and one 15 in Pinnical sub. Not selling the two sets of Polks. The Polk SDA CRS always impress people based on the size. I don’t plan to sell ever. Truly something crazy for the size. I tried to fit the SDA CRS above the kitchen cabinets but just about a inch short to fit but I have Monitor 5 up there and sound nice.

Tony M

I've sold a lot over the years too.

CRS's over the kitchen cabinets...that would be an awesome sounding system to cook by!

I went around to all the yard sales, pawn shops and thrift stores when Bose came out promoting their cubes. People got rid of GREAT systems for cheap and we ( me and a couple of friends ) were there to buy them up.

I have 3 sets of nice classic Infinity's, 2.5 sets of SDA-CRS's. Pinnacle Gold Towers out there and Pinnacle Black Diamonds whole system in our living room. 2 Pinnacle 12" subs but only one in the living room. I tried 2 but the second didn't add a thing. One is enough.
One in the cottage on a stack of spare powered subs. I have a set of PN-6s and PN4's too
After getting a set of Pinnacle PN8's, I was hooked on Pinnacle for many years.

When I bought a set of Polk Monitor 10a's at Goodwill for 24.00 for the pr. , I was also hooked on Polk Audio since.

I've rocked that cottage many times. My neighbors have been great for all the years I've been here. The cottage has pegboard all around the walls and that helps to silence some of the sound. I also have a lot of speakers on each wall that absorb a lot of sound waves too.

Then there is the back room that has some more classics hooked up in it too. JBL-L100 Century's. Polk RTA-12B's. DCM-TimeFrame 350's. Rodgers Sound Labs 360's (?) Polk RT55's and AR4X's too.

It's a blast! Being 66 has its bennies. Sometimes I'm out there till 3am doing things while listening to different speakers and systems.

The tall ribbon speakers are Newform Research 645's. They're pretty good too. They have 4' tall aluminum ribbons for mids and highs. I also LOVE ribbon tweeters a lot.

I forgot to mention the Triton One R's don't have a real ribbon like other ribboned speakers have. They have a folded membrane or kevlar-like material with metal etched on to them.They are modern "Heil Air Motion Transformers / Tweeters. Read up on them.

I also have the original ESS AMT-1B speakers from the 70's in my living room. They have the original LARGE Heil Air Motion Transformer midrange/tweeter mechanism on the top of the cabinets. They radiate front and backward. AMAZING speakers! They were my 1st speakers that showed me what I had been missing.

Check out the "Heil" tweeters that a lot of high-end speaker makers are using now. Martin Logan to name one.

Mr. Heil...was brilliant! You should hear these LARGE ones. No narrow horizontal listening plane from the big guys.

polkrt3000p

24.00 for a set of Monitor 10s wow that is the deal of a lifetime. I found the Infinitys and other speakers at garage sales super cheap. I found a Silver Face Marantz 2230 receiver in great condition one time for $5.00. Most of the time they say we just don't want it anymore. I found a Realistic Lab420 turntable still in the box from 1978 for $15.00, new. Crazy, that was a few years ago. Many have caught on to this and I haven't been lucky for a few years. There is a few in town that buy and sell old vintage stereo stuff out of their house and make a living at it.

Tony M

It seems we've lived parallel lives.

I found a nice Marantz receiver at a church bazaar for 5.00. I think I gave them 20.00 though.

I found a Pioneer TT PL-560, the NICE one for 5.00. There's a story behind it. A man was walking out to pay for it when I saw what was in the box. I was saddened, to say the least. Well, I was looking at other stuff at the electronics table when that man brought it back. He said the man told him it was broken. The needle was broken he said. I felt under the cartridge and there was a needle, so...? This man said he couldn't fix needles and asked if I could. Oh yeah, I can.

I asked did he had plugged it in earlier. he said no. I said I'd buy it if it turned on and worked like it should. We plugged it in and it worked fine except for the auto return. I gave that church 20.00 for it. I'll give extra at church bazaars in a heartbeat. I bought a new cover for it since the original had a serious smashed impact on the front top edge.

Yeah, those Polk Monitor 10a's were new in their boxes. They had the plastic bags covering them and the grills sparkled like new. That was a GREAT day!

Many days after that I brought home many Sansui, Pioneer, and Kenwood BIG speakers with those church-style grills on them. 14" and 16" woofers were the norm back then.

I'm glad my friend was there to lift a lot of them since I was recovering from a heel reconstruction surgery.

I had a blast with very limited funds.

I agree...after people started to realize there were stereos being donated almost every day, the competition became crazy. Guys would go into goodwill and go straight to the stereo section, look at what was there, and then quickly leave if they didn't see anything. At least I'd look around and find other cool stuff to bring home.

That was before the internet ebay came along. The managers had no idea what stereo stuff cost or what the secondary market value was.

Those WERE the good ol' days for shopping for donated stereo stuff.

One friend bought 5K (?) worth of stereo stuff for 70.00. It was one pioneer elite system with KEF Q90 speakers. He bought the huge elite system one day and went back the next morning and saw the KEF towers. They all had the same movers stickers on them. Ol' Paul listened to that system for years and years even as he added more and more stereo stuff to his collection from shopping those trift stores and pawn shops.

polkrt3000p

The Pioneer TT560 is a great table for sure. I am big fan of Pioneer Tables, and can get some good money for them. Yeah, those were the days! Haven't been lucky lately, most of the stuff is gone, if I see something it is late 2000s surround receivers. Most don't have phono on them. Cassette players are making a comeback for some reason. I remember I passed on $5.00 pioneer with box, maybe should of bought. CD players for some reason are super expensive if you want a name brand today. Not sure why so expensive I couldn't get rid of some of mine I had, collected to many. Now maybe would of been worth something.