Triangle Bookshelf Speaker - Borea BR03 (black)

Product Information

Let me start this section by noting two things that are (I think anyway) relevant to this appraisal. The first is that I have been a big fan of many Triangle speakers over the years. The Titus standmount has been made in several versions in that time and all of them have been a delight. The old Color range was brilliant and the Magellan Concerto is a masterpiece. When I say I think some Triangle speakers are a bit weird, I say that as someone who is a fan of the weirdness. Another handy feature found on the supplied remote control is the bass and treble controls, alongside an EQ reset button. The factory setting was a tad too generous with the bass, leaving the high frequencies sounding recessed and less than optimal. However, some diligent speaker positioning and jabs at the remote swiftly and painlessly found a setting that was pleasing to my ears. The Triangle Borea BR03 is a highly impressive little loudspeaker for the money. I was never expecting the last word in detail, definition and soundstaging – yet still it managed to impress with its musicality. For those taking their first tentative steps into the oft-confusing world of hi-fi, it’s a pretty special sound. And if you’re only used to Bluetooth speakers, then this baby box will blow your mind. Bass is deep and authoritative with plenty of punch, mids are focused and insightful, and up top, the treble is bright and airy, with no sense of ever sounding stretched or out of its depth. The BR03 is also notable in a slightly different way. Triangle is a company that builds speakers its own way with pretty much zero interest in what anyone else happens to be doing at the time. Its passive designs are recognisably equivalent to what other companies are building at the price but Triangle has no fear of proceeding to put its own spin on things. Features like horn loaded tweeters, downward firing ports and extraordinary sensitivity are all par for the course in its design language. Against this, the BR03 looks a bit, well, normal.

The BR03 is part of a six strong range of speakers, comprising three floorstanders, two standmounts and a matching centre speaker. Every model in the range is fitted with a 25mm silk dome tweeter that is mated to the speaker via a system that Triangle calls EFS (Efficient Flow System). This takes one of Triangle’s most longstanding design features; horn loading, and tweaks it a little. Horn loading a tweeter has a number of benefits, most notably on the sensitivity of the driver that results. It can also aid dispersion of high frequencies too. It does tend to induce some very specific characteristics to the presentation though. By the time we see the witches standing alone in the middle of the glen, we’re ready to hang on their every word but the dynamism of these speakers doesn’t end there. Dialogue and effects come out with detail and expression through the centre. The rhotic accents are a delight to listen to, each offering a slightly different texture to match their age.Put that together, along with a five-star AVR, and you’ll have the kind of system to convert any home cinema sceptic into a full surround lifer. lycanthrope said:Does anyone have a view on their use of untreated paper for the woofer cone, particularly the longevity? I looked up the warranty and it specifically excludes issues related to humidity . . . only 2 years cover too.Water is not the friend of paper cones. Treated ones are more resistant, and the edges of cones on PA systems are doped to extend their lives. Doping is also done round the edge of a cone to act as damping as well, which has stops "cry" when you get extraneous vibrations from sustained higher pitched notes. Untreated paper gives a less coloured sound and as it is less dense than treated paper gives better response (less lossy). So yes - I'd avoid putting the boreas in you bathroom, and placement in a kitchen is probably something to think twice about. But they're not going to breakdown unless they get properly damp or wet - which means their response will probably be the least of your considerations. The inch-long rubber feet leave plenty of space for the speaker unit to operate and there are controls on the rear to tweak the output of its 200W RMS class D amplifier with crossover and volume dials. There’s also a phase switch, as well as ports for LFE and stereo RCA inputs.

The BR03 BT is controlled via the bundled remote, although there is a volume control on the rear of the main speaker, should you need it. The remote worked well, even if not pointed directly at the speaker, and from it, you can control volume, input selection and tone. The source selected is denoted by a bright LED on the master speaker's baffle with blue signifying Bluetooth, green for RCA, purple optical and white for coax. If you're using the 3.5mm mini stereo input, you must cycle through until you get the yellow light. You can dim or turn the light off via the remote by holding down the mute button for three seconds. Bluetooth pairing was simple, and the connection proved free from dropouts ever since it was formed. For the money, they’re savvy musical performers with a great sense of scale and an even greater appetite for presenting music in a transparent and mature manner. But are they speakers capable of worrying the current class-leaders? Most definitely.As one would expect, the look and feel of the BRC1 centre is consistent with its neighbours. It’s a modest-sized box featuring the same twin port design. It has two 13cm mid/bass drivers and the same 25mm tweeter with its diffuser aimed at improving the dispersion of the high-frequency sounds.

At times, the Borea BR03 can feel a bit ‘normal’ for a Triangle; a brand with a long history of studied quirkiness, but it’s hard to argue with the level of performance that it offers. Partnered with any degree of care, this is a speaker that should delight in a wide selection of systems. ES The first thing that's abundantly clear is that these speakers have power and scale in spades. Granted, I don't have the largest of living rooms, but they fill it without second thought - and with plenty of volume to spare. I'd imagine even those with much more space would still be easily catered for. The Triangle Borea BR03 may look the part, but how does it sound? Pretty impressive, actually. Firstly, this is a hi-fi speaker and not a studio monitor – so if you’re looking for a perfectly flat response with zero coloration, then look elsewhere. However, if you are in the market for a great, entertaining standmounter with plenty of mid-band dynamism, then strap yourself in and prepare for the ride. The BR03 BT gets the same soft dome tweeter as the passive version, complete with the latter's distinctive waveguide and 165mm treated cellulose mid/bass driver. The system comprises one powered unit with a 2x 60W Class D amplifier inside and all the connectivity options, plus one passive loudspeaker. The two boxes are connected by a 3-metre 'high purity OFC copper' cable using the same type of speaker binding posts as the passive variant. The cabinets measure 206x360x314mm (WxHxD), and the pair tips the scales at 14.2kg. Frequency response is quoted at 47Hz to 22kHz (+/- 3dB), which seems reasonable enough when you hear it. Placement isn't a problem, but while the BR03 BT might look like a BR03 with an amp shoved inside it, the eagle-eyed amongst you will notice that the front-firing ports of the passive version have been moved to the rear on the active speakers. This means you will need to leave more room between the speaker cabinet and the boundary wall for optimum bass performance. THE LISTENING

Triangle

New Triangle speakers don’t appear that often, the company being in the habit of replacing ranges when it has a reason to rather than routinely scheduling updates. The Borea range sits above its entry-tier Plaisir with two standmounts, three floorstanders and a centre. The BR03 is the larger of the two standmounts. Streaming comes by way of Bluetooth 5.0 and aptX HD Low Latency (which includes aptX, aptX HD) and AAC for iOS users. This system also offers optical and coaxial digital inputs for hardwiring your other components, with a 3.5mm auxiliary input and full-sized stereo RCA analogue ins. The latter can be set to line level or used as a moving magnet phono stage for a turntable. A mono RCA subwoofer output also lets you bolt on a subwoofer for more bass extension. They come with a 2yr warranty - so did my Q3020i. Registering them online upped that to 5yrs. Triangle seem to offer this if you register online as well... As with Deadpool, we get a terrifically precise feeling of objects moving fast across the space. In this case it’s the Japanese Zero fighter planes zooming by on their machine gun runs.