Triangle Borea BR10 review

French audio brand Triangle has already enjoyed considerable success with its Borea range. Conceived as “affordable loudspeakers with no compromise”, the line has given rise to such five-star models as the excellent BR03 standmounts and the Award-winning BR08 floorstanders, charming performers which dazzled us with their energy, vitality and irrepressible sense of sonic gusto. The Borea range feels synonymous with such thrusting, vivacious sonic adjectives, and it’s those characteristics that we’re hoping to see emulated here with these new flagship floorstanders.

Billed as the highest-performing speakers in the range, the Triangle Borea BR10 floorstanding speakers aim to exemplify those traits which have made the Borea name so popular. They’re also the most expensive members of the Borea family, a fact which only elevates our expectations higher. If those punchy, lively sonic characteristics can be blended with some added refinement and guile, the BR10 could become the jewel in what is already a very well-adorned crown. 

Build & design

Design-wise, the flagship BR10 are typical of the wider Borea range. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and while would-be buyers who seek a pair of towers to make an aesthetic statement may find the BR10 just a tad unremarkable visually, there’s no denying the solid levels of build quality found with the speakers’ cabinets, drivers and rear-mounted terminals. Triangle’s latest floorstanders are the largest in the lineup, though, so you will need a room with plenty of space not just to get the best listening experience but, in simpler terms, to fit these hefty towers into your chosen space. 

If the BR10 are visually in keeping with their esteemed siblings, internal tweaks and upgrades should give the flagship floorstanders the sonic edge. The three-way BR10 boasts a quadrumvirate of drive units, including a 25mm tweeter, a 15cm midrange and a pair of 20cm woofers. The 25mm tweeter incorporates a fabric dome construction alongside Triangle's bespoke waveguide technology in pursuit of an enthusiastic sonic signature, while the 20cm bass drivers’ fibreglass membrane and powerful motor system aim to deliver speed and control at the lower registers. 

It doesn’t stop there. The crossover design has been constructed especially for the flagship towers, with Triangle introducing a new architecture to the range via a separate crossover board, isolating the low-frequency circuitry from the mid-high range to prevent unwanted interaction between the two circuits. The new speakers also use an internal construction whereby the rear of the drive unit is wedged against a brace to make the mounting of the driver even more rigid in the cabinet.

Compatibility

We did use our high-end reference system of the Naim ND555/555 PS DR music streamer and the Burmester 088/911 Mk III amplifier, but the majority of our testing was performed with the Naim Nait XS3 integrated amp (tested at £2199 / $2999) before dropping down to the Arcam A15 (tested at £1099 / $990) and, briefly, the more affordable Arcam A5 (£749 / $699).

What we found is that the Borea BR10 do need a little care with system matching, although they’re not so fussy as to cause deal-breaking issues. Thanks to their peppy, punchy sound, the BR10 work best with equipment that can tame their rowdier tendencies without cramping their style, a feat which the smoother, more open Arcam A15 managed nicely. The Naim XS3 is a fine option, but you may find that pairing two naturally enthusiastic components may lead to a slightly overbearing sonic marriage. Usefully, the BR10 are rated at a high sensitivity of 92dB/W/m and therefore don’t require an extremely powerful amp to reach high volume levels in most domestic spaces.

In terms of positioning, we found that around a metre away from a wall prevents the Triangle’s bass from becoming muddy or overly blobby. Note, also, that a low seating positioning can upset the speakers’ overall tonal balance, with our tests revealing that sitting bolt upright to bring us more in line with the tweeter gives a more natural and even performance. Further, we avoided aiming both towers directly at our listening position to steer clear of an exaggerated, overly harsh treble tone.

Sound

This isn’t to damn them with faint praise, but the BR10 are not a difficult pair of speakers to get a handle on. While some models take a while to disclose their secrets fully or reveal their subtler hidden talents, the Triangles pick a sonic path and pursue it with relentless enthusiasm. Powerful, punchy and full of vigour, these are large speakers geared towards all-out entertainment on a large scale, even after substantial running-in time has slightly smoothed out their most in-your-face tendencies.

Play the right tracks through them and the floorstanders will reward you in spades. Pearl Jam’s rocky Dark Matter feels tailor-made for the Borea BR10 – the track’s thumping percussive opening enjoys a suitably weighty salvo before those chunky, crunchy power chords enter with hurricane-levels of weight and oomph. Röyksopp’s It’s What I Want enjoys an even finer rendition as the full-bodied floorstanders highlight the track's sparky nature, revealing plenty of wallop in the midrange while adding healthy helpings of lean, taut bass at the lower end.  

These sorts of tracks unveil the speakers’ true strengths, in that they convey genuine spark, animation and punch without becoming messy or intermeshed while doing so. The BR10 may strain at the leash, but rarely do they snap it off and disappear into the metaphorical sonic shrubbery – tracks come over as focused and purposeful, but that well-ordered and grippy bass provides your music with a firm foundation rather than allowing any descent into a blobby, amorphous or unstable melange. 

While rival models offer a wider, more expansive soundstage, the BR10 keep things more tightly controlled within a relatively contained soundfield. Playing a recording of Delibes’ Flower Duet reveals the speakers’ strengths and weaknesses in this area, and though each vocal performance is placed neatly between the two speakers, a touch more breadth and space would help to create a more authentic, engaging reproduction of the original recording.

The burly floorstanders are certainly fun to listen to, but such a relentlessly punchy personality does have its drawbacks. Even if you give the BR10 an adequately large space and take appropriate care with positioning and matching, you may find them lacking in certain key areas of sonic finesse. Vocals, for instance, are not as detailed through the Borea BR10 as they are through the comparative Q Acoustics 5050 or the pricier PMC Prodigy 5, a flaw that’s revealed when we dig out Muse’s Madness and find lead man Matt Bellamy’s performance feels a little lean, hollow and lacking in personality when compared to such esteemed competitors. 

Vital timbres and those attention-grabbing nuances can also become lost thanks to the floorstanders' pursuit of the bigger picture, as bold flavours tend to dominate the subtler intricacies of more nuanced compositions. Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata is more authentic and texturally detailed when played through the Q Acoustics floorstanders, whereas the Triangles struggle to dig out the timbres of the piano performance with the same insight, detail or three-dimensionality. 

This may matter to some more than others. Intimate, subtle recordings may not benefit from such a rowdy, raucous approach, but we get the appeal of a pair of large, full-sounding floorstanders that can go loud and proud without ever sounding messy or distorted. Even though we’d like a little more detail and refinement, there are moments when the BR10 really seem to click, and when that happens, the effect is truly exhilarating.

Verdict

The Triangle Borea BR10 are a fine addition to the Borea range that will find an audience among buyers seeking a pair of substantial, heavyweight floorstanders that offer a big, bold sound at a reasonable price. If you have a large room that you plan on filling with peppy pop, heavyweight hip-hop or raucous rock, Triangle’s larger-than-life floorstanders are screaming out for a place on your shortlist.

SCORES

• Sound 4
• Build 4
• Compatibility 4

MORE:

Read our review of the Q Acoustics 5050 

Also consider the Triangle Borea BR08

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