Short answer: the Sony SS-CS3. It ranks #47 of 56 floorstanding speakers by sound quality at $450; the Triangle Esprit Antal Ez ranks #55 and costs $1799, so there is not much of a tradeoff to weigh.
What the Sony SS-CS3 gets right: Affordable entry-level floorstanding tower offering solid sensitivity (88.6dB SPL at 2.83V/1m), making it easy to power with standard budget AVRs. The catch: Severe cabinet and driver resonances plague the passband between 100Hz and 600Hz, imparting audible coloration and chesty resonances to male vocals and acoustic instruments.
What the Triangle Esprit Antal Ez offers: Predicted in-room response sums rather nicely aside from the resonance and bass issues. Watch for: Resonance around 260Hz and a number of other resonances show up on-axis, along with a dip in bass response.
Buy the Sony SS-CS3. It ranks higher for sound quality than the Triangle Esprit Antal Ez and costs less, so there is no real case for the other one.
If sound quality matters at all to you, skip both of these and look higher up the 56 floorstanding speakers instead.
Specifications Side By Side
| Sony SS-CS3 | Triangle Esprit Antal Ez | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $450.00 Discontinued | $1799 Discontinued |
| Ranked | #47 of 56 in Large Size Floorstanding Speakers | #55 of 56 in Large Size Floorstanding Speakers |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 39Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 62Hz (measured, Audio Science Review) - low confidence - on-axis curve shows an unusual notch/dip around 250-300Hz for this floorstanding tower |
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 72Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 85Hz (measured, Audio Science Review) - low confidence - on-axis curve shows an unusual notch/dip around 250-300Hz for this floorstanding tower |
| Dimensions | 36.3"H x 9.1"W x 10.2"D (922 x 230 x 260 mm) | 43.9"H x 11.8"W x 15.7"D (1115.0 x 300.0 x 400.0 mm) |
| Discontinued | Yes | Yes |
| Impedance | 6 ohms nominal | 8 ohms nominal (2.7 ohms minimum, measured by Audio Science Review) |
| Sensitivity | 88.6dB (measured average, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 90.7dB (2.83V/1m, measured by Audio Science Review) |
| Drivers | 0.75 in. supertweeter, 0.98 in. polyester main tweeter, dual 5.12 in. MRC woofers | 2x 6.5" (160mm) fiberglass cone woofers, 1x 6.5" (160mm) natural cellulose midrange, 1x 1" (25mm) titanium dome tweeter |
| Weight | 25.4 lbs / 11.5 kg each | 98.5 lbs / 44.7 kg |
| Woofer Cabinet | ported, front | ported, front |
Related Speaker Comparisons
More useful head-to-heads from the same speaker class:
- Polk T50 vs JBL Studio 590
- Klipsch RP-8000F II vs Infinity Reference 253
- Infinity Reference 253 vs JBL Studio 590
- Klipsch RP-8000F II vs Sony SS-CS3
- Infinity Reference 253 vs Triangle Esprit Antal Ez
The Two Speakers In Full
Sony SS-CS3: $450.00 Discontinued
Pros: Affordable entry-level floorstanding tower offering solid sensitivity (88.6dB SPL at 2.83V/1m), making it easy to power with standard budget AVRs. Harmonic distortion remains reasonably low at moderate listening levels (86dB SPL) when high-pass filtered above 80-100Hz with a dedicated subwoofer. Front-ported design allows relatively close placement to front boundaries without excessive port occlusion.
Cons: Severe cabinet and driver resonances plague the passband between 100Hz and 600Hz, imparting audible coloration and chesty resonances to male vocals and acoustic instruments. Irregular frequency response peaks and dips make automated receiver room correction difficult to equalize effectively. Poor low-frequency extension (F3 of 72Hz, F10 of 39Hz) for a floorstander, combined with rapid distortion escalation below 80Hz at higher SPLs (96dB+). Supertweeter driver adds crossover complexity without providing audible high-frequency benefit within the human hearing spectrum. Discontinued.
Full Sony SS-CS3 review and specifications →
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 39Hz (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
|---|---|
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 72Hz (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Dimensions | 36.3"H x 9.1"W x 10.2"D (922 x 230 x 260 mm) |
| Discontinued | Yes |
| Drivers | 0.75 in. supertweeter, 0.98 in. polyester main tweeter, dual 5.12 in. MRC woofers |
| Impedance | 6 ohms nominal |
| Sensitivity | 88.6dB (measured average, Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Weight | 25.4 lbs / 11.5 kg each |
| Woofer Cabinet | ported, front |
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- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
Triangle Esprit Antal Ez: $1799 Discontinued
Pros: Predicted in-room response sums rather nicely aside from the resonance and bass issues. Horizontal beamwidth of about ±50 degrees is reasonably controlled.
Cons: Resonance around 260Hz and a number of other resonances show up on-axis, along with a dip in bass response. Two distinct distortion sources - one around 250-300Hz, another around 3-4kHz - already cross the reviewer’s audibility threshold even at moderate output, and get much worse at 96dB SPL/1m, where distortion broadly exceeds 50% relative level across large parts of the spectrum. Directivity is not great overall. The reviewer does not recommend it. Discontinued.
Full Triangle Esprit Antal Ez review and specifications →
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 62Hz (measured, Audio Science Review) - low confidence - on-axis curve shows an unusual notch/dip around 250-300Hz for this floorstanding tower |
|---|---|
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 85Hz (measured, Audio Science Review) - low confidence - on-axis curve shows an unusual notch/dip around 250-300Hz for this floorstanding tower |
| Dimensions | 43.9"H x 11.8"W x 15.7"D (1115.0 x 300.0 x 400.0 mm) |
| Discontinued | Yes |
| Drivers | 2x 6.5" (160mm) fiberglass cone woofers, 1x 6.5" (160mm) natural cellulose midrange, 1x 1" (25mm) titanium dome tweeter |
| Impedance | 8 ohms nominal (2.7 ohms minimum, measured by Audio Science Review) |
| Sensitivity | 90.7dB (2.83V/1m, measured by Audio Science Review) |
| Weight | 98.5 lbs / 44.7 kg |
| Woofer Cabinet | ported, front |
As an eBay Partner, we may be compensated if you make a purchase.
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- Triangle Esprit Antal Ez vs Bose 901 Series V
- Triangle Esprit Antal Ez vs JBL Studio 590
- Triangle Esprit Antal Ez vs Magnepan LRS+
- Triangle Esprit Antal Ez vs JBL Stage 2 280F
- Triangle Esprit Antal Ez vs Infinity Reference 253
- Triangle Esprit Antal Ez vs Focal Aria Evo X N°2
- Triangle Esprit Antal Ez vs KEF Reference 203