Triangle Borea BR03 Connect

When is a new product not a new product? In the case of the Triangle Borea BR03 Connect, a reasonable argument can be made that it qualifies as both. The ‘BR03’ bit has been around for a few years now - it’s the larger of two standmount models in the Borea range of affordable speakers and, so there’s no misunderstanding from the outset, it’s rather good, if If you have a hankering for a pair standmount speakers, it’s a fine place to start looking. However the Connect aspect brings something else to the party, something very welcome indeed.

Triangle recognises that the world of traditional hi-fi where you buy source, amp and speakers is changing (particularly at more affordable price points), though, and that the demand for affordable speakers is not what it once was. So a few years ago Triangle took the BR03, put a stereo amp in the back of one, gave it a collection of analogue and digital inputs (including Bluetooth) and called it the BR03 BT. This is also rather good. Inveterate tinkerers that they are though, Triangle has tweaked the BR03 again to make the Connect - and in doing so has created a product that is both an interesting and potentially a solution for AV as well. 

At its core, the Connect is still closely related to the BR03. It uses a 25mm silk dome tweeter mated to the speaker via a system Triangle calls EFS (Efficient Flow System) - it’s mounted in a partial horn that incorporates a phase plug. This shallow horn is then itself in a waveguide. Triangle says the result is sensitive but has a wide listening sweet spot. It is partnered with a 160mm mid/bass unit made of untreated cellulose (or ‘paper’, if you prefer). The only difference with these powered versions is that the bass ports migrate from the front (as on the passive version) to the back. 

One of the speakers features a 60-watt Class D amplifier on the back. This is stereo, and drives both the speaker it is built into and the second unit via speaker cable. This board also contains the inputs - and many of these are shared with the BT version. This means you get Bluetooth with aptX HD and AAC, optical and coaxial inputs, a 3.5mm analogue in and a stereo RCA input that can be either standard line-level or a moving-magnet phono stage. There is also an output for connecting a subwoofer. This Connect version adds a USB-B input and an HDMI ARC connection that means it is better suited for use with computers and for connection to TVs. It now needs very little in the way of supporting equipment to be a fully functioning system.
 

Sound Quality‍

Remember I noted the original passive BR03 remains a very good loudspeaker? Nothing that Triangle has done to the design in the pursuit of extra flexibility has changed that. Key to what makes this a very enjoyable listen is that it is, in keeping with the Triangle ethos, a usefully sensitive design. This matters less when it has an amp built in, but it gives the Connect a liveliness and energy that feeds into everything you listen to on it. 

With some speakers from the company’s past this could be too much of a good thing, but the clever tweeter employed here strikes an excellent balance between delivering top end sparkle and enough refinement to ensure you never find yourself pulling a face and nudging the volume down when something less than perfectly recorded comes on. The half horn/half waveguide arrangement works like a charm, too. The Triangle never suffers from having a narrow ‘sweet spot’ where everything sounds fine but elsewhere sounds a bit iffy, but it does this without losing the excitement and immediacy of a good horn tweeter. The overall levels of fine detail extraction are good too, and the Connect does a fine job of working them into the mix in a way that feels natural rather than forced. 

This perception of realism and energy is helped by plenty of low-down shove. The integration between the tweeter and midbass is consistently good, and the Connect extends down effortlessly to deliver bass you can feel as well as hear - and it moves with real speed and agility. This fluency helps the Triangle to sound fun, but never relentless. It is as happy picking out the time signatures of a simple vocal piece as it is being driven hard with something more ballistic. 

Some tests with the internal phono stage suggest that it’s more than up to the task of running an affordable turntable, and the basic tonal balance of the Triangle is maintained should you do so. I still don’t know how many people actually use this feature, but it does at least work well. The USB connection is excellent though and, if you have a reasonably sized desk, the Triangle will work well as a desktop computer speaker. 

A final welcome aspect of the performance is that, as long as each speaker is reasonably close to either side of a TV, the manner in which it creates a soundstage that convincingly encompasses it is engaging too. The Triangle has adjustable bass and treble increments which really should be left in the ‘0’ position with music as they tend to affect that pleasantly even handed presentation, but provide a useful bit of heft for action films.

Living with the Borea BR03 Connect‍

Triangle’s implementation of the HDMI ARC connection on the Connect is pretty good. So long as the TV is connected to the Triangle, it will turn on at the same time and volume will sync to the TV handset. It’s entirely user-friendly - and though I did experience some intermittent glitches in the sound, this could be down to the relatively elderly TV on hand for testing. For other inputs, the Triangle has a remote handset that, while not a thing of beauty, works well.

Something important to remember about the specification of the Triangle is that it’s not a wireless-equipped device. You can stream audio to it directly with Bluetooth, but it won’t access streaming services directly. Happily, the arrival of affordable streamers like the WiiM Mini can give wi-fi chops to the Connect - one was used for testing. A USB socket to power something like this (or indeed charge the phone you are streaming from) would be nice, but the lack of one is not the end of the world.  

The extra connectivity and amplification in the Connect has no effect on the overall dimensions of the cabinets, and this means that the Triangle is an attractive and well- proportioned thing. It is available in a surprising number of colour options that should help it match your room, and the standard of build and finish is very good as well.

Conclusion

Each new take on the Borea BR03 has made it more flexible and capable  - and the Connect is a formidably talented device at a very competitive price. If you have a TV and can arrange for a small streamer to connect to it, it’s very hard to think of much that gets close for the price.

Listening Notes

Lissie Back to Forever
The Triangle takes this slightly odd combination of Euro-produced alt country and absolutely flies with it. Lissie is delivered in an emotive and engaging fashion atop time signatures that always get the head nodding, and not to sleep

The Egg Ablumen
Is it jazz? Is it dance? The Egg’s debut defies easy classification, but it allows the Triangle to showcase its effortless grasp of rhythm and timing as well as its extremely enjoyable tonality

Dr John Right Place, Wrong Time
It takes about 30 seconds of the title track to determine whether or not a piece of equipment can time correctly - and make no mistake, the Triangle gets it absolutely right.

If you don’t see yourself looking to upgrade piece by piece in the future, the Triangle offers a level of bang for your buck that more conventional systems cannot easily match. It’s great value for money as well as being attractive and well made.

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