Google has been coming out with more and more physical products lately. One of these is the Google Nexus Q. This spherical media streamer is still too new to really call, but we were interested to see that they had partnered with Triad for a set of bookshelf speakers to ship with it. At $399, they are a fraction of the price of normal Triad offerings and we couldn't help but take a closer look. While specifics are pretty sparse at this time, we think we've got a bit of a handle on them.

To start with, Triad had given them the decidedly un-search engine friendly name of "Triad Bookshelf Speakers". They are a two way speaker with a 1" silk dome tweeter and a 6.5" woofer. At 14 pounds each, the sealed enclosure brags a response down to 75Hz which, while not overly impressive, is certainly respectable.

The thing is, Triad is a well-known high-end speaker manufacturer that is regarded for a number of things - none of them being affordable speakers. Sure, they have less expensive offerings, but they are not what anyone would consider "cheap". So, when we saw a $400 price tag on these speakers, we decided to head over to the Triad website to see if these were related to any of their current offerings. The specs speak for themselves:

Spec

Silver

MiniMonitor

Gold

MiniMonitor

Bookshelf Speaker

Weight (each)

21 lbs

24 lbs

14 lbs

Width 7-5/16" 8.75" 7-15/16" Height 10.75" 13.5" 12-13/16" Depth 8.5" 11.25" 7-5/16" Woofer 5.25" 6.5" 6.5"

Tweeter 1" 1" 1" Impedance 4 ohms

4 ohms

8 ohms

Sensitivity 87dB/1W/1m 86dB/1W/1m 85dB/1W/1m Freq Response

85 Hz-20kHz 55 Hz-20kHz 75 Hz-20kHz

Finish Available in various

real wood veneers,

paint & custom matched finishes Available in various

real wood veneers,

paint & custom matched finishes Black textured paint

Price

$1200/each $1750/each $399/pair



If the Silver and Gold MiniMonitors had a love child that was underweight and kind of sickly, it would be the Triad Bookshelf speaker. Don't take this as some sort of slight - it is meant as a compliment. The price per pair for the Bookshelf speaker are 1/3 or less than the price just ONE of the other two speakers.

Obviously, the big concession that Triad had to make was to ensure that the Bookshelf Speakers worked with the Nexus Q internal amps. Claimed to be "audiophile", Triad had to change the nominal impedance of the Bookshelf Speakers from 4 ohms to 8. This will allow the Bookshelf Speakers to play nice, not only with the Nexus Q, but any amp. The sensitivity of the Bookshelf speaker is slightly lower than the other two as well.

What is the most striking difference, however, is the weight. While Google claims the Bookshelf speaker is "fully braced", we're guessing it is not as fully braced as the other two. Also, Triad likely had to source cheaper drivers for the Bookshelf Speakers which means smaller magnets (and less mass).

Conclusion

Did Triad cut corners to meet a certain price point with the Triad Bookshelf Speakers for Nexus Q? Sure. But we are still talking about a pair of Triad speaker for less than $400 a pair. That's a fraction of the price of others in the Triad stable. If you've always been interested in Triad but didn't have the money, this may be your opportunity. These could very well be the underground go-to recommendation for bookshelf speakers. We can't wait to get a review pair to see what Triad can do on a budget.

For more information, please visit the Google Play store.