Marten Speakers

Are you using the original Marten stands? If yes, are the stands filled?

When I first fired up the system, I was surprised that it didn’t sound bright. I was expecting the Duke2 to sound detailed, forward and bright but it actually sounded almost the same as my Harbeth SHL5+ with a natural presentation. As a matter of fact I actually thought it sounded almost the same as the Harbeth with a tinge of warmth. After letting the speakers break-in for a while I am beginning to appreciate its strength.

There is not a hint of brightness present in the treble, just a natural warm sound. Tonality of instruments is very good, slightly better than the Harbeth with the tone of piano sounding a bit more realistic - slightly brighter than the duller tone of the Harbeth.

Another trait of the Duke 2 is the absence of grain, hardness or brightness. I thought the Harbeth is already a smooth sounding speaker but the Duke 2 is even smoother. Pin-point sharpness and a lack of grain when compared to the Harbeth SHL5+. Although there is no perceived harshness the treble extension is even better than the Harbeth.

Bass quality is very satisfying and complete for the size. Perhaps it just fits the size of the room.

I agree with your earlier assessment that this speaker doesn’t provide the thrills and excitement when you first listen to the speakers. It doesn’t grab you by the neck and there’s no fireworks but just like the Harbeth speakers, it will reward you with long-term listening sessions.

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I’m biased but they look fantastic. They do take a while to settle down, there were times when I questioned whether I had bought the right speakers. Now I have no doubts at all…

I’m using PMC twenty stands and they are filled half way with kiln sand. The original Marten stands didn’t fit in the gap next to the cabinet where I have to tuck them away when the room is (annoyingly) a guest room.

The stands of your speakers are matching well with the finite elemente rack. Very nice.
I would personally just have some fear to imagine that components can slide from the rack.
Is it secure at 100%?

Yes they do look fantastic and most importantly it sounds equally fantastic. It’s a keeper, together with my Harbeth SHL5+ speakers which are currently in another room. Although the Marten has ceramic Accuton drivers which are supposed to provide a detailed sound, fortunately it doesn’t sound too thin or bright at the top. Percussion still sound natural and realistic without being too tinny or bright. The tone is slightly more illuminating than the Harbeth without going overboard.

Frenchrooster, thanks. Yes the components are secure on the rack supported by both rubber feet and Finite Elemente’s Ceraball Spider.

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If to keep one pair only, Marten or Harbeth?

Difficult to say because still early days with Marten, and also speakers must fit the room where the Marten does a bit better. But if to pick only one, it would still be the Harbeth. In reality I am keeping both.

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A bit more thoughts. I’ll avoid being long-winded and go straight to the point.

As the speakers continue to open up, I now find the Marten to sound quite different from the Harbeth. Having lived with the Harbeth for 11 years I am so used to the house sound by now. Both Duke 2 and SHL5+ are still great sounding speakers in their own right. It is just a matter of preference whether one would prefer the sound quality of the Marten or Harbeth.

Coming to the differences. The Marten is a more precise or accurate sounding speaker with a more clinical sound. The sound of instruments especially acoustic and electric guitars have more energy and sound more like the real thing than the Harbeth. On a particular guitar recording, guitar sound more lit with the Duke 2. On the Harbeth the sound of guitar is noticeably duller. I previously regarded the quality of the recording to be poor but it appears that there is nothing wrong with the recording. Also, the Marten managed to unravel the detail, tone or texture from the guitar previously not heard with the Harbeth.

The Duke 2 produces less amount of bass than the SHL5+. Leaner bass with Marten and fuller bass with Harbeth where I can feel the vibrations from my seat (due to the smallish room). However, the bass of the Duke 2 is punchier, tighter and more forward than the SHL5+. In other words the bass sticks out more with the Dukes although it doesn’t have the full enveloping bass of the SHL5+. The difference in bass quality is expected as the SHL5+ is a significantly larger speaker than the Dukes.

Lastly, listening fatigue is slightly higher with the Marten than the Harbeth. The Harbeth is also better at low volume listening. The Duke 2 sounds a bit lean at low volume levels with a recessed midrange. (low volumes in the range of say 30dB and below). The Duke 2 sound more balanced at moderate volume levels.

With the Harbeth my listening chair is 4.0
metres away from the speakers. With the Dukes I need to sit closer to the speakers for a more balanced presentation, about 2.5 to 3.0 metres.

Although the Marten is more forward and brighter than the Harbeth in general with slightly higher listening fatigue, I find it to be a more accurate speaker than the Harbeth. Still musical with a warm midrange although the treble is more lit and bass more forward and punchy than the Harbeth.

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Ohh yes, percussion sounds sharper and more prominent/forward with the Marten than the Harbeth.

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That is a very fair and nice summation I think of the Marten versus Harbeth. While I haven’t owned either speaker, have heard them and/or earlier versions of each.

The Marten Duke has really intrigued me off and on over the course of time, almost bought a used pair of the original version several years back. Probably should have. Beautiful looking speakers too! Enjoy!

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I’m listening to Andre Gagnon on the Marten while typing this. Music never sounded this good. Very lifelike and involving.

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If yours act anything like mine, you have improvements still to come over the coming months. The areas you mentioned, being a bit fatiguing and maybe lacking a bit of bass will come good, especially the former. These are the least tiring speakers I’ve ever had but being so revealing, I did have to pay more attention to details with cables, power and external influences.

It’s fun working them all out though and the end result is sublime. I believe I have extracted all I can from the Nova, so changes afoot later this month.

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Agreed. The Marten Duke 2 although highly transparent, detailed and revealing is still very musical with low listening fatigue. It’s surely not a lean sounding speaker but has a rather full and lush sound without sacrificing on detail. My earlier comment on the higher listening fatigue in comparison with the Harbeth, the difference is actually very subtle. In summary, the Duke 2 is a very balanced speaker which doesn’t sound too lean and bright, or the opposite end of the spectrum warm and lush.

Another aspect I discovered about the Marten Duke 2 is it’s quite sensitive to placement in the room. Initially I found the sound to be a little bright so I pushed the speakers further apart with less toe-in. It’s a very slight adjustment, perhaps a 50mm shift in placement but the sound quality changes for the better. Reduced glare or brightness and sounding more precise and balanced.

The bass quality is very good for the size. Natural and accurate sounding bass without being too excessive or bloated. However, size does matter and it doesn’t have the visceral low bass of the Harbeth SHL5+ although it goes lower on paper (38Hz in comparison to 40Hz of the Harbeth). It’s the quantity of bass that’s the issue here, and the difference is perfectly comprehensible as the SHL5+ is about 3 times larger in volume than the Duke 2 if not more.

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Ryder- please keep us informed, my system 282/250dr/hcdr mirrors yours exactly and (like you) bought speakers based mostly on reviews and reading, but mine are Harbeth M30.1, which I’ve had for a couple of years now and have no intention of changing- but…., so keep reviewing over time.

Benjy, yes we use the same amps - 282/250DR/HCDR which is a good thing since I find the amps to be very accomplished and involving at a rather “down-to-earth” price which doesn’t break the bank (although others might disagree). The sweet spot in Naim’s range in my view.

Right, down to business. Although I do not have extensive experience with the Harbeth M30 series, I have a fairly good idea how it sounds like in comparison to the SHL5 and SHL5+ which I currently own. The original M30 is my least favourite speaker as I find it to sound too warm and shut-in, lacking in clarity and detail. The M30.1 sounds much better, more open and balanced with better clarity. Everything is better from clarity, openness in treble and bass. M30.2 again more open and more extended in the treble but Haloweenman will be able to provide more insight on both M30.1 and 30.2.

The Marten Duke 2 sounds more like the M30.1/30.2 than the SHL5+. The presentation of the Marten is more vivid, more lifelike than the Harbeth SHL5+. The sound of instruments such as piano, violin, viola, cello etc. extends out more from the speakers. The tonality of the Marten is slightly richer and more energetic than the Harbeth SHL5+. In comparison, the SHL5+ plays a little safe as instruments do not leap out as much and sound a little recessed. The SHL5+ tone is slightly pale in comaprison to the Duke 2.

Now, the M30.1/30.2 is different from the Harbeth SHL5+ as it also sounds like the Marten Duke 2. It’s not a like to like comparison since my experience with Harbeth M30.1, 30.2 and Duke 2 is in different rooms with different amplification and sources. Nevertheless, if I were to describe on the differences between the Duke2 and M30.1/30.2, I would think that the Duke2 has more airiness to the sound, an overall lighter presentation. The M30.1/30.2 just like any other Harbeth has the old romantic Harbeth sound. Difficult to describe in words but I guess you know it since you are an owner. The sound signature of the Harbeth is distinctive. The Marten house sound is more modern, not as romantic but still sounding warm and lush.

It may sound contradictory. ALthough the Harbeth and Marten may sound different, the difference is actually not too far apart which is actually a good thing. If the difference is too far apart, I wouldn’t have kept both speakers but get rid of one. Both are very musical and involving speakers. Different sound but still engaging and musical.

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Due to the current lockdown, I may find some time to switch to the standard Naim cables both interconnects and NACA5 and see how the system would sound like. I currently use Chord cabling throughout, Signature TA interconnects and Signature XL speaker cable.

The Duke 2 continues to impress. I didn’t expect the speakers to sound this musical considering that they have Accuton ceramic drivers. They don’t sound forced or sharp at the edges or have an overly detailed, lean or thin sound that is synonymous with most high-end speakers out there. In this respect I actually feel the Marten Duke 2 sounds a lot like the Harbeth - warm, soothing, musical and rounded at the edges with low listening fatigue. With all the good similarities, the main difference between the Marten and Harbeth is in the tonal quality. Instruments such as piano, violins etc. sound more lit, live and vibrant. Apart from the tone, the Duke sounds more 3-dimensional and has more air but that could be due to the smaller size of the cabinet which helps with imaging when compared to the larger box of the Super HL5+.

Overall, a great and musical sounding speaker. The Duke 2 is not exactly cheap but it’s worth it not only for the sound quality but looks as well.

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Just connected a PMC TLE1 subwoofer to the Marten Duke 2 since I miss the low end punch of the Harbeth SHL5+. Results are pretty good.

Spoiler alert.

With the Marten Duke 2, I currently find the NAC202 to have a more balanced and neutral tone than the NAC282 resulting in a more enjoyable listening session. Selection of music is purely classical piano. Both preamps connected to Hicap DR and NAP250DR.

The tone of piano sounds a tad bright and illuminating with 282. I will try jazz fusion and other music genres later.

With Harbeth SHL5+ the 282 sounds better than 202 due to the more natural tone of the speakers. The Marten is quite lit in its tonality and the 282 may have compounded the effect.

Interesting assessments and views, some I can relate to, others not at all. Remembering my room is quite small and I sit just under 2m away, I have found positioning very critical to all aspects and getting the balance across frequency ranges and creating a strong image and soundstage has taken some time. I do think it’s due to the small room though as whenever I audition new kit with the Dukes at the dealers, where the room is much larger (and treated), they don’t seem so fussy at all. At home, every change I make in the music chain usually means having to tweak the position again.

However, once set, it all comes together and sounds incredible. I couldn’t cope with any more bass in my room than I get and, the trait you see I can’t relate to, it never sounds too bight and I could not apply any of the usual negative adjectives such as harsh or grainy to the top end.

What I do know is that if I do experience some unpleasantness it’s because of something else in the chain and I now have confidence in the speakers and can hunt down the offending source elsewhere (which I also have spent a lot of time doing).

You’re lucky to have two pairs of great sounding speakers so enjoy!

Thanks for the post which I surely can relate to. Please allow me to clarify as the message conveyed earlier may be misinterpreted.

You are absolutely correct that the Marten Duke 2 does not sound harsh, grainy or bright. The midrange and treble of the Marten sound silky
smooth. There is no sibilance in vocals and nothing grates the ears.

When I mentioned the Dukes to sound a little bright, I was largely referring to the tone of the piano. Piano sounds slightly lit and more forward when compared to the Harbeth. There isn’t any hint of grain or harshness with the Marten but it shows a glowing lit energy with instruments such as piano and flute. Sort of a tube - like glow. In comparison, with the Harbeth piano sounds slightly less lit without the glowing energy of the Marten. This particular difference in tonal quality is not exactly night and day but appreciable nevertheless.

More notes. There isn’t any criticism of the Marten really. I actually find both Harbeth and Marten to sound rather similar - musical without sounding lean, thin and overly detailed or analytical. Both speakers sound incredibly smooth with little to negligible sibilance in human voices.

The bass of the Duke 2 is very balanced and adequate, no criticism. It’s just that it lacks a bit of punch in comparison to the larger Harbeth speaker. Size does matter but I could live with the Marten without a sub. The crossover is set lower at about 58Hz (down from 67Hz) for a more seamless integration.

I have gone back to the NAC282 which again proved to be a more enjoyable listen than the NAC202.

Lastly, the Harbeth is now compared to the Marten side by side. From the photos below, the physical difference in size between both speakers is quite obvious. Both sound very good. No winner or loser.


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