They do look great in that finish. Build quality seems to be fantastic as well. Another good effort by Dynaudio in coming up with a high quality standmount.
1 Like
The finish, as with most things, looks better in the flesh (or wood).
I would have liked to try some Marten speakers but there were none available to demo at home and so I stuck with a brand I was familiar with.
1 Like
To complete the recent monitor sets, maybe my endgame speaker in a couple of years, especially with the opportunity of upgrading to the diamond edition:
2 Likes
That’s a good review of the Marten Parker Duo. Few salient points.
I agree with the thought about quality standmounts that are able to give floorstanders a run for the money. Similarly I have always preferred standmounts not only for their sonic attributes but versatility, easier placement in the room with less potential bass problems. For this reason, I avoid small bookshelf speakers with 5" bass drivers for serious listening. The main disadvantage of standmounts in comparison to floorstanders is in producing a larger scale and deeper bass but some standmounts do very well in these departments. The Marten standmounts are appropriately sized with 7.5" bass/midrange drivers and they do decent bass for their size. The Parker Duo has the passive radiator which further enhance bass reproduction. In short, I find the bass quality of the Duke 2s to be adequate for small to medium-sized rooms, sounding very much like a large floorstanders. For this reason, I am not surprised that the reviewer suggested people considering B&W 803, Focal Kantas and other similar floorstanders to give the Parker Duo standmounts a listen.
It is interesting that the reviewer compared the ATC SCM50 actives to the Marten Marker Duo and brought up interesting points. Also, I am glad the reviewer has experience with Harbeth speakers and commented that he has not heard a Harbeth that sounds as good as the Marten. He tried to be careful with his words though as he stressed that he is not saying the Harbeth does not sound as good as the Marten. It’s just that he hasn’t experienced one that sounds as good, yet.
All the attributes of the Parker Duo seem to apply to the Duke 2s as well. The consistent remarks on the “graceful” sound, the smoothness, detail, separation and layering of sound and instruments in the background. I have described the Duke 2s to have a delicate and nuanced delivery, and I presume this may be the gracefulness that the reviewer is talking about with the Parker Duos.
The Leema Tuscana II Anniversary integrated was used with the Parker Duo and the pairing was recommended.
I’m not sure how the Parker Duos compare to the Duke 2s but I’m surely very happy with the Dukes. It’s quality. A thing to note about the Parker Duos is they come in 2 versions, ceramic and diamond tweeters. The Parker Duo diamond which comes in at almost £17k is almost premium. The Parker Duo ceramic at about £9,500 seems to be more palatable…
1 Like
It’s an interesting review and he has taken the sound demo video very seriously to try and create some kind of representation of the overall sound; compared to many it doesn’t sound half bad.
I am curious as to how much of a difference there will be to the Duke 2 and over time I’m sure it’s one I will have to explore. The cost to change from the Duke would probably be 5-6k so it will have to be a truly memorable step up in performance - similar to the costly day I first heard the Duke 2’s.
One aspect of immediate interest is the Marten (Gaia) isolators which also come in for a lot of praise. As alerted elsewhere on this site there was a recent 25% off deal so, persuaded by the inherent recommendation by Marten, I bought a set to go with my Duke 2’s. I’ll report back once they are up and running.
2 Likes
The only negative with the Parker and Oscar speakers is the move away from Accuton Drivers to cheaper SB Acoustics drivers (at least I think that is what the Parker series is using - Oscar’s are definitely using them). If we are talking purely driver quality the Duke’s are superior.
Accuton drivers are roughly 10 times the cost of SB Acoustics.
Robmoores1-
which stands are you using under the heritage? I can’t seem to find much info on their stands and which ones can be used with the adaptor plate. Also do you have them filled with sand ,and a silly question, can the sand be (easily) removed?
1 Like
I use Dynaudio’s Stand 20.
I know these can be used with the adapter plates - not sure about the other stands.
I don’t use any stand filler - the Stand 20’s come with plastic bags that are inserted in the stands before filling if you are going to do this. Not sure if you can simply pull the bag out with the filler inside - will check tomorrow as my adapter plates arrive then. I can see how big the aperture in the top of the stand is.
thnx Rob
I’ve been told by one dealer that there is another shipment of speakers coming in 6 to 8 weeks, but for other reasons,I have a more local dealer , and one that I use more often trying to find a pair. If their is another shipment then I assume this dealer can get me a pair. For now, it is back to wait and see. Hope you are enjoying yours.
1 Like
I read somewhere that Dynaudio will be selling the speakers well into Autumn and so there should be enough left for you to get a pair.
I think we forget sometimes that high end audio is a niche business and whilst 2,500 limited edition pairs does not sound a lot it is to many manufacturers.
the funny thing is my main dealer, who carries only what he “endorses” had at one time carried some Dynaudio, so I checked with him and he is technically still a dealer for them so I asked him to try to get a pair for me. In the meantime, I passed by a store that does deal with Dynaudio but seems to do mostly video and often has large boxes on the ground in front of the store for lack of space and noticed 2 wooden cartons marked Dynaudio contour 60 - somebodies going to be happy!
1 Like
Quick update - the filler would be very easy to get in and out of the Stand 20 stands. The hole is a decent sized and as mentioned the stands come with plastic bags to hold the filler. Also, I have noticed an appreciable sound quality improvement with the correct top plates in place - I would say that they are an essential purchase with the Stand 20 stands if you go that route.
Hello
Are you sure Parker uses SB Acoustics drivers?
On the Marten website they say they use Accuton drivers made especially for the Parker series.
1 Like
I cannot see any reference to Accuton. They refer to custom made drivers and they look identical to the SB Acoustics - I could be wrong though.
You are right. I asked today, on their website, who makes the Parker series drivers.Accuton or SB Acoustics. Let’s see what they answer.
I wanted to buy the Parker Duo, but if it is confirmed that they use SB Acoustics, then I will take Duke 2. It is inadmissible to use SB Acoustics drivers for 10,000 euro speakers instead of Accuton.
Totally agree with regards to the drivers. I am sure they are good but they are not Accuton. Not close.
Will be interesting to see what they come back with.
This is the answer received from Marten
” Accuton and also developed together with Danesian Audio.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Best regards
Lars Olofsson ”
So they are not manufactured by SB Acoustics. This is good.
2 Likes
That is good to hear.
Just pulled the trigger on Mingus Twenty. I was considering between Magico M2 and Focal Scala Evo too.
Magico M2 wont be able to arrange for home demo so quite worried for such price to pay without trying.
Home demo the scala evo and find it a step up for sure compared to my focal sopra 2. But size is too huge for my room.
Then heard about the Marten and went to dealer shop to learn more n arranged for home demo.
Im not an audiophile but can only say the sound appeal to me. The mids were brilliant and the 3 bass drivers gave very focused bass and they do really go low. Gotten the last pair in the market. 
3 Likes
They do look great (pic on systems thread) and I’m sure they sound amazing. I have the Duke 2’s and don’t have space (or budget) for anything larger but that still gives me leeway to consider the new Parker Duos 
). I’ve become addicted to the Marten sound signature, for me they don’t sound like Hi-Fi, they sound like music.