Marten Speakers

Hi@emilian67. Unfortunately not as yet. The dealer is awaiting the Parker’s to come in and will then run them in for a min 50 hours. I am hoping they will be ready for audition in the next couple of weeks. I am quite excited about hearing them. Will update you when I get the call👍

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Has anyone used interconnect cables from Iconoclast?
I want to use them between a Luxman L-590 AX II amplifier and a Luxman D-03X CD player.
I know that the Duke 2 shows all the changes you make in the audio chain, and I wonder if it is good to buy these IC.

the answer i received from marten that the passive radiator and the tweeter are from accuton but the front are from danesian audio.

No idea about the interconnects. I recently tried a Luxman DA-06 DAC in my system with the Duke 2 and the sound has changed. I was previously using a Chord QBD76 but was curious how the Luxman DAC would sound with the L-590AXII. In summary, both DACs sound different but they sound good in their own ways. The Luxman DAC sounds slightly smoother and fuller with a more upfront front row presentation. The Chord sounds airier and slightly more detailed with a 3-dimensional presentation. The seating is several rows to the back with the Chord DAC and there is more space between instruments which contributes to the 3d feel. Bass quality of the Chord is leaner and tighter while the Luxman’s bass is fuller.

Currently I prefer the sound of the Chord DAC with the Luxman L-590AXII but am trying to maximise the potential of the Luxman DAC in the system with different power cords and digital USB cable.

The recent addition of the Luxman DA-06 DAC is shown in the image below, right at the top.

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Update. As the Luxman DAC was sounding a little smooth with a slight roll off in the treble in comparison to the Chord DAC, I attempted to get the Luxman to sound closer to the Chord by trying different power cords and USB cable.

Latest addition;

Wireworld Silver Electra 7 mains cable

Wireworld Platinum Starlight 8 USB

I have just installed the WW Silver Electra 7 mains cable to the Luxman DA-06. Although the cable is not fully broken in yet (currently 10 hours), the sound has improved a lot and sounding much more dynamic and extended in the treble than the Electra 7. The character of this power cord also matches the DAC better than the Acrolink cable which costs 5 times more (which in turn sounds better when used on the Chord DAC).

To cut to the chase, pop and rock music now sound a lot better on the Marten Duke 2. With the Chord DAC, rock music was lacking slam and dynamics and I was putting the blame on the speakers. Apparently the Martens are now rocking like a champ playing U2 Ultraviolet with a different DAC (and mains cable!!).

This exercise just goes on to show the importance of system matching, not only the equipment but cables as well. I haven’t installed the Platinum Starlight 8 USB cable yet but will do so after 2 weeks when the burn in of the Silver Electra 7 mains cable is completed.

I’ll also switch to the Chord DAC perhaps sometime next year with the new cables.

Moral of the story, if something doesn’t sound good or right, don’t quickly blame the particular gear but look at something else instead.

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@garcon noticed your Marten speakers on the pictures thread, would you like to share your thoughts on them here? Did you compare them with anything else or other Martens? Cheers

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Absolutely:)

I‘ve been so deep into my slightly excessive experimentation with ls3/5a and similar mini monitors (and I’ve only just changed to my next ones very recently, …again! … ok, that’s another story) that I’ve been comparing quite a few of them to each other and using my Marten Oscar Duos as a reference only. The Martens seem versatile with space and able to work well also in my smaller office but they do look on the bigger side there!:slight_smile:

I bought them after the last house move to fit a larger listening space and liked them so much at the demo that nothing much further was needed. The dealer did have also a couple of other speakers in mind that he had prepared in the same price range and which were playing for consideration - the B&W (805 D3 and D4), a couple of others from Monitor Audio and Focal, but I wasn’t really that much interested at all after I heard the Martens.

In my experience they are not fussy about power (at least in the space I have them) but do enjoy and respond readily to improvements in mains, system noise levels, source and electronics, speaker cables. For example, the addition of Supercap DR to my Supernait 3 has been quite something to my ears and I think to a large extent also thanks to the speakers potential to show it too - so they’ve been able to show what works better in my system and enable it to grow and improve so to speak.

They are not bright sounding speakers and more forgiving with various quality recordings, making everything sound sweeter and smooth but always somehow high-end-transparent-and-alive at the same time (which I cannot say for some of the smaller monitors I’ve had for example).

And, thanks for inviting me to the club here!:slight_smile:

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Interesting, I think your observations are shared with many on this thread. It’s also great that they work well with your Naim kit as some (myself included) weren’t sure they were the best match.

This comment sums it up really nicely for me: “making everything sound sweeter and smooth but always somehow high-end-transparent-and-alive at the same time”. This was always what I was seeking and Marten speakers helped in no small part.

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Same here as well. Smooth and sweet but detailed and extended in the treble. However, they just exposed a bit of roughness in the treble when matched with 282/250DR in my system. Very transparent speakers and my endgame. Nevertheless, the Duke 2 is not the same as the Oscar Duo so it’s not apple to apple.

I recently acquired a pair of Graham LS5/9 and now appreciate the smoothness and sweetness of the Marten more than ever. The Grahams sound good too but different, not as refined and perhaps a touch brighter.

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Yes, from I understand the Duke’s tweeters might be more extended and with superior detail, and are taking over at slightly lower frequency, so they might make for a lot of the key differences in the sound signature and behaviour between these speakers? Marten talk about a diamond tweeter like effect with the Dukes? They might create more of a spacious effect and may be also a reason why these two speakers might behave slightly differently with a Naim amp like the SN and/or the 250? In any case your comment in the other thread (vs the Grahams) that the Martens are “smooth with most music but it does it in a highly sophisticated way” is very much what I was trying to describe as well as they maintain a remarkable transparency, which is probably even better with the Dukes.

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The Martens are very good. They do everything very well and are truly reference standard in my book. Although we own different models, I think we can all agree that they they sound transparent, smooth, sweet and alive all at the same time. It’s not an easy feat to achieve. They make lesser speakers sound rough, unrefined and less airy or spacious in comparison. The decay of notes especially piano is very nice - delicate, tube-like and extended. The notes linger in the air while they appear to be cut short with other speakers. This trait provides the added airiness in the treble of the Marten.

After living with the Duke 2 for about a year, all other speakers now sound slightly rough and less refined in comparison. It’s not that those speakers sound poor. They are actually rather good, perhaps above average. The thing is the Marten is on another level.

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I think I understand exactly what you mean. That’s kind of why I’ve been unable to settle on a pair of smaller monitor type speakers for my second room. But it’s been fun and the search continues!:slight_smile:

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Good day to All! I have a pair of Marten Parker Duo and overall I am very happy. I used to drive then with a Pass int60. Very good match but the amp, in my room, was breathless. As such over the last 6 months I have moved to a Gryphon Diablo 300. The difference is quite substantial as the amp brings the Parkers instantly alive in full and with better lower extension. At the expense, however, of being a bit less analytical compared to the Pass and with the match being brighter for my tastes at least.
Has anybody experienced perhaps something similar please? With your Martens what cables are you using? My cables are Furutech throughout.
Thank you very much!

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It’s nice to hear from a Parker Duo user, and your experience with the Pass Labs INT-60 and Gryphon Diablo 300 is useful. The Pass Labs was in my shortlist earlier before I picked the Luxman L-590AXII. The Gryphon Diablo 300 was in my wish list but I didn’t have the budget for it so it was dropped.

I was told my people who have listened to the Gryphon that it’s a very live and dynamic amp which doesn’t hide anything. Very raw without any sweetness like the Luxman or other class A amps. Your experience confirms on this observation. Dynamic and alive amps have the tendency of introducing a bit of brightness apart from sounding more forward and dynamic so I’m not too surprised with the changes you are hearing when you switched from the Pass. You may fine tune the sound with cables and source(different DAC etc.) to get to the ideal sound that you prefer. Most of the time it will work. You may try different power cords, interconnects or speaker cables to tone down the brightness without sacrificing too much detail and dynamics. Or a different source.

May I ask what Furutech cables and source are you using in your system?

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FWIW I suspect the Marten will sound excellent with Vitus amps as well but it’s too costly for me to dive into it.

Thank you very much @ryder for your comments. I am in full agreement. Regarding the Pass Labs INT60 we also need to consider that the first 25W are in Class A so in normal listening levels we are in the Class A sweetness.
Indeed the Diablo is ultra revealing brining up more boldly parts of the chain with less musicality or inferior recordings.
In addition to the ones already discussed, the Gryphon has a larger soundstage but the Pass Labs has a better separation and positioning of the instruments.
My speaker cables and interconnects are Furutech Evolution II and power cords Furutech Empire. My sources are Audio Analogue Maestro Rev2 CD and Rose 150B DAC/Streamer.
Regarding the DAC, I have already listened to the Aqua La Scala with the Martens and the Gryphon and the outcome is mellower as the La Scala has a hybrid mosfet/tubes design. Due to cost, I have not decided on it yet.

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Regarding Vitus amps, I read very good comments but I don’t have personal experience and are too costly for me too.

Thanks for the response. Your follow up post appears to suggest that both amps have their own strengths and weaknesses, and the Gryphon Diablo 300 may not be an overall improvement to the Pass Labs INT-60 despite having the edge in few areas. Perhaps spend more time with the amp and decide if the Gryphon is the final amp you wish to use with the Marten. If yes, you can optimise the set up with cables. Otherwise, you may consider other options such as Vitus. If you like the Pass Labs house sound but need more slam and dynamics, perhaps consider the INT-250?

Personally I think it is a better idea to get the amp-speaker interface right first, cables and tweaks are the icing on the cake.

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Right, same for me so it’s out.

Hello
Has no one yet managed to make a direct comparison between Marten Duke 2 and Marten Parker Duo - the variant with ceramic tweeter -?