I will definitely let you know how they sound together with Luxman.
Speaking of the price, I bought them for 15 k euros.
I don’t understand why they are more expensive in the UK…
Even at 15k euros, they are extraordinarily expensive, and this price certainly does not show that they are twice as good as the Duke 2. Certainly not.
Duke 2 are very, very close to them…
Parker Duo are exceptional speakers, a little “better” than Duke 2, but definitely not worth this price difference…
If it would have cost 10 k euros…then yes.
I took them more for my psychological comfort… 
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Thanks for the response. Good to know that the Duke 2 still sounds great and isn’t totally outclassed by the Parker Duo.
Yes I agree 15k euros is still a big sum of money to pay for a pair of speakers. But don’t worry too much, at least you now know that you currently own the top-of-the-range stand mount speaker from Marten. In this hobby, it’s point of diminishing returns where we pay a lot of money to get a noticeable, appreciable or significant difference depending on how one interprets it. It’s inevitable.
Enjoy your new speakers and looking forward to your experience with the wonderful Diamonds!
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Hi Ryder,
I think there was a time when I had almost an identical setup as you. However, I changed all the cables to the monocrystal silver type. Furutech and Acrolink tend to have a dense and heavy sound. I needed something clearer to improve performance on temporal aspects.
I have several speakers now; the Marten Parker Duo Diamond is one of them. However, most of the time, I prefer the Fyne F1-8. It’s just my personal taste.
It seems that you’ve been tempted to upgrade your speakers.
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Hi Wusplay, good to hear from you. I really like the Marten Duke 2 very much and would like to think that they are my endgame speakers since I can’t afford the Parker Duo Diamond. So you have both Parker Duo Diamond and Fyne Audio F1-8? That’s quite an accomplishment!
I’ve checked on the F1-8 (and F700) and they seem to possess the opposite strengths of the Marten. The Fynes are described to be a riot with their infectious energy, and that they don’t do tonal neutrality or refinement particularly well (the Marten excel in these areas).
Yes, I agree the Furutech and Acrolink have a dense sound, but one that’s infectious. It’s an overall dense sound but there’s a tube-like glow in the high frequencies and the sound spreads out in 3-dimensional space and doesn’t sound flat or 2-dimensional. That’s what I like about these cables but then with certain music or recordings there is a certain politeness to the presentation. I am not sure if replacing the Furutech TCS31 with DPS4.1 will give a boost in dynamics but I do not have any major complaints on the current system and can surely live with it. I realise there is no end to this game so I’ve stopped looking at major equipment such as amps and speakers. If I wanted to make a change it will be only cables but that too is almost settled.
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Furutech and Acrolink both use 7n cables from Mitsubishi. While there are some differences, they generally share many similar traits. However, using too many of these creamy-sounding cables in the setup can sometimes create the feeling of having too much of a good thing.
Marten draws the listener into the music, while Fyne projects the music to engage with the listener, both are distinctive in their presentation.
Recently, I’ve been shifting my collection of speakers to clean them up. I think the least used one is the Magico, as you can see from the layer of dust on top.
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Wow, I see the Harbeth M30.2 XD. It’s a collection of my dream speakers there especially the Parker Duo diamond 
Yes, I’m beginning to feel it may be too much of a good thing with the Acrolink and Furutech. Very smooth and creamy sound but it still sounds acceptable to me, more good than bad.
May I ask how do you manage so many pairs of speakers. Do you swap them in the main system occasionally or frequently, or you have space to store them if not in use. I used to have 4 pairs of speakers but sold 2 pairs recently. I still have the Graham LS5/9 which was untouched for several months now collecting dust. I use a T-shirt to protect the speakers from dust although they have fabric grilles on them.
I enjoy swapping out components and speakers to experience a wider range of sounds. However, some of the less frequently used items are collecting more dust.
It’s challenging to imagine settling on a final, unchanging sound system and maintaining the same level of enthusiasm indefinitely.
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Which one have got most play hours and what is your system?
The most frequently used speakers are the Audiovector R1 Arreté and the Fyne F1-8, each set up separately.
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Today, I switched speakers from the Fyne F1-8 to the Marten Parker Duo in my hi-fi setup. This change led me to question if the Vitus amplifier is truly the best match for Marten.
Possibly due to my preference and taste, I find that sometimes, despite refinement and accuracy in timbre and tonality, the music may not be as engaging as when it is driven by the temporal aspect.
The contrast between the two speakers was palpable, and the differences in their sonic presentation can be stark. The Fyne, with its engaging coaxial point source and central horn tweeter, produced a sound that was both forward and sharply focused, captivating my attention entirely.
In contrast, the Marten, despite boasting an impeccable diamond tweeter and delivering exceptional detail and resolution with a robust mid-range, felt somewhat less engaging. My initial impression was that music played on the Marten seemed a tad duller compared to the lively all out dynamism of the Fyne.
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It just goes to show that as a collective, all the components need to gel and produce the sound/ taste we prefer. Any one component can tip the balance in another direction.
Once you get it right though, maybe best to leave as-is and enjoy album after album.
Oh, great collection of speakers there
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Your ears will need time to adjust. If you search for Harbeth tech talk you will learn some good things on AB testing speakers and how the ear and brain can easily trick you heading the wrong path.
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When evaluating speakers or any audio component, I first try to enjoy the music rather than analyzing the performance in each department. An audio system is about reproducing music in a way that emotionally connects the listener to the artistry and intent of the performers and composers.
While breaking down sound into individual elements such as tonal and temporal aspects, imaging, soundstage, voicing, dynamics, and clarity is valuable, it can sometimes distance us from the pure enjoyment of music. It’s akin to dissecting a beautiful painting by analyzing each brushstroke rather than taking in the whole image. The true essence of a great system is its ability to convey the soul of the music, transcending technicalities.
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Interesting thanks. I see you are sitting nearfield in that computer set up with the Fyne or Marten, and the speakers are rather close together in the range of 1.5m between them. Perhaps they might work better in a mid field set up?
In my limited experience the Marten Duke 2 or any other speaker works better in mid field arrangement. Perhaps it’s my preference on the way I listen to music as I don’t like sitting too close to the speakers. I sit around 2.5m away from the speakers and they have about 1.8m distance apart limited by the room although I wished I could give them more space. Have you tried the Fyne or Marten in the main system where the room is larger?
I’m alternating between the Fyne and Marten speakers in the main system, powered by Vitus, and I’m using the EMM Labs DV2 as DAC and preamp. The cables are a mix of Crystal, Siltech, and Albedo, all of which are monocrystal silver cables used throughout the setup. The current arrangement differs from the photo shown here, with the speakers positioned about 3 meters apart. The Marten speakers aren’t suitable for near-field listening for my desktop setup. I believe even my main room doesn’t offer adequate space for the Marten. Perhaps for this reason, the smaller Audiovector achieve better imaging in the available space.
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Thanks for the response. 3.0m is very far apart. Yes, the Marten speakers surely need space to shine. In my current room, I can only give them about 1.8m apart since the width of my room is 3.2m and they can’t go too close to the side walls. I sit at about 2.5m from the Marten Duke 2.
I wished I had more space for the Marten and the privilege to have other premium nice speakers to rotate around the system. 
So far I only have the Graham LS5/9 in another room but it lost the battle against the Marten when I compared both last year. I’ll probably do the swap again sometime as I’ve added some new stuff to the system earlier this year (new streamer, power conditioner and new mains cable etc.) so the results might be a little different this time. Having said that, I wouldn’t expect the Graham to exhibit the same level of clarity and detail as the Marten as the house sound of it is to the warmer and lush side of things.
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Perhaps one day, you might consider setting up your speakers along the longer side of your living room, creating a 2.5m equilateral triangle for speaker placement. For just one day, move any obstructing furniture aside or into another room to accommodate this setup. This will allow you to immerse yourself in the depth and width of the sonic picture produced by Marten speakers, truly unlocking their full potential and exceptional capabilities.
I haven’t tried as there’s a TV on a long bench there. There’s no more space to set it up on the long wall as the speakers will be almost in the middle of the room, and moving the furniture will disrupt harmony with other family members. The only way is moving to a new home with a larger room, perhaps one day. 
Sometimes I have crazy thoughts of getting a 2nd pair of Marten Duke 2 provided I move to a new place since there is no more space to set up another system. Right now I can’t think of any other speaker that will sound better than the Duke 2 other than the Parker Duo Diamond which costs too much. A discounted pair of Duke 2 although still costly will be much more affordable.
Marten is one of the many manufacturers who use Accuton drivers. Sometimes, I wonder if standmount speakers from Gauder Akustik, Vimberg Amea, etc., using almost similar drivers housed in different cabinets, all have similar traits.
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In my case I have never had the opportunity to listen to the diamonds. But after lots of experimenting I have finally settled in the Parker Duo’s ceramic.
This standmount is awesome but it has proven to be a challenging one to balance.
In my room I am driving them with Pass INT-25 and my source is the Esoteric K-05XD. For streaming I am using Aurender 150 on the Esoteric’s DAC.
Cabling IMO is also very important due to the Accutons. I have chosen Jorma Unity speaker cables which are 100% copper. Jorma is actually the cabling brand used inside Marten speakers. I am using almost full Jorma Unity loom (interconnects and power cords). And I am saying “almost” because I chose the power cord on the Pass to be the Signal Project Atlantis. The latter provides a touch of additional openness to the specific amp, which plays a positive role overall.
This system in my room, combines the transparency of Marten with the warmth of full class A Pass and the clarity of Esoteric, suitably balanced by the chosen cables.
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