Marten Speakers

Ok thanks. I had a U1 Mini with my 272 in the past and was very happy with it so I’ve had thoughts on evaluating it with my NDS and see (hear) what happens. What I like with Lumin is that they are first class in being fast to release the latest tech. They were first out with Tidal connect support. They where first out with Tidal Max already in October and who knows when Naim will find the play button there. I think they have a great advantage in having streaming as core business with all engineering on hand with such experience and looking back I think it’s long term a more safe way to go with dedicated streamers than rely on the inbuilt ones. I guess even OC streaming will reach their limitations in a couple of years and when this hits, the used prices drop fast.

The ROONONLY mode was definitely and improvement if you haven’t tried it yet.

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Not so strange. My Duke 2s didn’t gel at all well with my Naim amps either (552/300DR in my case).

My dealer also advised against pairing Marten speakers with Naim amps. They pair better and sound best with Class A amps.

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2 days ago I got Luxman 509X…and I compare it with 590 AX II…
I see that the Parker Duo feel better with the 509X… the higher amperage and the higher power speak for themselves in this configuration.
I’ll test again and see…

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I presume you now own both L-590AXII and L-509X in your system? If yes I would appreciate if you can spend some time comparing the amps and share more detailed impressions on the sound characteristics of both amps.

It’s difficult to hang onto great sounding amps. I don’t have intention to move from the 590AXII but may have the opportunity to pick up an L-509X. The thing is it makes no sense to keep buying things that one doesn’t actually need. :sweat_smile:

I’m pretty sure that sums this hobby up :smirk:

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After almost 2 weeks, I can draw a fairly objective conclusion - from my point of view and in relation to the listening conditions in my room -
The Luxman 509X is a better match for the Parker Duo Diamond Edition.
The bass is more pronounced, the amplifier having much better control over the speakers.
The sound is more relaxed, effortless.
Luxman 590 AXII has a peak current of 13 A. Luxman 509X has 18 A.
This difference seems small, but it is felt.
The damping factor of the 590 AXII is 330. The 509X has 370, and this value contributes to better control in crowded passages in some songs.
I lost the sweetness of the sound offered by class A, but not very much, because the 509X is biased in class A, the first 6 V are in class A…
All in all, from my point of view, the 509 X is better.
I benefit from more power, a stronger current, and a little bit of Class A sweetness…
I also listened to the new Luxman 509Z amplifier 2 weeks ago, and I was not very pleased…it has a more forward, more hi-fi sound…maybe a little more artificial…
It’s true that I didn’t listen to it in combination with Marten, there were some Sonus Faber speakers, but… still…
I talked to the dealer and he had the same opinion…he advised me to keep the 509X…
In conclusion, the differences are not extraordinarily large, but they exist and are easily audible.
I think the most important thing is the taste of each of us…

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Hello. Do you still feel this to be the case now having spent some time with the Parker Duo Diamond? Have you listened to the Parker Duo Ceramic vs Duke 2?

I still love my Duke 2 very much and mentioned it before that it’s my endgame. Nevertheless, you know how it is. The Parker Duo Diamond is out of question as I will not spend that much money on a pair of speakers. Almost £20k for a pair of stand mounts. However, the ceramic is still doable.

I could pop by my dealer for a listen but won’t be doing that as I’m not ready to commit at the moment.

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Hi Wusplay, based on your experience, do you feel that the Marten Parker Duo sounds better when they are given more room and placed say 2.0m to 2.4m apart? Do they sound less stellar or involving if placed closer together in a smaller room, say less than 1.8m apart? With the Audiovector R1 Arrete, do they sound good in smaller rooms, placed close together say 1.8m+/- apart?

I haven’t listened to Parker Duo Ceramic…unfortunately.
I stand by my opinion…Luxman sounds better than Accuphase.
It is more detailed, more refined, more airy. And here I am referring to both Luxman versions, the one in class A and the one in class AB, they fit better with Marten.
Personally, I like the sound of Luxman more than Accuphase.
Of course, it’s just my subjective opinion.

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The R1 requires a smaller space to form a decent soundstage. With the R1, I hear a more distinct, separate, and solid image than with the Parker Duo setup in a much smaller living room. However, when I moved to a larger space and compared the Parker Duo and the R1 again, I realized that the Parker Duo is, in fact, superior in portraying a huge soundstage, something the R1 cannot come close to producing.

By the way, I managed to arrange a 2.5m equilateral triangle setup in both my old and new places, though with very close wall boundaries in my old place. In my current living room, I have more than 1.5m of clearance from the walls at both ends — from the speakers to the rear wall and from my listening position to the rear wall. Therefore, it’s not just the distance between the speakers; it’s the entire extra space around the setup that makes the difference.

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Hi Wusplay, I just noticed you have the Dynaudio Special 25s on the display rack. I was wondering how do they compare to the Marten and other speakers that you currently own. Have you listened to the Dynaudio Heritage Special and Confidence 20?

I currently do not have the space to accommodate another pair of speaker but aspire to follow your footsteps in setting up a rack to store additional surplus speakers. The Heritage Specials and C20 look interesting.

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I recently added a Mola Mola power amplifier to my DAC and Lumin streamer, creating a simple yet satisfying setup. To test it out, I used both the Dynaudio S25, a speaker that had been idle for some time, and the Harbeth M30.2 XD, which I’ve owned for years but rarely used. While the Dynaudio technically impressed me, it was the Harbeth that truly captivated me with its musicality, drawing me in song after song. This experience reminded me that “musicality” is subjective, and what sounds best is ultimately a matter of personal preference.
I am not familiar with the Confidence 20 and Heritage. I have only had brief listening sessions with them in the shop.

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Hi
Has anyone used OCC silver XLR interconnect cables with Marten?

nobody?
So, what cables do you use with Marten?

Some time ago I used OCC all silver interconnects, however RCA, from Titan Audio. This was with the Naim OC and I thought they brought a bit more life to music than the Chord Sarums I then had. Later on, with the NC I tried Shunyata RCA, and now have the Chord Signature XLRs, which I think fit very well the NC and Martens together (speaker cables are ChordMusic).

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I use Jorma Unity speaker and power cables, and Signal Projects Hydra interconnects.

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I think that Jorma would be the best choice… except that they are extremely expensive… honestly… I wouldn’t pay 5-6000 euros for some simple cables… regardless of the materials used.
I think from a certain level up, it’s just marketing.
Or at least I think so
If I ever get a chance to listen to some really expensive cables…maybe I’ll change my mind…who knows.

I’m using a Chord SignatureX RCA interconnect between my DAC and Amp and Chord Signature XL speaker cables (with Duke 2’s).

Well noted and respected. In my case, the level of synergy that the Jorma achieve between Marten and Gryphon in my room, made me decide to pay that amount and avoid further experimentation and possibly more spending.

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Correct
In this situation, you are right, and this is how it should be done, to avoid losing money, due to numerous experiments.
I agree that the cables make a difference in the sound, but, from a certain level up, these differences are tiny, and not worth the money asked for.
It seems absurd to me to pay more for some cables than a very good amplifier…
In that amplifier there are many top parts, it is a very complex technical product, in which hundreds of hours of trials and tests have been invested.
It cannot be compared to a simple cable… but still… it costs just as much, if not even more…
Absurd, from my point of view