Yes, Sonneteer will be staying. It’s the only integrated that I have after searching for so long.
I believe you need the high level Naim for the Marten to shine. NAC 252 and above.
The 282 still sounds great with my Harbeth SHL5+. As a matter of fact the Harbeth sounds better driven by 282/250DR than Sonneteer. A livelier and more exuberant sound with the 282. The Marten exposed too much of that exuberance and liveliness since it is less forgiving than the Harbeth.
was a passive lurker on this thread…
I thought i saw the Orton in one of your earlier photos and was wondering why did you not try it yet with the Martens - those drivers look ceramic to me and they might appreciate thicker sound.
All speakers take to certain amplifiers like a duck to water…
It neednt be 1 brand of amp all the time…
( Its only us the listener who is brand conscious - the amplifier doesnt know what its own brand is and so does the speaker. They take to each other if the parameters match in the room )
Sonneteer makes very good amps too but they need matching speakers as well…
If i hadnt gone the Naim way it would likely have been a Sonneteer Alabaster for me - but thats history now.
MPW, I didn’t try the Orton with the Marten as the amp was sent for repair about a month ago.
Yes, the drivers which include the tweeter are all ceramic.
I agree that one does not necessarily need to stick with one brand all the time, be it amplifier or loudspeakers. It’s Naim/Harbeth and Sonneteer/Marten for me. The higher level Naim gear may work a treat with Marten or Harbeth but I am satisfied with what I’ve achieved up to this stage and decided not to go any further.
Sonneteer Alabaster is said to be livelier and snappy but it does not have the refinement (slightly laidback) sound of the Orton. Also, it doesn’t have a remote.
My bad…
I thought the Orton was tried with the Martens…
Yes…Alabaster is livelier and Orton is smoother…
Regards
Sorry for the confusion, I have got the Sonneteer Orton back to the system several days ago and tried it with the Marten. I didn’t manage to do that previously as it was away for repair.
No worries…
Have a soft spot for sonneteer 
Do let us know how you find the Orton Marten pairing…
Regards
With optimised placement of speakers it has been heaven this pairing. Marten and Sonneteer. The amp has been in use for more than 30 hours now and I’m surprised (and happy) to report that the sound quality has improved further with the treble sounding even smoother and liquid-like. Total absence of grain, glare and harshness. I suspect the new replacement resistor or solder may have broken in, if there’s such a thing.
I’m switching to the 282/250DR tomorrow to give it another try but will need to give it few days to warm up before I start to do any critical listening. Based on my previous experience the Naim require 4 to 5 days to sound great when powered up from cold.
On a separate matter, I tried placing the speakers on another pair of 4-pillar stands that are filled with sand. Although the bass gained a little weight and punch(not much though), the highs lost a bit of airiness. The Marten stands are taller by 2 inches so that may have caused the difference. Nevertheless, there is hope the system will improve further when I get the original Marten stands filled.
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Would you still experiment if you know the Orton Marten satisfies ??
I may know the answer
Gents, I’ve been listening to the 282/HCDR/250DR for several hours now and MPW I think you hit the nail on the head. I may not even need to wait for the amps to warm up to decide. Long story short, the Sonneteer Orton is a better match to the Marten Duke 2. I won’t elaborate much here as what I’ve posted earlier on this thread shall apply.
This does not mean the Naim amps are inferior to the Sonneteer. The Marten just sounds more brilliant with the Sonneteer. Switch to the Harbeth loudspeakers it is the Naim which reigns supreme as the Sonneteer takes a back seat.
All in the context of the system particular amp matching. I’m glad the Marten finally showed a glimpse of brilliance. It’s a fine sounding design and most importantly my initial worry is now put to rest.
Oh absolutely…
Naim make gr8 gear !
But one has to look holistically…
It’s great you are in a situation where you could do this at home.
As I said I had a soft spot for Sonneteer and knowing my speakers they would have matched well.
Someday …if I have a 2nd home and Sonneteer is around…who knows 
Cheers !!
I for one would love a pic…
It will 're refreshing to see 1 box powering speakers…
Regards
I didn’t post new photos as there has not been much change to the previous arrangement. The Chord DAC is not sitting on top of the Sonneteer amp anymore. To achieve this I have to move the 282 somewhere else.
In this photo, from top to bottom : Chord QBD76, Sonneteer Orton, 250DR (unused), Hicap DR and NapSC (unused)
The excess Naim amps on the display rack, top to bottom : 282, 202, 200
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I have just switched from the Marten Duke 2 to the Harbeth Super HL5+ two days ago and have been swapping the amps around. The Harbeth surely sounded poor with the Sonneteer Orton. The Naim amps have been reinstated and the Harbeth is singing some nice tunes again.
When I switch to the Marten again perhaps in a week or two, the Sonneteer will get back to the system again. Funny how results are completely reversed when the speakers are switched.
Another one showing my Krell player on display since I gave up on CDs about 4 or 5 years ago. I’m still keeping it just in case I make a comeback.
.
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Looking pretty good. Indicated prices start from €9,000(~£8,000) which I presume is for the smallest Parker Duo standmount. Not too sure if the price includes the stands. The stands look like serious business with Isoacoustics pucks fitted at the bottom of the stands as standard. They shouldn’t come too cheap.
On a side note, I just got the stands filled all the way up to the top and there isn’t any massive difference in sound quality when compared to an unfilled stand. Just a slightly fuller sound across the frequency spectrum. I was hoping the bass to gain more punch and impact but that didn’t happen.
After extended listening sessions with the Duke 2, my thoughts about the speaker remain the same. My only gripe is it’s not particularly good at playing rock music due to a lack of presence and punch in the bass. With all other types of music particularly well recorded delicate material it’s very good.
One of my earlier post on the Duke’s mentioned how well I thought the Duke’s could rock when asked to. I think I might have to get out more as lack of presence and punch in the bass is not my experience. Maybe the room plays a big part, mine is pretty small and much more bass would simply overwhelm everything else. Goes to show how important system/room synergy is.
The Parker Duo has a passive radiator, that should help with the bass…