Yes, the room surely plays a big part. There is a possibility the bass could improve with a different amp, a significantly more powerful amp but I’m done with equipment and speaker swapping.
The new Parker Duo with passive radiator sounds pretty good. The price inclusive of the stands should be close to £10,000 if not higher.
With apologies to the OP for giving in to the temptation that arises every time this thread pops into ‘latest’ list: The thread title catches my eye because it makes me think of Martin speakers, so familiar from live gigs, and never having heard of Marten speakers outside of this thread. These days the brand’s speakers at gigs are perhaps most common as flown line arrays that are hardly noticed, but the image below is the archetypal one that comes into my mind, with its ‘Philishave’ midrange horn. The first time the thread appeared I wondered if someone was using them at home!
Now they would sort out any bass issues.
Reading through the responses on the 552/500 vs Vitus thread and some research elsewhere, I’m beginning to feel that the Vitus SIA 25Mk2 and Marten speakers will be a match made in heaven. Unfortunately the cost is prohibitive at the moment. Certainly one of the luxuries that we can look forward to. Someday.
An update. Apologies if my experiences offend anyone but these are my genuine honest thoughts.
I switched from the Orton to Naim 282/HCDR/250DR yesterday since I wanted to reassess the Naim with the filled stands of the Dukes. When the switch was made, a noticeable degradation in sound quality was immediately felt. I couldn’t listen to music the same way as I did with the Sonneteer. The music was giving me a headache and I tried listening at lower levels but to no avail so I switched it all off.
Results remained the same the next day. There were improvements after the standard Naim cables were replaced with the Chord Signature TA but I won’t elaborate too much here just to keep things simple.
In summary, music sounds more forward, lit and rough with the 282/HCDR/250DR and as a result listening fatigue is higher. With the Sonneteer, music has a lighter airier feel and smoother delivery. The overall presentation is more refined and organic with a human touch. Tonality of instruments especially piano is more spot-on with the Orton.
To me the Marten Duke 2 sounds better driven by the Orton than 282/HCDR/250DR. The forward, lit and slightly unrefined presentation of the Naim doesn’t quite fit the Dukes too well. Personally I feel the Marten may require a 252 or 552 if sticking with Naim to reveal its true potential / sound better. Something more refined and less forward or lit.
With your vast experience you know what you heard has got nothing to do with individual products 
It’s the match of everything plus the room…
Maybe the Vitus thread sneeze I guess ?? 
Maybe you need a big ass Tube Integrated , Ayon Triton EVO, made in Austria… I would think a demo in the UK should be doable .
After 3 months of swapping between Marten Duke 2 and Harbeth Super HL5+, I have come to a conclusion that the Dukes are an all-round great speaker. I particularly enjoy instrumental music through the Dukes as the tonality of piano is very good. It sounds smooth and natural without any glare, only with the right amps. 
The only weakness of the Marten is in reproduction of human voice but this is only when it’s compared to the Harbeth. No shame though as the Harbeth is truly one of the best if not the best speaker for vocals. I’m not sure if a different amp will transform the Marten but it may be a futile attempt to make the Marten sound like a Harbeth. Both are distinctly different speakers which have their own sets of strength and weakness.
Currently very much enjoying the Duke 2 with the Sonneteer Orton.
I looked at few tube amps which include the EAR but in the end decided that it would still be solid - state for me. I have made it clear many years ago that I will not consider tube amps for the hassle that tubes may bring. It’s a personal choice though.
I may be looking at a solid-state integrated with tube-like qualities in the near future. Not at this point of time though as I’m financially exhausted at the moment. The Sonneteer Orton is still doing a fine job driving the Marten Duke 2, providing the dexterity that is much required with the delicate sounding Marten.
Always interesting to hear how you are getting on with the Martens they certainly are remarkable speakers. I’m still driving mine directly from the TT2 and have spent the last few weeks trying to extract as much as possible from this arrangement with cables, dressing, filters and location of units. Just yesterday I was enjoying the sound so much, I asked myself why am I pining for an additional amplifier? On that note, I’m hoping to get a Norma 140 on home loan which should help clarify, but there will need to be some notable improvements in SQ compared to the direct connection.
I would be interested to hear your thoughts on the Norma Revo IPA-140. It runs on MOSFET and looks well-built internally. As a dual mono design, power is also good at 140W into 8 ohms as it effectively doubles to 280W into 4 ohms.
Yes, there is little cause for me to keep searching as well since I’m enjoying the speakers a lot with my current amp. Sometimes I tell myself to stop looking and just settle with what I have but at the same time was curious if the Dukes could give more with a higher quality amp. It is unfortunate that there aren’t many people who own the Marten. Otherwise we could seek their experiences on the amps they have used to optimise the speakers.
Hi, have you tried your Luxman with the Dukes yet?
Hi. I haven’t received the Luxman yet. I will be shipping the 202/200 to the dealer tomorrow. Will update this thread once I receive the Luxman. Currently the Marten Duke 2 is sounding great with the Sonneteer Orton. I am hoping for greater things with the Luxman but will keep expectations low to avoid disappointment. After all I am reducing boxes by swapping 2 with 1 which is a good thing but the Luxman is quite a large and heavy amp in comparison to the Naim.
Have you tried the Norman Revo yet?
I have Marten Miles 5 arriving today on home demo for a week, along with Luxman L-509X.
I’ll be using my NDX2/555PSDR as source and comparing the Luxman with 552/300DR into the Martens.
Will report back…
That’s just great. I would be looking forward to your thoughts with great anticipation.
Unfortunately not yet, haven’t been able to get a demo model which apparently has been out for review. With two new reviews just published, both good, I’m hoping that I’ll be able to get a loan unit soon. I’m also thinking the larger Norma may be too much for my small room and will rarely get to to enjoy its potential, so the smaller IPA 70 is also on the cards.
Well I’ve had the Marten Miles 5 for a day now. Early days but I’m very impressed with this speaker. They sound great on my Naim system. The only downside is that the bass, although not boomy, is too strong for my room (4m x 3.5m) as I feared. I really like the Marten sound signature so I’m keen to listen to the smaller Duke 2, or I might hold out for the new Parker Duo.
The Luxman L-509X unfortunately was very disappointing. It sounded great at the dealer listening room (bare NDX2 with the Martens) but at home the SQ dropped significantly and the bass handling was a mess.
So no downsizing my system for now but I’m keeping the Martens on the radar.
Thanks for the quick update. Good to hear that the Marten Miles 5 is sounding promising in your room but it doesnt sound too good to me as I have traded my 202/200 in for the Luxman L-590AXII. Nevertheless everyone’s room is different and you have the mighty 552/300DR so there’s some consolation for me the Duke 2 would sound great with the Luxman, hopefully better than both Sonneteer Orton and 282/HCDR/250DR.
I’m not sure about the Miles 5 but the Duke 2 needs to get out from the walls to have an even bass response due to the rear port. Perhaps experiment with positioning. The Duke 2’s bass response is a bit on the weak side if it’s placed out into the room. I’m not sure if the Luxman will add a bit of punch and presence to the bass response. If the speakers are placed closer to the wall behind, the bass is a bit boomy and uneven.
The Marten is a delicate sounding speaker as it is capable of revealing the finer nuances in music especially in the treble and midrange. Most importantly the sound never grates the ears (if properly driven ). A smooth but detailed and airy sound. The bass is nitpicking as I am comparing the Duke 2 to my other reference speaker which is much larger in size with an 8 inch driver (Harbeth Super HL5+).
