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At High End Mässan 2015—Stockholm, Sweden's big audio show—Marten planned to show off its finest loudspeaker to the hometown crowd. Marten took the hotel's largest demo room, located at the prime location at the top of the stairs, at the entry point to the 2nd floor exhibition space. There, Marten set up a super system (see photo below) featuring the Coltrane Supreme 2 loudspeaker, a towering monolith probably intended more for Asian consumption than for Swedes to bring home to their modest digs. In preshow demos, the Coltranes filled the large room with impressively transparent and…
Because it is Stereophile policy to change out only one component at a time, I kept my usual VAC and darTZeel amplifiers. Yes, I auditioned these $7000/pair speakers ($8000/pair with stands) with monoblock amplifiers that cost around $170,000/pair (see Associated Equipment).
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I own several versions of Sonny Rollins's Way Out West, including an original Stereo Records pressing (Stereo Records S7017) and the recent one from The Electric Recording Company, but the one I played is the 24/192 Qobuz version.
To my surprise, the Duos reproduced the full weight,…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-way reflex-loaded, stand-mounted loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" ceramic-diaphragm tweeter, 7" ceramic-diaphragm mid/woofer. Crossover: second-order, 2.5kHz. Frequency response: 37Hz–20kHz ±3dB. Sensitivity: 86dB/2.83V/m. Impedance: 6 ohms nominal, 3.1 ohms minimum. Power rating: 150W. Terminals: single-wired WBT. Internal wiring: Jorma Design. Supplied accessories: optional MDF stands.
Dimensions: 7.9" (200mm) H × 15.7" (400mm) W × 12.6" (320mm) D. Weight: 29lb (13kg).
Finishes: Piano Black, White, and Matte Walnut.
Serial numbers of…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: Continuum Audio Labs Caliburn, & Castellon turntable & stand; SAT XD1 direct-drive turntable, CF1-09 and Kuzma 4Point tonearms; Lyra Atlas Lambda SL, Ortofon MC Century, Anna Diamond, A95, A90, Grado Epoch3, Miyajima Labs Infinity (mono), Grado Epoch (mono) phono cartridges.
Digital sources: dCS Vivaldi One SACD player/DAC, Lynx Hilo A/D–D/A converter, Roon Nucleus, Pure Vinyl and Vinyl Studio software.
Preamplification: darTZeel NHB-18S, Ypsilon MC-10L, MC-16L step-up transformers; Ypsilon VPS-100, CH Precision P1 with X1…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I measured the Marten Oscar Duo's farfield behavior with DRA Labs' MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone. I used an Earthworks QTC-40 mike for the speaker's nearfield and spatially averaged in-room responses. I didn't have the optional magnetically attached covers, so I didn't use them. The Oscar Duo's drive-units are protected with individual metal-mesh grilles.
My estimate of the Oscar Duo's sensitivity was 85.3dB/2.83V/m, which is within experimental error of the specified 86dB/2.83V/m. Marten specifies the Oscar Duo's impedance as 6 ohms,…
Photo of Bob's mastering room courtesy of Mary Kent, photographer
I've written before in this space that to me the most wondrous aspect of our avocation (apart from the music) is the way it exists at the intersection of logic and emotion, of science and art. The equipment we use is made by engineers applying scientific principles, yet its goal is to deliver sensual pleasure. Both viewpoints are valid.
A few engineers embody both approaches. MBL's Jürgen Reis recently told Stereophile that he starts by optimizing a design objectively—getting the technical part right. Then he voices…
I was doing my press beat for Stereophile in the hallway of Montreal's 2019 Audiofest when I glimpsed something that stopped me in my tracks. It was a marketing slogan, across the room on importer/exhibitor Goerner Audio's floorstanding banner: "Tubes or semiconductors? Magneto-solid technology amplifies emotions."
Intrigued and with pen and paper in hand, I settled into one of the listening chairs and soaked in the smooth, luscious, musical sound coming from a system with the Grandinote Shinai integrated amplifier at its core—and wondered: tubes or transistors? The line was blurry.…
With all the speakers I used, the album's fade-to-white cricket-chirping intro filled more of the room than I was used to with my own electronics. It was as if a world was materializing around me, like I was gaining consciousness in the middle of a field on a hot day. Soon, every pore of the soundstage seemed filled with animated sound. The Shinai made aural space microscopically tangible.
The Shinai has a knack for detail retrieval, an attribute I've been fond of ever since, as a skinny, bespectacled 7-year-old, I got my hands on a magnifying glass, roamed a park on a burgeoning spring…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Fully balanced, zero-feedback, direct-coupled, solid-state, dual-mono stereo integrated amplifier with class-A output stage. Inputs: 2 single-ended (RCA), 2 balanced (XLR; these may be converted to unbalanced inputs). Outputs: 1 pair loudspeaker outputs. Output power: 37Wpc into 8 ohms (15.7dBW) and 4 ohms (12.7dBW). Frequency range: 2Hz–240kHz. Damping factor >150.
Dimensions: 12.5" (318mm) W × 7.7" (196mm) H × 18.6" (473mm) D. Weight: 88lb (40kg).
Serial number of unit reviewed: 0088. Manufactured in Italy.
Price: $15,000.…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: Rega P5 turntable with RB700 tonearm and Audio MusiKraft Denon DL-103 cartridge.
Digital sources: Simaudio Moon 260D transport, Bryston BDP-1 USB Digital Player running Tidal, Bryston BDA-2 DAC.
Preamplification: Sonic Frontiers SFP-1 Signature phono preamp, Audible Illusions preamp.
Loudspeakers: KEF LS50, Totem Skylight, WLM Diva Mk 4.
Cables: Digital: AudioQuest Diamond (USB), BIS Audio Maestro (RCA). Interconnect: Moon Audio Silver Dragon (RCA). Speaker: Nordost Heimdall. Power: Shunyata Research Black Mamba CX, LessLoss…