Note that this is a discontinued product. You may want to visit the brand's page here to browse their newer products.
What reviewers think
Bloggers and YouTubers have tried this product—so we've summarized their strongest opinions below. Links to full reviews follow.
Product Strengths
- Resolution and ease combine for a fluid, resolving sound
- Excellent detail retrieval with sweetness and lushness
- A very natural sound is produced
- Space and scale are rendered with dimensional accuracy
- Dynamic and controlled bass response with exceptional clarity
Product Considerations
- May not be ideal for rock music that requires roughness or aggression
- Careful placement and room treatment are required for optimal performance
- The detail of the top end with the diamond tweeter may not appeal to everyone
Takeaway: The Marten Parker Trio provides a wonderful and clean sound with excellent detail, while still sounding remarkably sweet and lush. It is precise but also relaxed, making it great for anyone who wants to relax into the music but still hear everything that's going on.
All
Parker Trio
reviews
Manufacturer details
- Speaker (front): 1" pure ceramic tweeter (upgradable to Diamond), 2 x 7.5" ceramic bass/midrange
- Speaker (back): 2 x 9" Aluminium passive radiator
- Frequency range: 26-40000 Hz +-2dB
- Power rating: 300 W
- Sensitivity: 91 dB/2.83 V
- Impedance: 6 ohms (3.1 Ohms min)
- Type: 2.5-way
- Crossover frequency: Multi diverse order, 2200 Hz
- Terminals: Single-wiring WBT Nextgen
- Internal wiring: Jorma Design
- Cabinet: 35 mm M-board
- Finishes: Piano Walnut, Matte Walnut or Piano Black
- Dimensions (W x H x D): 22-28 x 117 x 36 cm (8.7-11 x 46 x 14.2")
- Net weight: 40 kg (89 lbs)
Brand highlights
Taking a step back to look at reviewers' thoughts of the brand's entire lineup—not just this product—what stands out most is the following:
- They achieve exceptional sonic purity by utilizing drivers made from materials such as ceramic and diamond, allowing for minimal distortion and maximum clarity across the entire frequency spectrum.
- Marten speakers often utilize a multi-way design, with each driver meticulously integrated through advanced crossover technologies, ensuring a balanced and coherent soundstage.
- The brand utilizes Jorma Design internal wiring in their speakers, ensuring signal purity and maximizing performance by partnering with a cable manufacturer renowned for high-quality audio cables.
Select products
Oscar
- Positioning: The entry-level lineup, designed to offer high-quality sound at a more accessible price point.
- Description: Delivers the true Marten sound with newly designed drivers that maintain quality while being cost-effective. Unlike the higher-end Coltrane series, focuses on affordability without sacrificing the core sound characteristics, making it ideal for those with budget constraints who still desire high-end audio performance.
Mingus
- Positioning: Positioned as a high-end option, drawing inspiration from the flagship Coltrane series.
- Description: Incorporates diamond drivers and custom designs that enhance clarity and strength, setting them apart from the Parker series. They offer a more sophisticated sound with advanced driver technology.
Coltrane
- Positioning: The flagship lineup, representing the pinnacle of technological innovation and sound quality.
- Description: Renowned for their first-order crossover and Accuton Cell drivers, providing unmatched time and phase coherence. This series offers the ultimate in sound reproduction with extreme clarity and resolution, surpassing the Mingus series in both performance and price.
Our take on the brand
Look inside the brand
Our interview with the brand
What are two key technological innovations or strong opinions that differ you from other brands?
Marten uses high quality drivers that are custom to our models often in exotic materials like diamond, beryllium, ceramics and aluminium. Marten is one of very fiev manufactures that is implementing first order crossover filters. This we do in all models in the Mingus and Coltrane range.
What's your approach to customer support?
Initially customers are advised to contact the dealer they bought their speakers from, when support is needed, if they have bought speakers second hand it's recommended to to contact the appointed distributor. Of course customers are also welcome to contact Marten directly via our info email and get support that way. We value customer support highly and help our dealers and distributors to take care of customers if something has happened. Customers should never ever hesitate to contact us or our partners.
What are your favorite tracks for showcasing the strength of your products?
We have many but here are three of our test tracks, St James Infirmary (live edition) Angela Brown, Someday you'll be sorry Harry Connick Jr, V. Panis angelicus (Soprano) Ensemble vocal de Lausanne.
What other products pair best with yours?
We do a lot of testing and development on brands like Halcro, Audiaflight, MSB and CH-precision. But we also know that customers use Gryphon, Goldmund, Soulution and Esoteric among many other brands in their home systems.
Used
Marten
What if you spend more?
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Our summary
Product Strengths
- Most affordable way into the true 800 series form factor, with the solid aluminum turbine head and the fully curved matrix-braced cabinet
- Features a one-inch diamond dome tweeter, which is a standout strength
- Midrange and vocal region from the Bowers favor a leaner, more technically accurate sound, going for outright clarity, and vocals sound particularly clear and clean
- Bases have casters integrated or built into them, making them easy speakers to move around for optimal positioning, and integrated spikes can then be used to securely position them
- Show-stoppingly gorgeous and sound simply fantastic
Product Considerations
- A much fussier speaker in every regard and require more thought and work to get the sound balance right
- Possible to come across maybe a little bit too lively in the treble
- Amplifier power, quality, and capability is hugely influential—hugely important for these speakers
- Due to their revealing nature, they don't play particularly well with poorer recordings such as metal and older rock
- Tweeter can get fairly harsh when the volume is turned to the extreme, pushing 90+ db for louder music
Comparisons (according to reviewers)
- Bowers & Wilkins are a much fussier speaker in every regard than the Mission 770
- Paradigm Persona 5H is a little more "liquid" sounding
- Wilson Audio SabrinaX's finish is superior to that of the Bowers & Wilkins, dynamic, easy to drive, with a very familiar and very resolute sound
- Bowers & Wilkins 803 D4s are refined like an Aston Martin, and Tekton Ulfberhts are more like a Corvette C8
- Bowers & Wilkins 805D4 lacks the midrange prowess that the 803 has, and will most definitely need a subwoofer for even mild extension into bass
Takeaway: The 803 D4 speakers offer a fantastic listening experience with clear vocals and a grand soundstage, making music more engaging. They are an investment that can potentially improve over a long period of time through system upgrades and continued optimization.
Video review
Our take on the brand
The flagship of The Reference Series is the model that all other high-performance loudspeakers compare themselves against. Now with the extraordinarily capable 12th generation Uni-Q® driver array with MAT™, Reference 5 Meta exemplifies the passion for innovation that underpins KEF’s design philosophy.
Product Strengths
- Delivers a large, detailed—and scalable—sound that doesn't lose quality at different volumes
- Excels in creating a wide and deep soundstage, enhancing the listening experience with a sense of expansiveness
- Is emotionally engaging, creating a connection between the listener and the music
- The Uni-Q driver with Metamaterial Absorption Technology (MAT) significantly improves sound quality by absorbing unwanted frequencies, resulting in clearer and more accurate high-frequency reproduction
- Offers customisation for bass tuning with different port options to suit various room acoustics
Product Considerations
- Is a large and heavy speaker, requiring a substantial space and stable flooring
- Represents a significant investment
- While generally easy to drive, benefits from high-quality amplification to reveal its full potential
Comparisons (according to reviewers)
- Vs Audiovector R6 Arreté: R6 Arreté sounds extremely weightless and transparent, but doesn't have the same depth of bass as the Reference 5 Meta
- Vs Sonus Faber Serafino Tradition: The Serafino deliver the music nicely wrapped in a warm envelope that's very addictive, while the Reference 5 Meta focuses on detail and transparency
Takeaway:
The KEF Reference 5 Meta is a high-end loudspeaker that provides a detailed, emotionally engaging—and expansive—sound experience. With its advanced technology and customizable features, it is a great option for those looking to invest in a top-tier audio system.
Video review
Our take on the brand
The SCM50 ASL (active) and SCM50 SL (passive) are designed to perform at their best in the recording studio or at home with the finest quality hi-fi equipment. The monitors' ability to reproduce music and speech with phenomenal accuracy, transparency and dynamics lies mainly in the SM75-150S soft dome midrange driver. However, recent modifications that include the new ATC SH25-76S tweeter and enhanced port profile have brought about further improvements to all performance parameters.
Each drive unit in the active model has its own dedicated and individually matched MOS-FET amplifier, while the 234mm/9″ bass driver incorporates ATC's unique Super Linear Magnet technology. Our active crossover network consists of a wide band-width, electronically balanced input stage with high common mode rejection and very low distortion. Like the HF, mid and bass drivers, all electronics are designed and manufactured in-house to create a no-compromise active system.
In passive form, the SCM50 SL provides broad and symmetrical dispersion, excellent amplitude and phase characteristics throughout the frequency range. Speakers are supplied with stands and fabric wrapped grills.
Available Finishes
Standard Veneers – Cherry, Walnut, Oak & Black Ash.
Standard Paints – Satin Black, Satin White
Premium Veneers (up-charge applies) – Rosewood, European Crown Cut Walnut, Pippy Oak, Burr Magnolia, Burr Poplar.
High Gloss (up-charge applies) – Clear High Glossed Veneer, Piano Black, Piano White
Our summary
Product Strengths
- ATC designs and builds every drive unit in-house, including voice coils, crossovers, and active amplification, allowing for complete control over every loudspeaker design decision
- In the active version, a more clearly defined soundstage has clearer, more well-defined individual elements, where everything pops out more from the background
- The active version has more energy, drive, and a more vivid overall presentation, resulting in a more tactile, energetic, and higher resolution sound
- The SCM50's woofer has an enviable ability to resolve textures and timbral colors, capably rendering the skins of bass drums, the flutter of tom-toms, or the dark voicing of orchestral bass viols as bows are dragged across their strings
- The SCM50 has an almost eerie immediacy that seems to glean the intent of the musician before their bow touches the string or a note escapes their lips, making piano reproduction breathtaking
- Connectivity is limited to a single XLR input, which may require adapters for single-ended sources
Product Considerations
- The active version is heavier than the passive version
- The owner must manually turn each speaker on and off, as there is no trigger or auto startup circuit
- The active version may pose challenges for owners of subwoofers needing high-level wiring connections, although workarounds exist
- Careful attention must be paid to positioning a pair of SCM50s, as the full-bandwidth—ported design means that placing them too close to a boundary wall will result in bass bloom
Comparisons (according to reviewers)
- SCM50 wins hands down over PureAudioProject Duet 15s for resolution, clarity, and dynamic shading
- The active version excels over the passive in solidity of soundstage, neutrality, and ultimate detail retrieval
Takeaway: The ATC SCM50 offers exceptional sound quality, whether in its active or passive configuration, thanks to ATC's engineering and in-house design. The ATC SCM50 is a choice that will bring musical joy for years to come.
Video review
Our take on the brand
MASTERFULLY BUILT FOR AN ENDURING LEGACY
A nod to Santo Serafino, the legendary Italian luthier.Serafino delivers world-class sound on any stage.
MATCHING BEAUTY AND SOUND
In eighteenth century Venice, Santo Serafino masterfully built violins with matching beauty and sound. In keeping with his legacy, the second generation of the Sonus faber Serafino speaker marries artistry and sonic excellence. With upgraded drivers and a refined crossover, Serafino's second generation recreates the magic of a live performance.
VIOLIN-MAKING HERITAGE
Crafted like a fine instrument, Serafino draws inspiration from the artisanship of master luthier Santo Serafino. Its rounded cabinet design mirrors the graceful curves of a violin, enhancing both its visual allure and acoustic purity by reducing internal resonances.
Handcrafted in Sonus faber's Vicenza, Italy factory, each Serafino loudspeaker seamlessly melds nine layers of natural wood, carefully paired according to grain, and culminates with nine meticulous lacquer coats. This meticulous process, rooted in Sonus faber's tradition of wood craftsmanship, ensures each speaker embodies both quality and elegance.
Italian artisan hand-sands wood for a Sonus faber Serafino G2 floorstanding speaker, showcasing meticulous craftsmanship
A FULL SOUNDSTAGE CUSTOMIZED TO ANY SPACE
Serafino G2 harnesses cutting-edge technology from our Homage collection to encapsulate the emotional resonance of a live performance within a relatively compact design - much like a finely crafted violin.
Our summary
Product Strengths
- Stunning and unique aesthetics with a high-quality finish, including nine layers of natural wood and lacquer
- Very impressive audiophile soundstage that is layered with depth, allowing the listener to look 'through' the speakers
- Balanced sound with a sweetness to the treble and clear, focused vocals, regardless of the music content or volume
- Tight and controlled bass delivery that's detailed, articulate, and has a bouncy character—suitable for various room sizes
- Easy to drive with high sensitivity and works well with a range of amplifiers, even those significantly less expensive than the speakers themselves
Product Considerations
- Some audiophiles might find the overall dynamic liveliness a little too polite
- The bass, while satisfying, might be considered modest and not provide huge amounts of bass for bass enthusiasts
Comparisons (according to reviewers)
- Serafino has a warmer sound than the Bowers & Wilkins 803 D4
- Serafino is smoother and more relaxed in the higher frequencies than the Gryphon EOS 2
Takeaway: The Serafino speakers offer a unique blend of beautiful design and balanced sound, making them great for enjoying music for extended periods. Their elegant appearance and easy-to-listen-to nature make them worth considering for an all-around listening experience.
Video review
Our take on the brand
What competes at this price?
Our Summary
Product Strengths
- Exceptional imaging and soundstage.
- Detailed high-frequency reproduction.
- Tight and accurate bass.
- Elegant design and high-quality build.
- Good value for the price.
Product Considerations
- Midrange response may have a 'hole' or 'scoop'.
- Sweet spot is narrow.
- Amplifier matching benefits from good current delivery.
- Positioning requires careful attention.
- Speakers are only available in black or white.
Comparisons (according to reviewers)
- Vs GoldenEar Technology T66—the X3's tweeter is in 'a whole other class of high-frequency reproduction'.
- Vs PureAudioProject Duet 15s—the X3 was faster, clearer, and had better transient response.
- Vs KEF Reference 3 Meta—the X3 seems like a faster, clearer, more transparent speaker.
- Vs Audiovector R3—the X3 has more pronounced and deeper bass.
- Vs Audiovector R6—the R6 offers more visceral dynamics and seems to go lower.
Takeaway: The Børresen X3 is a well-built and visually appealing loudspeaker known for its exceptional imaging, detailed highs, and refined sound. It is a compelling option for those seeking a high-performance speaker in its price range.
Video review
Our take on the brand
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Our Summary
Product Strengths
- Striking aesthetic design is repeatedly praised, seamlessly blending into living spaces
- Exceptional soundstage and imaging are consistently highlighted as standout features
- Balanced presentation across the frequency range offers a smooth integration of bass, midrange, and treble
- Well-controlled and detailed bass integrates well with the other drivers
- Clear and detailed midrange and treble contribute to a fast presentation of vocals and instruments
- Connectivity options are solid
Product Considerations
- The Aura's impedance can drop to a low 2 ohms at 58 Hz, making it a demanding load for amplifiers
- Bass output may not suit all tastes, particularly those who prefer bass-heavy music or have larger rooms
- System matching with warmer components may be necessary to achieve a preferred sound balance
- The placement of the binding posts and the tight space around them are a bit challenging when connecting speaker cables
Comparisons (according to reviewers)
- Compared to SVS Titans, the Aura is a clear step up in clarity and transparency, but the Titans deliver more bass output
- Compared to YG Acoustics Peaks Ascent, the AURA speaker has a very different frequency profile
Takeaway: The Estelon Aura speakers combine striking aesthetics with high-end sound, offering a balanced and engaging listening experience that works well in various rooms. They are a strong contender for audiophiles seeking a speaker that is both visually appealing and sonically refined.
Video review
Our take on the brand
Our Summary
Product Strengths
- Clarity and seamless presentation, along with excellent dynamics and punch
- Impressive bass power, agility, and grip
- The design makes it less obtrusive in a domestic setting than most alternatives
- AMT tweeter provides a crisp, revealing treble
- Damping feature allows for a degree of flexibility in matching the speaker with amplifiers
Product Considerations
- The design lacks the visual elegance of other high-end Audiovector speakers
- Stereo imaging could be more expansive
- The Freedom Grounding cable is expensive as an optional purchase
Takeaway: The Audiovector Trapeze Reimagined combines retro inspiration with modern technology, creating a speaker that puts entertainment first with clarity, dynamics and impressive bass. With its unique design and adaptable sound, it's a great pick for music lovers that want fun and high-end performance.
Video review
Our take on the brand
Our Summary
Product Strengths
- Excellent bass extension and higher dynamic range due to its larger size.
- The cabinet is designed to maximize bass performance using segmented inner chambers.
- A Beryllium tweeter is precisely positioned at the best height for listening, and the midrange is placed above the tweeter to time-align the drivers for coherency at the listening position.
- The midrange driver has Tuned Mass Damper technology, similar to what is employed in racecars and seismic building stabilization, allowing the driver to perform more consistently without losing performance.
Product Considerations
- A small apartment may not be the best destination for it, as it is a large speaker.
- Only a single pair of binding posts is included, so bi-amping or bi-wiring isn't an option.
- It may not be suited to very small rooms where the bottom end can be overpowering, and positioning is important to get the most out of the speaker.
Comparisons (according to reviewers)
- Vs. Focal Sopra N°2: It betters it in terms of scale, presence, dynamics, and detail, resulting in a bolder presentation, greater subtlety, separation, texture, and brings more individual character to voices and instruments, a function of its far more sophisticated harmonic development.
- Vs. Wilson Audio's Sasha W/P: The Focal Sopra N°3 is a more enjoyable speaker to listen to and costs less; the Sopras are lush and wonderfully pleasant to listen to, as opposed to the Wilsons, which are more analytical and difficult to tune in properly.
- Vs. Focal Utopia Scala V2: The Sopra N°3 is a price and performance stepping-stone to the Utopia line.
- Vs. Bowers & Wilkins 800 D3 speakers: Bowers & Wilkins speakers can often be a bit laid back and polite, making the Sopra N°3 a different alternative.
Takeaway: The Focal Sopra N°3 is a high-performing speaker that is able to play any type of music with subtle sounds and unbridled force. It brings the listener closer to the music, so they can feel all the energy of a live performance.
Video review
Our take on the brand
Our Summary
Product Strengths
- Improved feet allow for easier positioning by 'walking' the speaker into place
- New MPD III tweeter provides more detail while remaining smooth
- Demonstrates effortless presentation of scale and space, especially with demanding material
- Faithful communicator of musical color and character, capable of parsing subtleties of instrumental and vocal color
- Delivers soul-satisfying punch from electric bass and kick drum, transient crispness from keyboards and guitars, and a full-bodied reediness from alto sax
Product Considerations
- These speakers are power-hungry
- The Platinum 300 3G is a large loudspeaker, so it will dominate all but the most spacious listening rooms and is a two-person lift, minimum
- Decent money needs to be spent on partnering electronics
- A fair bit of space is needed to do their thing
- The level of control Monitor Audio asserts becomes inappropriate when the music is compressed
Comparisons (according to reviewers)
- The Generation 3 has improved in just about every way when compared to the Monitor Audio Platinum 300 2nd Generation
- Many engineering innovations found in Hyphn have "trickled down" to the current Platinum Series models, especially the transducers, when compared to the Monitor Audio Hyphn
Takeaway: The Platinum 300 3G offers a refined and smooth sound with great dynamics, making it an absolute value for its price range. It's a thoughtfully designed and beautifully built product that is imperturbable with dynamic material and a faithful communicator.
Video review
Our take on the brand
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