{"id":35357,"date":"2023-08-01T10:43:11","date_gmt":"2023-08-01T08:43:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hifi-advice.com\/blog\/?p=35357"},"modified":"2023-08-05T14:36:20","modified_gmt":"2023-08-05T12:36:20","slug":"marten-parker-trio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hifi-advice.com\/blog\/review\/loudspeaker-reviews\/loudspeakers-passive-reviews\/marten-parker-trio\/","title":{"rendered":"Marten Parker Trio"},"content":{"rendered":"

Review organized by Marc Loubeau \/ Prestige Audio Diffusion<\/a>
\nReview sample kindly supplied by HVP Audio<\/a>
\n<\/a><\/h4>\n

Marten Parker Trio Retail prices in France and NL, incl. VAT:
\n<\/strong>Piano Black, Piano White, and Matte Walnut: 19.990 euro
\nPiano Walnut: 21.500 euro
\nDiamond Edition: +13.000 euro<\/h4>\n

Marten<\/h3>\n

Marten may be known primarily for its luxurious cost-no-object Mingus and Coltrane series, but fortunately for those with more modestly-sized wallets, the range also extends to the other side.<\/p>\n

Using less exotic drivers, simpler crossovers, and more straightforward cabinet construction, the Oscar series is the starting point into the world of Marten. Positioned above this range is the Parker series which offers a considerably more lavish build with non-parallel walls, a so-called multi-diverse crossover technique, and more exotic drivers.<\/p>\n

The Parker series is designed to elevate the performance of loudspeakers in its class to a whole new level.\u00a0 Based on what I heard, the Parker series may well represent the sweet spot for the brand in terms of value for money.<\/p>\n

Parker Trio<\/h3>\n

The Parker Series consists of the Duo monitor speaker, the Trio floorstander as reviewed here, and the range-topping Quintet floorstander. Compared with the Duo, the Trio is a 2,5-way speaker rather than a 2-way and it offers an extra woofer as well as an extra passive radiator.<\/p>\n

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The cabinet features tapering sides created from what Marten refers to as M-board, a multi-layered material offering resonance reduction while balancing visual appeal with a low impact on the sound. The Ceramic drivers are custom-designed by Leif Olofsson and produced by Accuton to meet this speaker models’ specific needs. Each driver unit has a very long linear excursion and utilizes a powerful Neodymium magnet system for more control. The tweeter is 1″ in size and made from pure Ceramic. Two 7.5\u201d bass\/midrange ceramic drivers offer a large low-frequency surface area while two passive radiators on the rear allow the control and dynamics as intended for Parker Trio.<\/p>\n

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While every technique has its pros and cons, the evident upside of using a passive radiator instead of a port, according to Marten, is that the sound emanates more evenly and with no port chuffing. All drivers (back and front) are protected by sturdy yet classy and sonically non-intrusive steel mesh grilles.<\/p>\n

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A multi-diverse crossover technique using Polypropylene capacitors and copper foil inductors was developed through hours of listening and testing, along with rigorous simulation, calculation, and measurement. The speakers are internally wired with Jorma cables. Handmade in Sweden, these cables use the highest quality copper and separate plus and minus leads for enhanced shielding.<\/p>\n

With 91dB of sensitivity, the Parker Trio is quite efficient, and combined with a friendly 6 Ohms impedance and no dips lower than 3.1 Ohms, the speakers should be easy to drive with most amplifiers.<\/p>\n

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Further to the subject of reducing resonance, Marten has sought a collaboration with IsoAcoustics who created the Marten Isolators for exclusive use as footers for Marten loudspeakers. According to the manufacturer, these Isolators reduce resonance and distortion by completely isolating the speaker from the supporting surface. Of course, that is not to be taken literally because, as far as I know, there is no such thing as absolute isolation. One is always coupling a product to its supporting surface. But one can certainly reduce the transmission of certain frequencies, by shifting them to less harmful bands. In any case, there are always tradeoffs to any coupling mechanism, be it hard-coupling solutions such as spikes,\u00a0 cones, ball-bearing mechanisms, or compliant solutions. The trick is to use the right mechanism for the particular use case. Marten Isolators are constructed such that they are optimized for the speaker’s cabinet weight and they are said to work to reduce internal reflections and cleverly resist lateral movement and oscillations while allowing a degree of freedom in the other directions to convert excess vibration into heat.<\/p>\n

The Parker Trio is available in Piano Walnut, Matte Walnut, Piano Black (as reviewed), and Piano White.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Above: Parker Trio in Piano White<\/em><\/p>\n

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Above: Piano Walnut (glossy); Below: Matte Walnut<\/em><\/p>\n

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Review Context<\/h3>\n

The speakers were listened to in the main system<\/a> that consists of the CH Precision C1.2<\/a> DAC, CH Precision L1<\/a> preamplifier, CH Precision A1.5<\/a> power amp, normally flanked by Magico S1 MkII speakers. Digital sources include the Grimm MU1<\/a> and Antipodes K50<\/a>, both running Roon.<\/p>\n

Speaker cables used are Mad Scientist Black Magic<\/a>, Driade Flow Reference 808<\/a>, and Jorma Unity (which were also supplied for this review).<\/p>\n

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Running In \/ Warming Up<\/h3>\n

This pair was fully run in when delivered but Dutch distributor Hans van Put mentioned that the speakers may need some time to come fully on song after a period of no use and that this may partly be due to their construction with two passive radiators. As I found, the speakers sounded lush and delicate from the very first notes, but they did indeed become tighter and more coherent after playing for about an hour, after which their performance remained fully stable. The next day, I noticed a similar need for warming up but less pronounced than the first time, and in the days thereafter, I no longer noticed any such effects.<\/p>\n

Next: Listening<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Listening<\/h3>\n

Naturalness ranks at the very top of the list of properties for Marten loudspeakers and even in the face of very high inherent resolution and great transparency, their speakers always sound unforced to me and very natural indeed. After having reviewed the higher-tier Mingus Quintet<\/a> in 2017, I anticipated the more affordable Parker Trio to introduce some concessions. But it has to be said, these concessions are not at all obvious, and the Parker Trio portrays all of the typical hallmarks of a Marten speaker.<\/p>\n

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Sure enough, the resolution and transparency are beyond reproach. The speakers are easily as highly resolving as my Magico S1 MkIIs and offer fuller bass that goes significantly deeper. The Parker Trios have a wonderful cleanness and purity with excellent detail retrieval, yet they are sweet and sound remarkably lush. These speakers are precise but with a relaxed musicality-first approach. You will hear flaws in recordings but never in an unforgiving manner. In part, this is because while they are articulate and highly resolving, they also possess a gentlemen-like restraint that generally avoids hardness and sharp transients. Another reason is that the bass is not of the iron-fisted kind but rather more akin to how a full-range dipole ribbon speaker reproduces bass. It’s just all there with no effort at all as if radiating from a very large surface.<\/p>\n

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The Parker Trios work well with pretty much all genres such as classical, soul, vocal, pop, fusion, world music, and electronic, but their relaxed smoothness makes them arguably work less well with rock and other styles that require a decidedly iron-fisted or hard-hitting speaker behavior. The speakers will happily pump out the most demanding of music styles and as loudly as you like (louder than I can take, actually) but I would say they are more suited for\u00a0the riper music lover and audiophile.<\/p>\n

Imaging is rock-solid while the soundstage hangs airily and entirely freely all around the speakers. The overall presentation is relaxed but not slow. Likewise, I would not characterize the imaging as either forward or laidback but rather in-between, with the stage expanding equally in all directions.<\/p>\n

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The Parker Trio’s treble performance in particular is truly superb. It may occasionally be just a tad spicy but thanks to its utter purity and articulation, combined with its remarkably immediate, impulsive, and dynamic behavior, I feel that this speaker’s high-frequency range is superbly realistic. Hi-hats, for instance, not only have the familiar shimmer, but the initial energetic attack with that characteristic wood-on-metal whack is also reproduced in a thoroughly convincing manner.<\/p>\n

While on the subject of treble, I should note that one area in which the Mingus Quintet improves on the Parker Trio is in terms of ultimate refinement. When I reviewed the Mingus Quintet, I was amazed at the immense subtlety and refinement of the Diamond tweeter, especially since it was combined with retina-like resolution. At the time, I had a long and recent history of using Magnepan and Apogee ribbons and I vividly recall feeling that the Mingus Quintet was the first speaker to offer not just an alternative but even more highly resolving and even more delicate treble performance. With that experience in mind, the Parker Trio’s treble is admittedly relatively a little less finely resolved and less delicate. But these relative differences aside, the Parker Trio’s treble is infinitely<\/em> more refined than the average soft-fabric dome tweeter.<\/p>\n

Just to be sure, I set out to obtain a second opinion from my younger neighbor Jessyca who is not spoilt by audiophile pretensions but has very sensitive ears. Not having told her what to look out for, I had her listen to a few tracks. She never flinched and when asked later confirmed that the treble could indeed be on the edge, but never overbearing, and actually generally sweet. Moreover, she praised the speaker’s naturalness and unforced soundstaging. I guess that says more than enough:-)<\/p>\n

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Stable as a Rock<\/h3>\n

The Marten Isolators not only provide resonance control but they also plant the speaker extremely firmly on the floor. Especially when you have a hard floor like the laminate that I have, you will find that the Isolators will create a vacuum seal with the floor, preventing the speaker from ever coming from its place. That is unless you want it to as it can easily be decoupled by tilting the speaker sideways.<\/p>\n

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Jorma Cables<\/h3>\n

Along with the speakers, I was also provided with a range of Jorma Cables: the Unity XLR interlink, Unity Speaker Cables, and Unity Power Cables. Rather against my prediction, the cables turned out not only to work superbly synergistically with the Parker Trios, but they also proved a smashing success by further elevating the overall quality of the system. Both the interlinks and speaker cables were instant successes, improving the definition and expression while remaining fluid, tonally rich, and natural.<\/p>\n

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Driade Flow Reference 808<\/a> Speaker Cables worked wonderfully well but there was an extra special synergy when using Jorma Unity speaker cables<\/em><\/p>\n

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The power cables leaned more toward the sweet and voluptuous side, providing a particularly lush delivery that was just a little too mellow for my system and taste. As it follows, this review was carried out with the Jorma Unity interlink and speaker cables in place, and they never left the system! These cables are so exceptional that they deserve a separate review:-)<\/p>\n

Diamond Edition<\/h3>\n

If there’s a lust for the elusive infinite refinement and delicacy that diamond tweeters can bring, then it is good to know that the Parker Trio can be upgraded to Diamond edition. This upgrade entails not only a Diamond tweeter, but also more advanced crossover components (including copper foil capacitors and inductors), improved terminals, and Jorma Statement<\/em> internal cables. I’m told that this upgrade is far from subtle and I believe it! Of course, it comes at a price, but I’d wager that the extra 13k will bring the Parker Trio significantly closer to the Mingus Quintet.<\/p>\n

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Conclusion<\/h2>\n

At a hair under 20,000 euros, the Parker Trio may not be a bargain but it has to be noted that this speaker possesses a heck of a lot of the typical hallmarks of much more expensive Marten products. In today’s world of ever-inflating audio equipment prices where one often pays more to get less compared to 10 years ago, the Parker Trio delivers true value for money.<\/p>\n

The Parker Trio provides a wonderful cleanness and purity with excellent detail retrieval, yet with remarkable sweetness and lushness. These speakers are precise but with a relaxed musicality-first approach. You will hear flaws in recordings but never in an unforgiving manner. The Parker Trio is a speaker for those who not only want to relax into the music but also want to hear what is going on in the mix whilst avoiding turning into an audio critic.<\/p>\n

Associated Equipment<\/a><\/p>\n

External Links<\/h3>\n

Manufacturer: Marten<\/a><\/p>\n

Distributor for the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg: HVP Audio<\/a>
\nTel: +31614926947
\nEmail: hvp.audio@telfort.nl<\/a><\/p>\n

Distributor for France & Monaco:
\nPRESTIGE AUDIO SELECTION<\/p>\n

Contact : Marc Loubeau
\nTel: +33(0)6 49 89 68 88
\nEmail :\u00a0contact@prestigeaudio-selection.fr<\/a><\/p>\n

Two portfolios :
\nPrestige Audio Diffusion: www.prestigeaudio-diffusion.fr<\/a>
\nPrestige Audio Selection: www.prestigeaudio-selection.fr<\/a><\/p>\n

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