Marten Parker Duo Review

Two-way stand speakers with passive radiator

These loudspeakers seemed to us to be particularly interesting and deserving of an in-depth study because they address the topic of the stand-mounted loudspeaker with a very personal approach, which we report on in the remainder of this article.
Being a product of the emblazoned Swedish manufacturer, it was fair to expect exciting musical performance, which punctually arrived.

A decidedly distinctive Standmounter

The Parker Duo are not your typical “shoeboxes” resting on a stand.
Far from it.
They are rather large speakers (22/28 x 42 x 36 cm) and, consequently, the stands must also be of adequate size.
We had them on test with the dedicated stands, which seemed to us to be an almost obligatory choice since they allow a very solid fastening thanks to four large through screws to which correspond as many mother screws on the bottom panel of the speakers.

Driver equipment consists of a 7.5-inch ceramic mid woofer made to Marten’s design by Accuton and a 1-inch tweeter, also ceramic.
In the Diamond version the tweeter is equipped with a diamond dome, which consequently implies a considerable increase in cost (+11,000 €).
On the rear panel we find a 9″ aluminum passive radiator.
This technical solution, in vogue a few years ago but little adopted lately, allows a truly remarkable low-frequency descent, imposing, however, a certain distance from the bottom end on pain of a decay of the excellent performance in the low range.
It should be clear from what has been described that the Parker Duo are not speakers that make small size their main characteristic.
They are, in our opinion, a compulsory choice for those who do not have a room with sufficient cubic capacity to accommodate a floorstanding speaker, but do not want to give up the quality of a Marten high-end speaker.
Recall that in the Swedish manufacturer’s catalog there are Parker Trio speakers that have an extra mid woofer and belong to the category of floorstanding speakers.

As with all Marten speakers, the build quality is at superlative levels: the cabinet, made of thick 35 mm thick M-board, is finished with a mirror polish of stunning quality.
Three finishes are available: Piano Walnut, Matte Walnut or Piano Black.
The first is the one that was provided to us for this test and which we have attempted to render with photographs that will not, however, succeed in conveying the quality of the workmanship.
On the rear panel we find a single pair of WBT Nextgen connectors, so the speaker is not set up for bi-wiring.
The components of the Multi Diverse crossover of superlative quality, with ribbon coils and capacitors of the highest quality from the best brands.
Finally, of note is the fact that the drivers are protected by non-removable metal grilles and the classic cloth covers are completely absent.
A choice that we fully agree with in spite of the many who consider metal grilles aesthetically impactful in a negative way.

Listening

We connected the Marten Parker Duo to several amplifiers: A pair of Spectral DMC 30SL with a DMA 250 power amp, then to a pair of Jeff Rowland Capri 2C sc + Model 555 pre and power amp, and finally to an Audio Analogue Puccini Anniversary integrated amplifier.
In all cases we were able to appreciate very high quality although the Jeff Rowland pair, perhaps by virtue of superior driving ability, was the one that allowed the full potential of these speakers to be expressed.
The first thing that struck us, and thrilled us, was the ease with which a very wide acoustic scene can be achieved in the three axes with a commendable ability to articulate sound planes in depth.
The previously expressed recommendation of allowing enough air to let these Parker Duo “breathe” adequately always applies.
Timbrally, listening to these Martens is a real “journey” within the sonorities of each element on the recording.
The colors and warmth of each instrument is expressed admirably, succeeding in conveying all the emotion that the piece of music is capable of evoking.
Helping in this is the extraordinary speed of this speaker, which, when properly supported by the amplification, allows for truly realistic listening thanks to the lightning-fast transients.

Conclusions

Speakers for the discerning palate, for those who have already experienced various high-end speakers, these Parker Duo speakers will satisfy the needs of the most knowledgeable enthusiast.
They are certainly not “gut punch” or special effects speakers.
Instead, they are speakers that will delight those who know and love the sound of instruments in reality.