Marten originates from the striking landscapes of Sweden and was founded by Leif Mårten Olofsson in 1988. Inspired by his grandfather, who meticulously crafted a violin mirroring the design of a Stradivarius, Leif imbued Marten with lofty ambitions and a deep-seated love for music. Today, Marten still proudly stands as a family-owned enterprise, honouring its rich heritage.
With speaker models bearing names like ‘Oscar’, ‘Parker’, and ‘Coltrane’, Marten's commitment to audio excellence is unmistakable. These names not only reflect the brand's dedication to superior sound, but also evoke the effortless mastery of the musicians they pay homage to.
Infused with timeless Swedish cool, Marten speakers present a poised, understated exterior that effortlessly blends luxury with refinement. Yet their sleek elegance and simplicity belies the groundbreaking technology and material innovation at the very heart of every Marten design. In fact, these speakers share more in common with Formula 1 racing cars than they do conventional loudspeaker designs.
Employing a fusion of resilient wood laminates and cutting-edge carbon fiber composites, alongside ceramic drivers and bespoke crossovers featuring silver foil capacitors, Marten engineers craft true masterpieces that transcend mere audio reproduction. Instead, they create musical windows capable of enveloping listeners in a holographic performance that stirs both your senses and your soul.
Today we put the stunning Marten Coltrane 3’s to the test. These formidable designs embody the very best of Marten, with a generous, expressive midband, silky top-end and impeccably extended, articulated bass. Each element combines seamlessly to create a tactile soundstage that you can almost touch and feel, filling every corner of the room leaving other speakers to appear compressed and dynamically limited by comparison - a true reference design.
We partnered these with the formidable TAD Evolution series D1000TX-S SACD player and C1000-S preamplifier pairing, alongside the svelte yet purposeful B.amp mono power amplifier from B.audio. Cables were kept Jorma Audio throughout, not just because they are also Swedish, but moreover as the Coltrane 3’s are wired internally with the same and thus provide the greatest synergy and most direct line-of-sighrt between the amplifier and the loudspeaker driver.
So how was the experience? Let's just say, I intended to dive straight into Pink Floyd's ‘Money’ from Dark Side of the Moon, fully prepared to skip forward to my favourite track, yet found myself utterly immobilised on the sofa, unable to even lift a finger toward the remote. Despite having listened to this album countless times, what unfolded was akin to hearing it for the first time. Every densely woven layer of sound became tangible, almost palpable, while the scale and transparency of the musical image breathed new life into the familiar tunes. It wasn't just a matter of listening to Floyd, it was as if they took over my demo room for an exclusive gig!
For enquiries or to hear these speakers for yourself please call T. 01707 320788 or email us at sales@nintronics.co.uk
