Coltrane Tenors
 

Just put an order in for a pair of Coltrane Tenors. They will be replacing a pair of Magico S1's which the wife decided decided she didn't like the look of, and told me to get something to match the Eames chairs.

will keep u posted when they arrive - 6 weeks

paul

Sweet!

http://marten.se/blog/wp-content/upl...01/setup21.jpg

Coltrane Tenors.. A little smaller, just as beautiful!
Attachment 32578
This is a substantial price hike from S1. Would be interested to hear your comparo notes of the two. :lurk:

Great looking speakers.

+ 1. Big congrats on the Coltrane Tenors Paul! I used to own Coltrane Alto's and can fully appreciate their purity, electrostatic-like speed and imaging accuracy. And the Coltrane Tenors are a level or two up on the Alto's. I'll be curious to hear your view also. What amps/front end are you pairing them with? Btw, Jorma cables match well with the Coltranes as they are internally wired with Jorma.

Cheers,

HI David

ill be using my trusty Vitus SIA-025 and Cd player, all wiring will be existing Jorma

it was a bit hard to find something that suited aesthetically while still having a sound I liked - so hopefully these tick the box

ill let you know how they sound when i get them

Congrats Paul! They are absolutely beautiful looking speakers. I'll bet they sound tremendous. Please give us a full report once their set up.

Best,
Ken

Some serious transducers you got there. Congratulations.

I've heard the Coltrane Tenors a gazzlion times by now :)
You will be VERY VERY happy with them.

I have the Bird 2...you and I share the same midrange and tweeter.

Even at this early stage , I would strongly recommend investigating Stillpoints Ultra V's as footers . Ditch the black diamond racing pucks , will be a HUGE gain . I did under my Coltrane 2 , improves it in every facet and particularly in the sound completely detaching from the enclosure . Be prepared for an extended run in though , those ceramic drivers take some time to run in and mesh as one. All the best , be interested to hear on how you get on with them .

jazzhead, do you have place to get a good deal on the Stillpoints Ultra V's? 8x $699 retail is a good chunk of change for footers ;)

I am very much privy to the gains gotten via Stillpoints. I own and use their ESS rack.

shaizada .. nice rig ... you have the Robert Levi recommended pairing , EAR + Marten . Try another RL recommended tweak , The Robert Stein Speaker Match plus . I have it on the Coltrane 2 and positives are all I have to report . A lot cheaper than the V's too . Yes, the V's are bleedingly expensive , is your ESS rack the latest generation ?

Jazzhead how long did ur coltrane2's take to break in?

I would say around 300 hrs for it to settle and then further smoothen out with prolonged use . I had the internals upgraded to Prime wiring from No.1 , as I was running a Origo/Prime loom at the time , have since changed to a complete Stage3 Concept loom . Do you have the option of switching your SIA-25 to a power amp and driving it with an external tube pre ? a touch of the tube with SS muscle does the trick on the Martens as far as I am concerned .

thx. Yes can do that with the Vitus but going to see how settles down first before deciding to upgrade further still - although i do have a spare shelf on my finite element rack.

Thanks!

Robert Levi is my neighbour...I keep checking the latest greatest tunes at his place all the time :) I almost hear every single item he reviews before it get's published.

I use a bunch of Holger Stein stuff...Stein Harmonizers cubes (x4), E-Pads, Stein Signature Speaker Matches, and all versions of the Stein Feet.

My ESS Rack is the one right before the latest skeletal version. I just can't be without proper shelves ;)

I loved the time I spent with my Coltranes, and clearly the Tenors should be a step about the Altos. I posted a short video from CES 2013 below.

Btw congrats on the SIA-025! Mine is approaching 250hrs & sounding great. VA & Marten have great synergy as you know. And we're on the same page with Jorma cables. Again, a great choice with your gear :thumbsup:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENw5MW2v6dI]Marten Coltrane Tenor at CES 2013 - YouTube[/ame]

A good friend uses the Coltranes with a pr. 890 amps, 912 preamp, EAR cd/dac, and Steinmusic catridge. SPECIAL :banana:
Congrats I think your going to love your Tenors.

Nice..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2-GwbeeTbs

Hey Tom!

Are you referring to Chuck Bruce, Casper or Art Womack?
The only other people I am aware of with that system.

The Steinmusic cartridge is excellent and one I like a lot :) I hear it all the time on the EAR Discmaster turntable at Bob Levi's place.

It has a full, warm and inviting sound! Totally musical on those Helius Omega arms.

http://usr.audioasylum.com/images/0/2494/TT1.jpg

What are your thoughts on the sounds of the system? I know you love BAT gear which I have great respect for...so really hoping to hear your opinion.

Hi David, I am interested very much with your comment highlighted above, what electrostats or panels have you owned? Can't say I've heard the coherency of the same but then I've only lived with a few panels & heard a couple of Martens in a home environment on a more repetitive experience, just trying to get a base from that opinion.

Hi Bzr, I haven't owned any electrostats, but Secher Audio used to regularly have Martin Logan & Essence ESL's which I got to listen to. Of those, actually a relatively humble ML CLS IIz was the most coherent of panels I heard. I have also owned Infinity Renaissance 90's which used High Energy Emit & Emim drivers, so i've had good references. The Coltrane's make good use of the Accuton drivers & Leif spends a lot of time tuning them to get the sound he wants. That said, ultimately I fell in love with the Magico/Vitus combo though. Kind of best of both worlds.

Ha :-) , should have guessed looking at your line up , keen to know your take on the Stein Speaker Match , have you bi-wired your birds ?

The Bird 2 speakers don't have a biwire setup anymore. Leif figured out a much higher quality crossover design by simplifying and using fewer, better quality parts. So now it's only a single wire :)

All of the Stein stuff has to be experimented with in your system. When working right, you get a larger soundstage, more textural information and just a beautiful listening presentation. The speakers just seem to work better. The fundamental character of the system remains. Very weird, but effective products. :thumbsup:

Shaiz, I recall asking Leif about the Bird 2's when they were released. Regarding the crossover, Leif he told me "The crossover components is very similar to Coltrane series."

And on moving to single wire connections for the Bird 2, leif said "We have changed at the Heritage series because its more easy and cheaper for the customer to buy a good singe wire cable compared to a bi-wire cable. Many customers experimenting with different cable brands and types between the mid/high and low and that is not good. Still is a good bi-wiring cable in bi-wiring system a bit better so we kept it for the Coltrane series."

By the way, the Bird 2's are internally wired with Jorma No 2 cable.

Hey David,

Thanks for chiming in! We have a few versions of Marten Bird speakers in my local audio group. Bob Levi has Bird 1 with the Bi Wire setup, another friend has Bird 1.5 (Same drivers as the new Bird 2, but Bi Wired Crossover and also rewired internally with Jorma Prime. Basically has the older crossover and newer drivers). Out of all 3, the Bird 2 sounds slightly more natural and cohesive. Also, the Bird 2 is the only one with the Bass Control knob between our 3 Bird speakers. The EAR USA distributor agreed with me and explained the more simplified and updated crossover as the reason per Leif.

Good to know about the Bird 2 being wired with Jorma No.2 cables. The crossover, the Bird 2 speaker everything has been tweaked and designed for a complete package as per Leif's ears. I'm thinking that is probably why my Birds sound the way they do despite the Bird 1.5 using Jorma Prime. Probably the crossover components have been designed with the sound of the Jorma 2 cable. The speakers just worked amazingly well for me in my room. It's been fun!

YW Shaizada, you've got some esteemed company in your Audio group. Bob L knows his stuff. Leif spends a lot of time tuning his speakers to get the sound he wants, and so to me there is no point in upgrading the internal wiring for example. Theoretically using the same wire internally as your speaker wire & ic's would improve coherency, but might upset the overall balance of the speaker which as you said, would have been tuned using Jorma No.2 in this case. Good show!

Hard to believe that the Bird 1.5 is wired with Prime , when the higher Coltrane with No.1 . I consulted Leif about the change to Prime in my Coltrane2 from No.1 and he mentioned it to be be a worthwhile upgrade . As it is factory installed , they must be tweaking the x-over if need be to optimise . It is a 10k move , so am sure there will be no half measures .

Bird 1.5 was a developmental model while designing the Bird 2. The Jorma Prime internal wire was a custom upgrade and is definitely not standard.

The 10k move is most likely pure wiring cost. The crossover would definitely need to be tweaked to compensate for any frequency anomalies so probably it is best to confirm with Leif on that :)

Jorma No.1 was basically the same as Jorma No.2 but with Bybees in the signal path. With Jorma No.1 discontinued, we now have the Jorma Unity which takes its place.

It would be Chuck. :). Chucks system is great. I think his Coltranes are a step above my Kipods. Equal but different to the YG Anats. I prefer the BAT gear I have to his EAR gear. But I have no doubt he likes his EAR gear better. We are both lovers of the BENZ cartridges in one form or another. He has the Ruby3 rebuilt with S class, and the steinmusic. I have the LPS and Gullwing.

So my dealer left an hour ago, the kids are in bed and i can hear my new speakers for the first time.

Im listening to Stacey Kent Dreamer in Concert - which is convenient because i just saw her in live two nights ago here in Melbourne.

All i can say is that they present a startlingly palpable sound. Im hearing things jumping out from the corners of the room far beyond the boundaries of the speaker.

All those who might be concerned about the harshness of ceramic drivers and diamond tweeters - its simply not there. There is a richness even a lushness to the sound that is very different to my old Magico's - which i prefer.

Will post more later

paul

Paul - congratulations on your newest acquisition! I'm sure they must sound superb with your Vitus SIA-025 and CD player. With lesser electronics the ceramic midrange can be harsh, but they will reveal the fine quality of your gear. Enjoy them in good health!

Yeah, yuck, Magico S-1's. How could anyone in their right mind buy a pair of those ugly things. . . . and since they are so ugly, you'll probably be throwing them out . . .
and would you please let me know when you do . . . I'd drive a thousand miles to collect them from your trash pile. :D

They will certainly match any chairs I've got.

http://www.soundandcolors.com/wp-con...agico-S1-1.jpg

the speakers are breaking in nicely and I'm really startled by how good they sound. I know everyone says that when they buy new stuff, but some of the things that stand out are

- the quietest speakers I've ever heard. I simply can't place them at all in my room, its like the music spills out in front, behind and to the sides
- very smooth top to bottom, the sound is very seamless as it moves between the drivers
- the most textured bass I've heard from a relatively compact enclosure. Its very easy to discern individual notes from a double bass, and the different types of drums and even different drumsticks
- uncanny imaging
- great midrange, with just the right amount of warmth for me ( i came from sonus faber before i got my magico's) so that was quite important for me
- in my room which is quite small 12.6 by 14 they integrate just fine and i have one right up close to a side wall


ill post more to let you know if there are any changes as they continue to break in

I went ahead and picked up a pair of Marten Coltrane Tenor's:

https://c8.staticflickr.com/8/7591/2...619de6cc_b.jpg

Pardon the mess, all will be cleared up soon with just one rack in the middle of the speakers with turntable, preamp and cd player / dac.

well done Shaz

u will love the I'm sure

What a great setup and those lovely Martens and that AMAZING Townshend Rock 7 TT :music:

New turntable came in today actually!

The EAR Discmaster :) I did a test fitting and assembling of it. Waiting to put on the arms!

https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8810/2...fa467774_b.jpg

https://c3.staticflickr.com/9/8566/2...bea55555_b.jpg

[QUOTE=pweg;603824]the speakers are breaking in nicely and I'm really startled by how good they sound. I know everyone says that when they buy new stuff, but some of the things that stand out are


Hi Paul,

Just out of interest. Are there C2’s still part of your setup as main speaker? If so, what is your verdict/thought after a long period of ownership?

I can’t stop dreaming to own a pair like that[emoji1]

Thanks

Evan (I’m in Melbourne too[emoji6]）

no they are gone

i have Coltrane 3's now foe some time