Introducing the Marten Coltrane IIs

[howiebrou]

Well I've gone and done it now. Bought a pair of speakers that cost more than my car but boy ol boy these speakers can sing!

To be honest I have always been wary of speakers with ceramic drivers but Marten has always produced great sounding speakers. Their Coltranes have sounded wonderful on the various occassions that I have listened to them.

They are a very neutral speaker but ol lordy lord, the resolution and detail is to die for! Don't take this to mean harsh and bright which they certainly are not, but incredibly revealing. I have literally never heard so much detail coming from a singer's mouth as I do with these Coltrane IIs.

Previously you could hear the air being inhaled with the Stradivaris but now you see the pout, the licking of the lips, the swallow before the note etc. It really is incredible to hear all this detail.

They are a great fit with the Kondo Ongaku which drives it with some ease, and it produces a clean and pure mid range with well controlled base from the 11 inch ceramic drivers. The huge diamond tweeter reproduces high frequencies without being bright like some diamond tweeters I have heard.

All in all I am very pleased with these so far.