The Marten Oscar Duo is a compact, high-performance speaker that delivers the signature Marten sound through custom ceramic drivers and minimalist design. Offering powerful bass, expansive soundstage, and exceptional clarity, it’s ideal for audiophiles seeking high-end performance in a smaller package.
Marten Oscar Duo: Rethinking Design for Superior Sound
The Marten Oscar Duo represents a bold step forward in speaker design, sparking a rethink to deliver Marten’s renowned sound using innovative new technology. Bespoke drivers were specifically created for this model to achieve the Marten signature sound in a more compact form. The Oscar Duo is not just about sound but about pushing the boundaries of design—understanding challenges, taking risks, and rethinking traditional approaches were key in the creation of the Oscar series.
Ceramic Domes: Advanced Technology for Natural Sound
At the heart of the Oscar Duo’s exceptional performance are its brand new ceramic drivers. These drivers are crafted from hard ceramic, a material known as sapphire due to its lightness and extreme rigidity. This makes it one of the best materials for speaker membranes, offering a high internal damping factor and minimal distortion. The high material resonance frequency of the ceramic domes ensures a level of clarity that is the holy grail for high-end speakers, delivering an incredibly natural and transparent sound.
Precision-Crafted Cabinets
The exterior design of the Oscar Duo is a study in minimalist elegance—no unnecessary details or embellishments. The cabinets are meticulously crafted to balance strength with elegance, perfectly complementing the speaker’s sound. The optional magnetic grilles snap on with a satisfying click, streamlining the form without altering the acoustic properties, and ensuring that the speaker looks as good as it sounds.
Premium Internal Wiring
To achieve the highest possible sound quality, Marten uses Jorma Design internal wiring in the Oscar Duo. Handmade in Sweden, these cables are known for their exceptional quality, utilizing separate + and – wires for enhanced shielding and the highest quality copper. This results in a natural, transparent sound that perfectly complements the precision design and build of the Oscar Duo, ensuring that every detail of your music is faithfully reproduced.
Custom-Designed Stand and Isolation Feet
Marten didn’t stop at the speakers themselves—they also designed a custom stand specifically for the Oscar Duo. This stand is the result of many iterations, striking the perfect balance between form and function. Its triple-pillar design reduces weight while maintaining stability, effectively dealing with vibrations that could otherwise impact sound quality. Additionally, the feet of the stand are designed to isolate the speaker from the supporting surface, using spikes as a tried-and-tested method to reduce resonance and enhance sound clarity.
Low Order Crossover for High Dynamics
The Oscar Duo features a second-order crossover, creatively designed to maximize dynamic range while maintaining clarity and detail. This crossover uses high-quality components, including copper foil air core coils, silver/gold capacitors, and supreme resistors, all internally connected with Jorma cabling. This design ensures that the Oscar Duo delivers music with a full-bodied, dynamic sound that is both powerful and refined.
Space-Filling Sound in Any Environment
Despite its compact size, the Oscar Duo delivers a sound that fills the room, rivaling that of much larger speakers. Whether in a small apartment or a larger living space, these speakers offer solid and tight sound that feels like it’s coming from a speaker with a much larger footprint. The Oscar Duo is an all-around performer, easily fitting into any space while delivering exceptional sound quality.
Conclusion: A New Standard in Compact High-End Speakers
The Marten Oscar Duo sets a new standard for what can be achieved in a compact speaker design. With its bespoke drivers, minimalist cabinets, premium internal wiring, and custom stands, the Oscar Duo delivers the full Marten sound in a more accessible form. Whether you’re an experienced audiophile or new to high-end audio, the Oscar Duo promises an immersive and natural listening experience that will elevate your enjoyment of music.
Additional information
Weight
13 kg
Dimensions
32 × 20 × 40 cm
Finishes
High finish laminated cabinets. Available in Matte Walnut, Piano Black and Piano White.
Frequency Range
37-20000 Hz +-3dB
Power Rating
150 W
Sensitivity
86 dB / 1 m / 2.83V
Impedance
6 ohm (3.1 Ohm min)
Crossover Frequency
Second order 2500 Hz
Terminals
Single-wiring WBT Nextgen
Internal Wiring
Jorma Design
Cabinet
25 mm fibre laminate Matte Walnut, Piano Black or White
Spike Dimensions
2.5cm (1")
Stand Dimensions
28 x 65.75 x 40cm (11 x 25.9 x 15.7")
About Marten
Marten Audio, a Swedish luxury loudspeaker manufacturer, is renowned for producing meticulously crafted speakers that deliver natural, uncoloured sound with minimal distortion. Their product lines – Coltrane, Mingus, Parker, and Oscar – cater to different audiophile preferences, each maintaining Marten’s focus on transparency, precision, and exceptional sound reproduction.
The Coltrane Series, Marten’s flagship line, represents the pinnacle of the brand’s technology. The Coltrane Quintet, featuring diamond and ceramic drivers housed in a carbon-fibre cabinet, is celebrated for its ultra-low distortion and expansive soundstage. It offers deep bass and transparent highs, making it a top choice for listeners seeking dynamic range, emotional depth, and unparalleled sonic accuracy. The Coltrane Series is designed for audiophiles who demand sonic excellence in high-end sound.
The Mingus Series, including models like the Mingus Septet and Quintet 2, incorporates many of the same technologies found in the Coltrane line but in a more compact form. The Mingus Septet is known for its rich bass, balanced midrange, and detailed, immersive listening experience. It’s ideal for those who prefer smaller speakers without sacrificing the engaging and dynamic sound that Marten is known for.
The Parker Series, including the Parker Trio, offers high-end performance at a more approachable price within Marten’s lineup. The Parker Trio features custom-designed ceramic drivers and passive radiators, delivering a wide soundstage, impressive bass control, and clean, uncoloured midrange and highs. Its versatility makes it suitable for a broad range of music genres, offering precise sound reproduction without sacrificing warmth.
The Oscar Series brings Marten’s core sound qualities to a more accessible price point. The Oscar Trio and Oscar Duo deliver detailed sound and natural tonality, embodying Marten’s signature transparency at a lower price. Despite being entry-level, the Oscar speakers maintain low distortion and high precision. These models can also be upgraded with diamond tweeters, providing audiophiles the option to elevate their listening experience with additional refinement and clarity.
For those seeking even greater refinement, Marten offers upgrade options across their speaker lines. The Diamond Edition upgrades add diamond tweeters, advanced crossover components, and Jorma Statement internal cabling, significantly improving detail retrieval, precision, and overall performance. The Parker Trio, when upgraded to the Diamond Edition, approaches the performance level of Marten’s more premium models.
Marten also frequently integrates Jorma Design cables into their systems, ensuring a seamless connection between components. These cables are known for their neutrality and transparency, perfectly aligning with Marten’s goal of delivering uncoloured sound while reducing interference and enhancing clarity.
Together, these speaker lines and partnerships showcase Marten’s dedication to delivering high-quality, emotionally engaging sound experiences across various price points.
Reviews
Terry Ellis – Pursuit Perfect System (Februrary, 2022)
“I do think some audiophiles will have a hard time comprehending spending this much money on stand mount speakers when you can have good floor standing speakers for less. However flip that notion on its head for a second and think you can have a floor stander like sound and performance from a speaker your wife wont divorce you for buying and that wont dominate the room and that will be music to a lot of other audiophiles ears no pun intended.”
Terry Ellis – Perfect Pursuit System – YouTube (Februrary, 2022)
“In this video I am reviewing the Marten Oscar Duo Stand Mount HiFi Speakers on their dedicated speaker stands. They have really stunned me with what they can deliver in terms of bass presence and power from such a modest sized speaker, they sound like floor standing speakers and I think they are “breaking moulds” in this regard. They also have very good stereo imaging with a nice amount of clarity and overall quality of sound and very good dynamics.”
Marc Phillips – Part Time Audiophile (Februrary, 2021)
“On the other hand, the Marten Oscar Duos are intriguing because they don’t sound like the other premium two-way monitors I’ve championed lately, although I do think they have a lot in common with the Stenheims in terms of clarity and presence. Instead of me saying that the Duos aren’t like those other speakers, which suggests a “not my cup of tea but you may love it” pseudo-recommendation, I’m going to come out and say these speakers made me reconsider what I deem a priority in bookshelf speaker designs. The more time I spent with the Marten Oscar Duos, the more I realized that I could definitely make this new, faster approach “my” sound.”
“In the final analysis and in my apartment the Swedish Oscar Duo two driver monitors get 90% of the source just as it is. Ask yourself what should speakers sound like. The only sensible answer must be, absolutely nothing. As I began, I asked myself if the Marten Duo speakers were true to their sources. By that I mean that they let everything upfront come through without alteration, then the answer is yes. Everything I have described so far could not exist without a very accurate transducer. The Marten Duo does not have a company trademark sound or any definable music inflection. In no small measure, they represent a breakthrough in transparent speaker design. If you do try them, I know you will buy them.”
Michael Fremer – Stereophile Magazine (October, 2020)
“The speaker’s two most impressive qualities were its confounding bass performance—its ability to present the illusion of genuine low-frequency extension (I’m looking forward to the measurements) without clogging up the lower midrange and doing damage to acoustic guitars and voices.”
“If you have always wanted to own a pair of Marten speakers, but are limited by budget, the Oscar Duo can be a good starting point. If you are looking for a pair of high-quality bookshelf speakers with clear, transparent and comprehensive performance, the Oscar Duo can provide you with great listening pleasure. If you like Oscar Peterson very much, this will allow you to be with the “master” every day and enjoy the most intimate duet with him/it – Duo.”
Mariusz Malinowski – Hi.Fi i muzyka (September, 2020)
“I think that lovers of many types of music will be pleased, provided that the recordings were made at a decent level. Jazz, chamber music, piano, orchestra – the Martena always paints the colors and details that build emotions with the same commitment. For me, the greatest beneficiary of the virtuosity of the upper midrange turned out to be symphony. The Oscar Duo did not lose control over the events, even in large ensembles. Nothing merged in them, nothing escaped attention.”
“Many years ago a good friend introduced me to real Soul music from the 70’s and 80’s, not the usual Motown tracks we are all used to hearing on the radio but artists such as Willie Hutch, Major Harris, Blue Magic, Johnnie Taylor and Bloodstone. These speakers are capable of showing just how good these artists and bands were and how (mostly) well they were recorded. Listen to ‘Go on and Cry’ by Bloodstone (Qobuz) and you will hear the full emotion of this track and then go on to try ‘I Stood on The Sidewalk and Cried’ by J. Blackfoot (his Taxi album) and you will understand why I like these speakers so much.”
