Initially when I spoke to Kronos AV, I explained I had a budget of around £9-10k to spend on my speakers. Having done my research and reading lots of reviews, I was pretty much convinced the speaker of choice at this price point was the Audiovector R3 Arette.
I spoke with David and he he suggested a call into the store and have a listen to a few options. I asked if I could bring my much loved McIntosh MA252 with me to get a better idea of how it may sound in my own system, however that wasn’t needed as David had one there. Brilliant!
When I arrived David had a demo set up for me, and with a fantastic cappuccino in hand, which was freshly made for me upon arrival (real cappuccino not instant!) I sat down with David and we discussed what speakers I should have a listen too.
In the end we decided the Audiovector R3 Arette, Marten Oscar Trio & Sonus Faber Olympica Nova II were the best options for what I was after.
Having been given a very generous amount of time to sit and listen to each speaker in turn, I decided that the Sonus Faber wasn’t for me. It did many things fantastically well, and the looks are to die for, but personally the other two speakers just edged it for me.
At this stage I had another chat with David, explaining what how I felt about each speaker. I explained to David that the tweeter on the Audiovector R3 Arette was simply breathtaking. The openness, without generating brightness was simply incredible, but on the Marten Oscar Trio, the mid range and bass was astonishing, and it had beautiful tone to the music.
I said to David jokingly, could we somehow Frankenstein the two speakers together as that would be just perfect. Sadly that was not an option…
At this point I said to David he had now put me in a huge dilemma because I was 99% convinced the Audiovector R3 Arette was the speaker I would be taking home with me, and it was mainly curiosity that made me go in to hear the Sonus Faber and Martens.
David took some time to explain the different design aspect of both the Marten’s & the Audiovector’s, which also helped me to understand why each sounded as it did. He then suggested that now armed with this information to have another listen, which I did.
I listened to a few demo tracks I like to use, as I know them very well, and both speakers were exceptional. At that point I asked myself, “ If I left the shop, what speaker would I most look forward to hearing again?” The answer for me then was very apparent.
It was the Marten Oscar Trio. I have to say we are talking about fine margins here, and it took a lot of thought to come to that decision, so I completely understand why the Audiovector’s get the accolades they do, and why so many customers have decided to purchase them. The winner for me was the tone that the Marten’s produced.
I don’t claim to be a HiFi reviewing expert, so Ill try and explain why I felt so attached to the Marten’s in the best way I can. I think the best way I could describe it is that the Martens had something very special about them. The key thing however was that they sounded REAL! The reason I use the demo tracks that I do is because I have heard them live, I know how they should sound, and the Martens were the closest thing I have ever heard to the real thing.
As an audiophile, that is what I am trying to achieve with my system. I want to try and replicate a live perfromance as close as I possibly can, and that’s what the Marten Oscar Trio’s did with elegance. I think that is what topped it over the Audiovector R3 Arette, the realism is simply breathtaking.
With all of that being said, the Audiovector R3 Arette… my oh my is that a sensational speaker! I can say with absolutely honesty that I could happily take that speaker home right now and I would be a very happy chap. I totally get why so many customers have opted for this speaker, and why it gets all the allocates, which is certainly deserves.
The Martens however just had the edge for me on a personal level, the realism, tone and the technical ability of this speaker was like nothing I had heard before, so I simply could not go past them!
I must say, credit to Sonus Faber, Audiovector & Marten (and to Kronos AV for their brand selection!) as those as 3 sensational speakers, and as I hope you can gather from what I have written above, this was a decision based on fine margins. All three speakers are stunning, both in aesthetics, build quality and sound. I can say without hesitation, I would recommend any of the three models, and urge any customer who is interested in them to go and have a listen because you will not be disappointed!
Finally, I just want to say a quick thank you to David and the guys at Kronos AV. The service was exceptional, and they made me feel very conformable during the whole process. They made a very expensive purchase (for me!) feel very easy and reassuring, and sorry for drinking my own weight in your exceptional coffee guys, but it was very good! :-)
Henry - Proud Owner of Marten Oscar Trio's