Premiere Design

Last week, I profiled the first power amp from Marten, which was introduced at CES in January. This Swedish maker is otherwise known for its high-end speakers, including the new Coltrane 2 that was also unveiled this year in Vegas.

The Coltrane 2 is 40 percent larger than its predecessor with a ported cabinet made from a newly developed carbon-fiber laminate, which is said to reduce resonances to near zero. The driver compliment includes two 11-inch ceramic-sandwich woofers, one 7-inch ceramic midrange, and a 1-inch diamond tweeter, resulting in an overall frequency response from 20Hz to 60kHz (±2dB). Sensitivity is rated at 89dB/W/m with a minimum impedance of 4.1Ω, making it a relatively easy load to drive.

I heard the Coltrane 2 at CES being driven by Engstrom & Engstrom's The Lars 2 monoblock, and the sound was superb—as it should be for $95,000/pair (not counting the amps)!