Напольная акустика — Marten Dexter Quintet

The Dexter Quintet is a hand-built passive three-way tower from the Swedish maker Marten, sold within the Dexter range, which also includes the Dexter Quartet, Dexter Trio and Dexter Duo. It combines a diamond tweeter, a small ceramic midrange and two carbon fibre bass units in a tapered cabinet that weighs 80 kg per speaker.

Key specs that matter

Drivers comprise a 1 inch pure diamond tweeter, a 3.5 inch ceramic midrange and a pair of 9.5 inch carbon fibre woofers, all carrying the Marten name. The crossover is described as multi-diverse order, with transition points at 500 Hz and 4,000 Hz. The quoted bandwidth is 21 Hz to 45,000 Hz within plus or minus 2 dB and a sensitivity of 91 dB for 2.83 V. Nominal impedance is 6 ohm, falling to a minimum of 3.8 ohm, and the power rating is 300 W. The cabinet measures 30 to 38.6 cm wide, 104.6 cm tall and 49.2 cm deep, and with its stand the overall footprint grows to 43.1 to 52.2 cm wide, 111.2 cm tall and 65.1 cm deep.

Engineering and use context

The enclosure uses what Marten calls an M-Core build of three bonded layers, faced with a carbon fibre laminate on the front panel. Because the small midrange hands the treble to the diamond dome at the upper crossover point, it covers a band of three octaves, while the twin carbon fibre cones carry everything below the lower crossover point. Marten chose carbon fibre for the bass cones for its combination of high stiffness and low mass, so the cone keeps moving as a rigid piston through its working band. Marten wires the inside with Jorma Duality cable, and Jorma Statement can be ordered instead. The speaker stands on a base of polished stainless steel fitted with Marten Isolators. Each cabinet has only one pair of binding posts, made of rhodium-plated pure copper, which rules out separate cable runs or amplifier channels for the bass section. Walnut is offered in matte or piano gloss, alongside True Grain Oak and Piano Black.

Pairing

Given how low its impedance falls, the Dexter Quintet needs a transistor amplifier comfortable driving impedances below 4 ohm. The single-wire terminals mean a single cable run to each speaker, and the sizeable footprint with its stand calls for a room of at least 20 m2 with space to bring the cabinets clear of the rear wall.

Alternatives

The Marten Dexter Quartet is the other large floorstander in the same Dexter range for buyers who want to stay within this series.