Review : Marten Django XL

Marten Django XL Loudspeaker reviewed in The Absolute Sound by Alan Taffel

Read the full review here : http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/marten-django-xl-loudspeaker/

Conclusion :
If the toe-tap test still has any purchase in audio, then please note that the Django XL passes it with flying colors. Whether playing back Wilco’s infectious latest release The Whole Love or Handel’s buoyant Water Music, the Django XL is unfailingly rhythmically engaging. The fact that it makes every instrument plainly audible and has no trouble sorting out musical lines makes it even more so.

No speaker is perfect and so no review is complete without an itemization of limitations. In the Django XL’s case, these fall more into practical than sonic areas. The Django XL thrives on volume, requiring plenty of it to realize the performance I’ve described above. The speakers need space behind them and attention to switch-settings, neither of which is uncommon in this class. Once those matters are settled, there is precious little to criticize. Bass notes, for all their weight and timbral density, can sound a little “furry” on some source material. The midrange will honk at you if toe-in is not just so. As noted, soundstage depth and width are not quite on par with more expensive references, nor are the highs quite as resolved. But in each case they are close.

At this price point, there are many excellent options; the Django XL now takes its place among them. Under the right conditions, it delivers near-reference-caliber performance in many categories, adding up to the musical engagement we crave. The Django XL is not for everyone, but for those willing and able to pursue the fruits of Marten’s canny choices, its virtues are plain to hear.