As Rhirsch has said, it doesn't make sense to judge a component by what you
hear at a hi-fi show. I would like to add that it also doesn't make
sense to compare two components heard at different times and in
different places, even under controlled conditions.
As for the Coltranes versus the Birds, I have had both in my
system - the Coltranes for the past two years and the Birds for the past few
months - and I can say that both are excellent speakers. I have heard very few speakers that are as open, fast, and dynamic as either of the
Martens, yet both are extremely musical. Both allow you to hear
everything that is on the recording, yet do not add or take away
anything. Presuming that the rest of the system is carefully chosen
(something that is true of every world-class loudspeaker), the music is
as wonderful as that of any audio system Ive heard, and I can't say
that about many of the systems I hear. These days, way too many give you
every detail, but no music.
Do the Coltranes and the Birds sound the same? No. While both speakers
share a strong family resemblance, each has slightly different
strengths. As one person commented, the Birds are better in some
respects, but that is equally true of the Coltranes. The Coltranes are a
tiny bit more extended and open, the Birds a tiny bit more relaxed. Both
speakers have given me tremendous musical enjoyment. If I had all the
money in the world, I would probably have kept the Coltranes, but I am
certainly not suffering with the Birds.
