Marshall's newest offerings into the Bluetooth speaker world are an upgrade to tried and true favourites.
Marshall is a name that will immediately have any serious music fan’s ears prick up and for good reason. Those who know, know, but for those who don’t, Marshall is one of THE great amplifier builders, responsible for some of the best guitar and bass tones ever committed to a recording.
The JCM800, the JMP (of which I own a clone from the 70s), the DSL series… the list really goes on. With a handful of effects units in their toolbox as well, it only made sense to expand their horizons into home audio and portable speakers.
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This is old news of course. When a partnership with the company formerly known as Zound was formed in 2010 and a foray was made into the market, the rest is history. This brings us to today, as we take a look at Marshall’s newest offerings in portable speakers: updated versions of their classic Willen and Emberton II Models.
They’ve managed to hang onto what made these speakers so great in the first place while finding new ways to optimise and improve user experience, retaining the same classic look and sound, with a few nifty little changes that’ll make life that much easier.
I just want to preface by saying that I played a smorgasbord of different songs from across a huge spectrum of music, as we wouldn’t write a review if we didn’t put these bundles of lightning through their paces. And trust us when we say they’ve passed with flying colours.
Willen II
First up, we have the smaller of the dynamic duo, the Willen II. The second iteration of the bantam-weight bruiser, it capitalises on many of the same features of its predecessor, while making a few changes. It’s a little bit bigger, has a more sophisticated Bluetooth matrix (Bluetooth LE with Auracast capabilities), a slightly longer battery life (17 hours as opposed to 15), a higher quality build and materials and a new control interface and battery display.
This does away with the single on/off Bluetooth combo it used to be, opting for a two-button solution to make things a little simpler. It also boasts a built-in microphone for hands-free calls and operation, as well as a strap on the back to make portability a breeze. To make the deal all that much sweeter, the whole thing can survive underwater for half an hour, so it’s safe to assume it’ll survive any shower endeavours you subject it to.
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Tech Specs
- Two 38-watt class D amplifiers, low noise, clarity emphasised
- 10-watt full-range drivers
- Two passive radiators
- Bluetooth LE audio
- 17+ hours of wireless playtime
- IP67 dust and waterproof rating
- USB-C w/ quick charging: 2.5 hours with USB-C
- Built-in microphone
As for the listening experience, I was honestly really surprised by what I heard. When paired with the Marshall Bluetooth app, you can make use of three distinct EQ profiles: Marshall, Push and Voice.
Marshall is the default setting, a bass and mid-heavy arrangement that’ll make most music sound great. Push boosts the treble and bass, scooping out some of those mids for a bit of extra clarity and presence, tightening up the low mids and sub-bass as well. Super tight and my personal favourite.
Last but definitely not least, there’s the Voice setting, which I found lent itself quite well to podcasts, YouTube videos, and 70s motown and soul, which all benefit from this mid-focused setting that cuts the treble and bass. It excelled in the low-to-medium volume ranges, with a slight bit of distortion at max volume, typical of a speaker of this construction, but still sounds immaculate for its size.
Emberton III
Next up we have the Willen II’s big brother, the Emberton III. This is the third generation of one of Marshall’s speaker staples, and much like the Willen, has improved on the older model in a couple of ways.
It boasts a 32-hour battery life, Bluetooth LE and Auracast in future, and most of the bells and whistles included in the updates to the Willen II, but with a key difference. It retains the ‘True Stereophonic’ sound, making for a rich, multidirectional listening experience, wherever you are in a room. I had some fun walking around it upon learning of this fact.
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Tech Specs
- Two 38-watt Class D Amplifiers
- 2” 10-watt full range driver
- Two passive radiators
- True Stereophonic Sound
- Bluetooth LE audio
- 32+ hours of wireless playtime
- IP67 dust and waterproof rating
- USB-C w/ quick charging: 2 hours with USB-C
- Built-in microphone
The listening experience was truly a cut above the rest, with a dynamic range that the Willen II lacked in parts; it felt as though the music could breathe a little bit more, allowing certain elements to really shine. It boasts the same EQ presets as the Willen II, producing most of the same effect, though I have to admit the contrast was a little more stark.
The Push setting is still my personal favourite, though I found the default setting to be a little more listenable, with the voice setting standing out as well. Some heavy dub and reggae really opened up the low end that this speaker has on offer, and it definitely got the job done. For an even bigger sound, the speakers have Stack mode, which allows them to sync with other Marshall speakers.
With pre-orders coming in at $289.99 for the Emberton III and $199.99 for the Willen II, these speakers are an investment in quality sound. They just look so good and would make a brilliant addition to the home of any serious music lover out there. It’s a timeless design, and you can see the echoes of Marshall’s storied past in these mighty additions to the family.
Now available at your nearest JB Hifi.
This article was made in partnership with Aqipa.
