Marshall expands its consumer audio product lineup, introducing a promising soundbar

Marshall/ZDNET

Marshall, the company known for manufacturing amps and guitar speakers for professional musicians, has made strides during the past few years to appeal to consumers with headphones and Bluetooth speakers.

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Marshall's consumer products retain the company's grungy, rocker-inspired design elements. Now, the company is bringing its classic sound and look into your living room. The Heston 120 is Marshall's first soundbar, promising the latest technology, immersive sound, and a refined yet familiar aesthetic.

The Heston 120 is a complete smart soundbar, offering Dolby Atmos and DTS:X compatibility, and Wi-Fi streaming fit for AirPlay, Google Cast, and Spotify Connect for streaming from your other devices. The soundbar is compatible with Bluetooth connectivity, including LE Audio for Auracast.

According to Marshall, the Heston 120 has 11 speakers, but it's unclear how many are front-facing, left/right-facing, or upfiring. Marshall said its engineers focused on the Heston 120 reproducing a "powerful, rich, and deep bass" response, fit for music and TV.

Some soundbars are tuned to sound better when watching movies and TV, while others are best when streaming music. Marshall said its engineers spent equal time tending to the device's transmission of both forms of audio.

Also: I'm a fan of Marshall speakers, but I didn't expect its headphones to sound this good

In addition to its theater-grade spatial audio compatibility, the Heston 120 is fitted with an array of audio codecs for music lovers, including ALAC, FLAC, Ogg Vorbis, and WMA9, along with an RCA input for analogue players.

Users can adjust EQ modes in the Marshall app, tweaking the Heston 120's treble and bass on a molecular level, or toggling between Movie, Music, or Voice mode, which enhances dialogue. 

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The Heston 120 maintains Marshall's traditional design elements, featuring knobs that resemble those on the company's iconic amps, wrapped leather trims, brushed metal accents, and gold details. The knobs are functional, allowing users to tweak bass and treble, save EQ presets, or access saved playlists and radio stations.

The Heston 120's functional knobs, an homage to the company's amp design.

Marshall/ZDNET

According to Marshall, the Heston 120 includes repairable and replaceable parts, including the soundbar's fret, end caps, drivers, and circuit boards.

The Heston 120 is the first device in the company's home audio lineup, which will later include the Heston 60 and an external subwoofer called the Heston Sub 200. Beginning June 3, the Heston 120 will be available in Black on Marshall's website for $999.