4 days ago
Marshall Emberton III: Two-minute review
Without a doubt, nan Emberton III is 1 of Marshall's best Bluetooth speakers pinch agelong artillery life and awesome sound considering its comparatively mini size. This 3rd procreation Emberton delivers moreover amended artillery life and somewhat louder sound, and while it's not going to rattle nan rafters it's an awesome performer.
The Emberton III is peculiarly bully astatine little volumes wherever Marshall's Dynamic Loudness delivers a bass boost that prevents your euphony from sounding excessively weedy; for podcasts, wherever voices thin to beryllium little frequencies, there's an EQ preset to trim nan lows and boost nan mid-range instead.
The main trading constituent present is simply a characteristic we weren't capable to test: Auracast via Bluetooth LE. Auracast will alteration you to create a multi-speaker setup pinch your Marshall arsenic nan sound source, broadcasting complete Bluetooth to different Auracast-capable Marshalls, but nan characteristic hasn't yet been implemented. It's coming arsenic an over-the-air update via Marshall's smartphone app and Marshall tells america it's coming very soon. Basically, it's built to beryllium LE Audio ready, truthful if future-proofing your Bluetooth strategy is thing you're into, it's a awesome buy.
With speakers this mini location is of people a limit to really overmuch bass they tin put retired and really large they tin spell earlier things commencement getting harsh. But nan Marshall is simply a powerful performer for its size, and if you don't push it excessively difficult you'll beryllium capable to get nan astir retired of its ample artillery too.
Marshall Emberton III review: Price & merchandise date
- Released August 2024
- Costs $159 / £159 / AU$289
The Marshall Emberton III was launched successful August 2024. The recommended unit value is $159 / £159 / AU$289.
This is nan 3rd type of this Marshall portable speaker; we reviewed nan original Marshall Emberton backmost successful 2020 and nan Emberton II successful 2022. It's 1 of 2 caller releases from nan patient alongside nan Willen II, a smaller and much affordable speaker ($119 / £99 / AU$199) pinch 1 driver alternatively than two.
Marshall Emberton III review: Specs
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| Weight | 0.67kg/1.5lbs |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth LE and Auracast (via imminent update) |
| Battery life | 32+ hours |
| Speaker drivers | 2x 10W full-range drivers, 2 passive radiators |
| Waterproof rating | IPX67 |
Marshall Emberton III review: Features
- Bluetooth LE and Auracast ready
- 32+ hours of artillery life
- "True Stereophonic" audio
You tin group up nan Emberton III successful 2 ways: straight done your device's Bluetooth, aliases via nan Marshall iOS aliases Android app. That gives you entree to 3 EQ presets: nan default "Marshall sound"; a debased and precocious extremity boost; and a mid-range boost. That second 1 is for reside specified arsenic audiobooks and podcasts. As pinch nan erstwhile exemplary location are nary EQ customization options.
Using nan instrumentality is very simple, because it's a very elemental device. There's an on-off button, a rocker move for measurement and way skipping, and a reddish LED portion to show artillery life.
The large news present is nan upgrade to Bluetooth LE audio and Auracast multi-device broadcast support. With Auracast you'll beryllium capable to stock your euphony to aggregate speakers simultaneously, but nan Bluetooth LE it requires won't beryllium disposable connected motorboat day: Marshall promises an update imminently via nan Marshall Bluetooth app but of people that intends we weren't capable to effort that circumstantial feature. There's besides built successful microphone truthful you tin usage this Marshall for calls, but not for sound assistants.
As pinch nan erstwhile Emberton, nan Emberton III has what Marshall calls True Stereophonic, a 360-degree audio characteristic that promises to capable your room pinch amazingly large sound. Oh, and there's a strap for your backpack truthful you tin annoy group connected hikes.
One of nan issues pinch galore speakers is that they tin go excessively bass-light astatine debased levels because audio characteristics alteration pinch volume. Marshall has a solution that it calls Dynamic Loudness, which automatically adjusts nan tonal characteristics based connected nan measurement you're listening at.
Battery life is simply a claimed 32-plus hours, 2 much than before, and we didn't person immoderate problems achieving 30 hours pinch playback volumes astir 50%. Full recharge via nan USB-C larboard takes 2 hours compared to 3 for nan Emberton II.
In a bully touch, nan Emberton III plays a tiny small ascending guitar riff erstwhile you powerfulness it connected and a descending 1 erstwhile you powerfulness it off.
- Features score: 4.5/5
Marshall Emberton III review: Sound quality
- Dynamic Loudness awesome astatine little volumes
- EQ boost for podcast and audiobooks
- Punchy fixed its mini size
It'd beryllium rude not to commencement testing pinch immoderate classical rock, truthful nan first opus to effort was people AC/DC's Back successful Black. The Emberton delivered an impressively punchy capacity pinch fantabulous mid- and high-range clarity, and nan committedness of room-filling sound was decidedly delivered: this small speaker rocks overmuch harder than you'd expect it to and doesn't request you to position it cautiously to get nan champion results.
That said, it's important to negociate your expectations pinch a speaker of this size. There's only truthful overmuch aerial that two-inch drivers tin push, truthful while Marshall has done a bully occupation delivering debased frequencies astatine little volumes – truthful overmuch truthful that you mightiness want to switch to nan mid-range EQ boost for podcast listening truthful nan presenters don't make everything astir you vibrate – erstwhile you crank up nan Emberton to higher volumes nan debased extremity distorts and nan higher frequencies go harsh.
With Marshall amplifiers, it's accepted to move them up. But this Marshall speaker is champion turned down. At little volumes nan Dynamic Loudness delivers very awesome bass for a strategy this small. REM's Out of Time medium was a peculiar highlight, Mike Mills' bass arsenic clear arsenic his harmonies.
The comparative deficiency of bass astatine higher volumes is peculiarly noticeable connected creation euphony specified arsenic Pet Shop Boys' Loneliness, Troye Sivan's slinky One of Your Girls aliases Charli XCX's 360, each of which suffer a batch of their floor-filling thump, and pinch expensively produced tracks specified arsenic Taylor Swift's No Body No Crime, which has a very unique bass drum sound that loses its punch here. All of these tracks sound amended quieter connected this system.
That's besides an rumor for guitar-based stone music, particularly comparatively engaged tracks specified arsenic The Killers' When You Were Young. It's nosy astatine little volumes but move it up and it quickly becomes tiring.
To my ears this is simply a speaker champion suited to bedroom, room aliases study listening and for taking extracurricular connected bully days. If you're looking for a statement monster aliases intend to perceive large you mightiness beryllium amended pinch thing built astir larger speaker drivers.
- Sound value score: 4/5
Marshall Emberton III review: Design
- Looks for illustration a Marshall amp
- IP67 for particulate and h2o resistance
- Rugged and stackable
The Emberton III unsurprisingly looks a batch for illustration nan Emberton II. As pinch different Marshalls nan creation echoes that of nan celebrated Marshall cabinets and stacks we've seen connected stone stars' stages, and that intends they're beautiful rugged-looking and no-nonsense arsenic good arsenic stackable, conscionable for illustration shape speakers. I deliberation they look great; having Marshall's creation DNA successful speakers makes much consciousness to maine than crowbarring it into headphones specified arsenic nan Marshall Major III, which I deliberation conscionable look overly boxy. You tin take betwixt a classical achromatic aliases cream.
The caller Emberton is rated IP67 for particulate and waterproofing, truthful it's tin of surviving a dunk arsenic heavy arsenic 1m of h2o for up to 30 minutes. That makes it mostly immune to a spilled portion aliases show rain.
Inside nan Marshall location are 2 people D amplifiers pushing copy 10W 2-inch afloat scope drivers and 2 passive radiators. Frequency consequence is 65Hz to 20kHz and it's somewhat louder than before, pushing retired a sound unit level of 90dB astatine 1m compared to nan 87dB of nan Emberton II.
The Marshall, thankfully, is simply a batch lighter than nan Marshall amps I've had to lug up and down stairs and occurrence escapes: it's 0.67kg/1.5lbs.
- Design score: 4.5/5
Marshall Emberton III review: value
- Lots of awesome competitors successful this value bracket
- Marshall's artillery life leaves galore rivals behind
At $159 / £159 / AU$289 this speaker is competing against immoderate very awesome rivals: walk £20 much and you could get our existent favourite among nan best Bluetooth speakers, nan Sonos Roam 2. But wherever nan Marshall has nan Sonos speaker beaten is successful artillery life.
The Sonos promises up to 10 hours whereas nan Marshall tin present much than 3 times that. So if you're going to a play show aliases anyplace other wherever location comforts will beryllium absent for a fewer days, nan Marshall is nan speaker you'll want to return pinch you. It's mini capable to beryllium genuinely portable but large capable to soundtrack your adventures without having to push it excessively hard.
- Value score: 4.5/5
Should you bargain nan Marshall Emberton III?
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| Features | Exceptional artillery life and nan celebrated Marshall Sound. Auracast is coming soon. | 4.5/5 |
| Sound quality | It's awesome for specified a mini speaker, and Dynamic Loudness useful good astatine little volumes. | 4/5 |
| Design | It looks for illustration a Marshall amp. Controls are elemental and straightforward and nan on/off sounds will make you smile. | 4.5/5 |
| Value | There are immoderate fantabulous rivals present but fewer present nan aforesaid artillery life. | 4.5/5 |
Buy it if…
You for illustration nan Marshall sound
You can't customize nan EQ presets truthful you're going to beryllium listening nan measurement Marshall intends.
You for illustration 'em tough
Just for illustration Marshall's amps this looks and feels bomb-proof.
You perceive long
With 32 hours of artillery life this speaker has superior stamina.
Don't bargain it if…
You're a bass monster
There's only truthful overmuch aerial two-inch drivers tin push.
You perceive loud
Like astir speakers of this size, nan Marshall isn't astatine its champion erstwhile it's really loud.
You want to link a cable
The Emberton III doesn't person an Aux socket.
Marshall Emberton III review: Also consider
Sonos Roam 2
We called nan original "the champion Bluetooth speaker connected nan planet", though nan contention complete Sonos's bungled app update has tarnished nan marque a small this year. But nan Roam 2 is simply a superb portable speaker pinch exceptional sound. Find retired if it's nan amended action for you by reference our in-depth Sonos Roam 2 reappraisal
JBL Charge 5
The Charge 5 is simply a hooligan, and we mean that arsenic a compliment: it's ridiculously large for its size and while it doesn't connection 360-degree audio it does present 100% audio entertainment. Its drivers are larger than those successful nan Marshall and you tin perceive nan difference. For much info, spot our afloat JBL Charge 5 review
Marshall Willen II
The Emberton has a babe sibling, nan Willen. It's efficaciously half an Emberton pinch a azygous 10-inch afloat scope driver, and while it’s not arsenic large arsenic nan Emberton it's still awesome for its size. Battery life is 17 hours and it weighs conscionable 0.36kg/0.79lbs. We haven't reviewed it actually, but if you for illustration its looks, it's worthy a look…
How I tested nan Marshall Emberton III
- Tested for 2 weeks arsenic an replacement to Apple HomePods and UE's Wonderboom
- Used indoors astatine sensible levels – and large outside
- Listened to Apple Music, my ain library, Overcast podcasts and immoderate of my ain tunes too
I utilized nan Marshall Emberton III for 2 weeks pinch Apple Music and immoderate of my ain recordings, utilizing nan aforesaid tracks I usage to trial each audio kit – a large operation of genres including unrecorded performances, creation and popular music, various flavors of metallic and more. I besides listened to podcasts via nan Overcast app.
I've been a musician and audio obsessive for complete 35 years now, and I've been reviewing audio kit – headphones, speakers and audio devices of each kinds – since nan precocious 1990s.
Read much astir really we test
- First reviewed: October 2024
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