Rocking US brand Marshall has updated two of its most popular portable Bluetooth speakers. The Emberton III is a compact, JBL Flip 6-sized unit with outstanding battery life and stylish looks, whereas the smaller Willen II is a palm-sized performer that strives for room-filling sound from a super-compact design.
Let’s start with the larger of the two, the Marshall Emberton III. A sequel to the second-generation Emberton, the rectangular speaker is slightly larger than its predecessor and, with the help of two 38W Class D amplifiers, aims to provide greater bass weight and a more comprehensive sonic performance.
The Emberton III offers “True Stereophonic” sound, a multi-directional audio technology pioneered by Marshall. The brand teases “superior spatial and binaural sound that flows around you, filling any space” when the clever tech is deployed.
The smaller, squarer Willen II would probably be best compared with the JBL Go 4 or the five-star Tribit Stormbox Micro 2 in form and size, albeit with a more substantial price tag. With improved drivers and a slightly larger footprint than its predecessor, the Willen II promises a step up in sonic performance from its predecessor.
The Emberton III offers an impressive 32 hours of playtime from a single charge, a figure that beats the likes of the Award-winning JBL Charge 5 (20 hours) and even the 30 hours provided by the more premium Dali Katch G2. The Willen II’s numbers are also impressive considering its small size, offering around 17 hours from a single charge and besting the similarly-priced Sonos Roam (around 10 hours) and JBL Flip 6 (roughly 12 hours).
The Emberton III and Willen II are IP67 certified for dust and waterproofing, meaning you can submerge either unit in 1m (around 3 ft) of water for up to 30 minutes. Both are also Bluetooth LE Audio-ready, with Marshall promising Auracast audio sharing and simultaneous device linking thanks to the emergent technology, something we’ve already seen implemented with the recent JBL Xtreme 4 and JBL Go 4 models.
Marshall’s latest speakers look as cool and classy as we’d expect from the brand, and we’re hoping they have the performance to match. Both are available to pre-order now and will go on sale globally on August 26th – the Marshall Emberton III will set you back £159 / $169 / €179 / AU$289 and the Marshall Willen II will cost £99 / $119 / €119 / AU$199.
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