Marshall, the long-lasting UK-based guitar amp firm, has lastly taken the leap from wi-fi headphones, earbuds, and Bluetooth audio system into the world of TV audio with its first soundbar. And it’s a Dolby Atmos and DTS-X doozy.
The Marshall Heston 120 is huge, brash, and has a worth to match. That makes the Heston costlier than soundbar heavyweights like Sony, Bose, and Sonos, which signifies that Marshall can’t relaxation on the ability of its model — the Heston 120 should ship a strong dwelling theater expertise to be ranked among the many finest soundbars.
Spoiler: It does. It might not be good, however if you happen to’re out there for a easy but high-performance TV speaker, the Heston 120 ought to be in your shortlist.
Marshall Heston 120 assessment: Design
Credit score: Simon Cohen / Mashable
Check out actually any of Marshall’s audio merchandise, and you will notice the corporate’s guitar amp heritage proudly echoed for all to see. And although the Heston 120 is a soundbar, not a devoted music speaker, I’d argue it’s probably the most authentic-looking Marshall dwelling merchandise to this point.
Whether or not that’s a great factor or not is determined by your style.
I’ll be sincere, once I first unboxed the 43-inch vast Heston 120 and located myself gazing its many gold-tone accents — particularly these distinctive prime management knobs — I anxious it will show too visually distracting. In any case, whenever you’re watching a film, the display ought to be the one factor you’re taking a look at.
One month later, I’m nonetheless conscious of the tops of these knobs, however I’ve additionally turn into fairly keen on seeing the Heston in entrance of our TV, whether or not we’re watching content material or not.
The black cupboard, with its faux-leather building, distinctive Marshall emblem, and salt’n’pepper cloth grille (which Marshall insists on calling a ‘fret’) — it’s not only a soundbar, it’s a dialog piece.
Credit score: Simon Cohen / Mashable
At three inches tall, it appears nice sitting on a floor (and it in all probability gained’t block the underside of your display), however you too can wall-mount it with an non-obligatory set of brackets that Marshall sells individually.
I don’t are likely to get very bodily with my soundbars, however if you happen to’re involved about how the Heston offers with tough dealing with, apparently, the fret, finish caps, drivers, and even the circuit boards are all replaceable.
These top-mounted controls actually assist evoke the guitar amp vibe, and I like the crimson LED ring indicators that encompass them. However having them because the solely visible indicator for issues like supply, quantity, and tone may not be the precise name. When seated on our couch, they’re invisible, and the Heston 120 doesn’t have a front-facing different.
Marshall Heston 120 assessment: Arrange
Unboxing the Marshall Heston 120 soundbar.
Credit score: Simon Cohen / Mashable
Getting the Heston arrange couldn’t be simpler. When you plug the speaker into your TV by way of an HDMI cable after which plug it into the wall with the ability twine (each included within the field), you’re just about good to go, at the very least for TV sound. You possibly can management the amount utilizing your TV’s distant.
However don’t cease there.
Obtain the Marshall app (iOS/Android) and let it stroll you thru the short means of getting the Heston linked to your Wi-Fi community. Doing so will allow Apple AirPlay, Google Forged, and quite a lot of different helpful options, together with the soundbar’s built-in room correction course of, which takes lower than two minutes to finish.
As a result of the Heston doesn’t ship with its personal distant, the app can be the way in which you’ll management the speaker’s supply (TV/HDMI/Bluetooth/Wi-Fi/Aux-in) and sound mode (music/films/evening/voice) out of your couch.
Marshall Heston 120 assessment: Connections and Controls
Across the again of the Heston 120, you’ll discover probably the most in depth collections of ports I’ve seen on a soundbar at this worth. Along with the usual HDMI-eARC port, you get an HDMI enter (with HDMI 2.1 together with Dolby Imaginative and prescient and 4K/120Hz passthrough), a set of analog RCA inputs, and a mono subwoofer output.
Severely, so many ports.
Credit score: Simon Cohen / Mashable
The HDMI enter could be very helpful—it helps to offset the HDMI port in your TV wanted for the soundbar’s connection. But it surely’s the subwoofer output and stereo inputs that deserve a particular call-out. Sony, Bose, Sonos, Samsung, and LG — these manufacturers all supply subwoofers for his or her soundbars, however you’re restricted to the wi-fi fashions that they manufacture. With the Heston 120, you should utilize any subwoofer with a wired enter.
These different manufacturers sometimes embody an optical enter — nice for connecting a CD participant or community music streamer — however an analog enter is a rarity, and it’s extra versatile, letting you join these digital gadgets in addition to a purely analog supply like a turntable (you probably have a preamp).
There’s additionally a USB-C port, however that is only for energy. Why is it there? A stick-style streamer just like the Amazon Fireplace TV Stick might occupy the HDMI enter and draw its energy from the USB-C port, for a super-clean set up.
On the networking aspect of the equation, the Heston helps each wired Ethernet (10/100) and Wi-Fi 6. With Apple AirPlay, Google Forged, UPnP, Tidal Join, and Spotify Join, the Heston can play nearly any supply of music you’ve entry to, at very excessive resolutions.
Lastly, you additionally get Bluetooth 5.3 with assist for SBC, AAC, and LC3 codecs for ad-hoc audio streaming from a cell machine.
As I stated earlier, the Heston’s controls are aesthetically lovely. They’re additionally a pleasure to make use of, with a pleasant knurled end and the type of exact tactile suggestions I’ve come to anticipate from Marshall’s glorious wi-fi audio system. The three foremost knobs (quantity/tone/supply) are accompanied by three preset buttons and a sound mode button (extra on these later).
Credit score: Simon Cohen / Mashable
Their proud, extremely seen presence on the speaker’s prime floor hints at the truth that Marshall locations an equal emphasis on music listening.
There’s no technique to mute the amount, however the supply knob doubles as a playback management, with a single click on to play/pause, a double click on to skip ahead, and a triple click on to skip again.
Like many soundbars nowadays, there’s no energy button. When you plug it in, the Heston is successfully on the entire time, although it hangs out in a low-power standby mode when it hasn’t been actively used shortly.
Marshall Heston 120 assessment: Nice for films and TV exhibits
Credit score: Simon Cohen / Mashable
Beneath the hood, the Heston 120 sports activities 11 discrete drivers and amps. And although that’s fewer than you’ll discover within the Sonos Arc Extremely ($999, 14 drivers/15 amps), Marshall’s soundbar can simply compete with the Extremely for uncooked energy and emotion.
With frequencies that get as little as 40Hz, the 2 built-in subwoofers generate the form of deep low-end that lends itself to each films and music. They supply an honest degree of energy — Max Rockatansky’s opening monologue in Mad Max: Fury Street comes throughout as deep and gravelly, because it ought to — although it stops wanting the Arc Extremely’s spectacular low frequency power.
My different go-to Dolby Atmos check clips from No Time To Die, Dune, and Unbroken proved that the Heston 120 is a succesful spatial audio speaker, with good width, depth, and peak. In Film mode, dialogue readability is robust and will get clearer whenever you use the devoted Voice sound mode. As soon as once more, the Arc Extremely proved extra agile, with higher definition for encompass sound results.
The Marshall app is commendable for its simplicity. Many of the settings are all accessible from the homescreen, however I discovered myself wishing for a number of extra changes. A notable omission is the shortage of particular person channel ranges, particularly for the peak drivers. To get probably the most out of the Heston’s Dolby Atmos capabilities, I needed to drive it loud. At 50 % quantity, the digital encompass channels and peak results lacked oomph. At 75 %, they roared to life. With extra management over these channels, I believe I might have heard them higher, even at a decrease general quantity.
Credit score: https://mashable.com/assessment/sonos-arc-ultra-soundbar
As you may anticipate, including a wired sub improves the entire expertise. In my case, with an Power S8.2 sub, it added vital energy to the lows. The soundbar diverts all frequencies decrease than 50Hz to the sub, a setting that Marshall says might be adjustable with a future firmware replace. Curiously, whenever you join a sub, the app doesn’t immediate you to recalibrate the room correction — probably as a result of it doesn’t actually management any of the sub’s parameters apart from the frequencies it receives.
It’s price noting that the Heston 120 additionally helps DTS-X, a Dolby Atmos competitor. I attempted a number of DTS-X demo clips, they usually sounded superb. Nevertheless, DTS-X followers might need to double-check the specs on their favourite DTS-X films. Whereas the Heston had no hassle decoding Dolby Atmos at as much as 9.1.6 channels, its DTS-X decoding proved to be extra restricted.
Marshall says it’ll downmix DTS-X 7.1.4 to five.1.2, however once I ran a channel-by-channel check, the soundbar skipped the rear peak and aspect surrounds.
Marshall Heston 120 assessment: For Music
I’ve reviewed quite a lot of soundbars, and it’s uncommon for them to do nearly as good a job with music as they do with films. The Heston 120 is a kind of rarities: Listening to streaming music is a blast.
I credit score the Heston’s built-in subwoofers for the sound, which has a heat tone when utilizing the default Music mode. It will probably get remarkably loud, with no noticeable distortion, even when taking part in tracks like Billie Eilish’s unhealthy man — a torture check for low-end constancy. Marshall doesn’t talk about the way it processes two-channel stereo, however I’m pretty sure there’s some upmixing occurring to make the most of the soundbar’s a number of drivers. As a substitute of getting a phantom heart channel, it’s a way more expansive soundstage. I occur to love it, however if you happen to don’t, there’s no technique to alter it.
Your finest wager is to make use of the lossless, Wi-Fi-based Google Forged protocol from apps like Amazon Music or Qobuz on an iPhone. Alternatively, if you happen to’re on Android, you too can Google Forged Apple Music. Tidal customers can leverage the Tidal Join system from both platform.
Equally good are music apps on a linked streaming machine like an Apple TV or Nvidia Defend.
Lastly, if you happen to don’t thoughts a lossy connection, Apple AirPlay and Bluetooth are additionally obtainable.
In case you’ve by no means heard Dolby Atmos Music on a speaker system, you’re in for a deal with. Fireplace up a monitor like M.I.A.’s Marigold, or the superb Atmos model of The Doorways’ basic, Riders On The Storm, and I believe you’ll hunt down Atmos content material at each alternative.
The one draw back to Atmos on the Heston is the way in which the speaker handles quantity ranges. For some purpose, Atmos content material performs a lot quieter than two-channel mixes. In case you’re listening to a complete Atmos album (say, Dire Straits’ Brothers In Arms), it’s no drawback. However bounce between Atmos and stereo, and also you’ll be wishing Marshall had included a distant management that can assist you keep on prime of the amount adjustments.
These preset buttons (each on prime of the speaker and within the app) are helpful, however restricted. You possibly can program with any radio station from the Marshall app’s built-in Airable Web radio service, or any Spotify station or playlist. Sadly, the Spotify integration didn’t work for me whereas utilizing a free subscription, and there’s no method to make use of the presets with different providers like Apple Music, Tidal, or Amazon Music.
Marshall Heston 120 assessment: Sound changes
Credit score: Simon Cohen / Mashable
Like most soundbars at this worth, the Heston 120 has built-in room calibration. The effectiveness of this characteristic can rely upon quite a lot of components, like room form and dimension, furnishings placement, the capabilities of the soundbar, and the algorithms used to do the calibration. In my case, the Heston’s calibration helped to scale back some bass muddiness whereas rising high-frequency definition.
In case you’re not pleased with the calibration, you may repeat the method or disable it totally. Both method, you’ve additionally received two extra choices to fine-tune the sound.
The speaker’s sound modes ship an instantaneous change of emphasis, and every enter (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and many others) will bear in mind the final mode you utilized. Film mode boosts lows and highs for extra cinematic punch. Music mode retains issues balanced for a extra impartial presentation. Night time reduces dynamic vary, so that you’re much less more likely to trouble neighbors or members of the family, and Voice de-emphasizes lows and lower-mids whereas boosting the frequencies that belong to dialogue.
Nevertheless, every sound mode will be additional tweaked by utilizing the bass/treble knob. Push it as soon as to swap between these changes, then spin the dial.
In case you actually need to get granular, the Marshall app permits you to manually tweak a five-band equalizer. These adjustments will be completed per mode (completely different tweaks for Music vs. Film, as an illustration), however they will’t be saved if you happen to strive completely different combos.
Marshall Heston 120 assessment: Untapped potential
Credit score: Simon Cohen / Mashable
Most high-end soundbars both include their very own wi-fi encompass audio system and a subwoofer (LG, Samsung, JBL) or they’re designed with enlargement in thoughts (Sonos, Bose). In the meanwhile, the Heston 120 affords neither, however Marshall says that may change quickly.
A devoted wi-fi sub is on the way in which, and the plan is to let customers increase the Heston by way of Marshall’s line of third-gen Homeline moveable Bluetooth audio system — all the way in which from the tiny Emberton III to the Woburn II.
I didn’t get to check this functionality, so I can’t say the way it performs in comparison with present options. Marshall says it’ll use Bluetooth Auracast as its wi-fi protocol for these add-on audio system, which is an business first for a soundbar. Time will inform if it’s as dependable and efficient as Wi-Fi.
Is the Marshall Heston 120 price it?
Sure. Contemplating its worth, design, options, and efficiency, the Heston 120 is a superb selection for a single-speaker dwelling theater sound system. Whereas not as exact or immersive because the Sonos Arc Extremely for films, its assist for DTS:X, HDMI enter, and wired subwoofer output make it a extra versatile selection. It’s additionally an excellent music speaker that provides the very best high quality wi-fi streaming protocols (like Google Forged), so you may rise up to 24-bit/96kHz decision out of your music, one thing the Arc Extremely can’t do.
Fans may need for extra management, particularly round two-channel stereo and particular person channel ranges, however if you happen to’re among the many set-it-and-forget-it crowd, I doubt you’ll thoughts this in any respect.
Lastly, there’s the potential for discrete encompass and subwoofer additions by way of Marshall’s vary of present Bluetooth audio system. It’s at all times a bit iffy to purchase a product for its promised options, but when this involves fruition, it might make the Heston 120 probably the most compelling soundbars available on the market.
Marshall Heston 120 assessment: Simply the specs
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Dimensions: 43.3 x 5.7 x 3.0 inches
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Wall-mountable: Sure, wall-mount offered individually
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Distant included: No
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Quantity/sort of drivers: 11 (2 tweeters, 5 full-range, 2 mid-woofers, 2 subwoofers)
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Quantity/energy of amps: 11 class D (2 x 50 watts, 9 x 30 watts)
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Channels/configuration: 5.1.2
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Ports: HDMI eARC, HDMI IN (Cross by means of), RCA Stereo, RCA Mono (Sub Out), USB-C
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Video specs/codecs: HDMI 2.1 eARC, 4K 120 Hz, Dolby Imaginative and prescient, HDCP 1.4
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Wired/Wi-fi networking: Bluetooth 5.3/Wi-Fi 6, Ethernet (10/100)
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Wi-Fi streaming platforms: Apple AirPlay 2, Google Forged, Spotify Join, Tidal Join
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Bluetooth codecs: SBC, AAC, LC3
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Audio codecs: MPEG-4, ALAC, FLAC, LPCM, Ogg, Vorbis, WMA, WMA9
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Audio codecs: Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital, DTS-X
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Expandable: by way of Auracast (future replace)
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Within the field: soundbar, HDMI cable, energy cable, Fast-start information
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Colours: Black
