Marshall Stanmore III Bluetooth Speaker - Black

The earlier Marshall Action II was my pandemic work speaker - and I have nothing but praise for it. Marshall took an interesting approach with these speakers. They packed a separate woofer and amp with twin high-range speakers with their own amp into a sturdy and heavy and well-built enclosure with a rear port to help articulate the low notes.I believe these speakers are, technically, stereophonic....but that isn't how they excel. Their mark of excellence is how they provide a uniform sound response that accurately presents the source material. For every imaginable musical type, my old Action II gave me a perfect representation of the source.But this Stanmore III system takes everything to another level.For people considering a home/work speaker, this is large ... MoreThe earlier Marshall Action II was my pandemic work speaker - and I have nothing but praise for it. Marshall took an interesting approach with these speakers. They packed a separate woofer and amp with twin high-range speakers with their own amp into a sturdy and heavy and well-built enclosure with a rear port to help articulate the low notes.I believe these speakers are, technically, stereophonic....but that isn't how they excel. Their mark of excellence is how they provide a uniform sound response that accurately presents the source material. For every imaginable musical type, my old Action II gave me a perfect representation of the source.But this Stanmore III system takes everything to another level.For people considering a home/work speaker, this is large and heavy speaker system with a direct AC plugin (no external power supply). It does not support battery operation. It accepts input from Bluetooth, Aux, and RCA.Many Bluetooth devices suffer from terrible sound transmission and from unwelcome Bluetooth artifacts in the sound. Bluetooth transmission here is outstanding. Full and rich bass with crystal clear high notes and without any noticeable distortions (within acceptable Bluetooth range). Direct connection to this device by Aux or RCA improves sound and equalization to some extent, but I can't stress enough how amazing the Bluetooth reproduction of sound is!Because this device is able to reproduce source materials faithfully, it can actually point out aggressive recording equalization that you might find offensive (same problem I have had with the best over-the-ear noise-cancelling headphones on the market). A good speaker can serve to amplify poor source material. So because all music (that I have listened to) sounds accurately presented, I should warn you that music whose source is poorly or unevenly captured will be amplified accordingly.The Stanmore III does include knobs to adjust bass and treble response. But unlike with old stereophonic systems whose knobs could assert aggressive controls, these controls (more appropriately) allow the listener to adjust the equilibrium of sound to better suit their specific musical tastes. They allow you to contour rather than force.These speakers can be VERY loud but they are able to produce volume without adding distortion.Again: while these speakers produce output that is, technically, stereophonic, they produce sound that is more valuable than stereo effects alone can provide. Marshall's Stanmore IIIs drive-out a uniform and velvety sound that is clear at all volumes.The best way to judge any audio system is by how it is able to push-out bass notes at low volumes. And with this unit, even at a distance, you are aware that it is pushing-out air to articulate the lowest bass notes. Incredible. I listened to many styles of music while I was evaluating this speaker and I loved everything I heard.The first track of classical music I chose was something I knew would hit the bass notes strongly (the intermezzo from Prokofiev's second piano concerto) - and sitting next to the speaker, I could feel the bass projected onto my arm like a breeze and it gave me goosebumps.Goosebumps always gets five stars and the most enthusiastic recommendation!

Right away let’s get to how fantastic this speaker looks. Modeled after the Marshall guitar amplifiers you’ve undoubtedly seen stacked at concerts (although made by Zound Industries and not Marshall directly), this just looks nice fitting into any space in your home. Covered in faux leather with fabric front and the iconic Marshall script logo, it just looks pleasing. Then when you see the gold accented control panel on top, it just pops.The build quality is tops. Buttons have a satisfying click, the knobs for controlling volume, bass, and treble move smoothly, with bright red LEDS that light up to indicate your level before dimming after a minute. The power toggle switch is intensely satisfying to flick on. It may sound minor but turning it on and off just feels ... MoreRight away let’s get to how fantastic this speaker looks. Modeled after the Marshall guitar amplifiers you’ve undoubtedly seen stacked at concerts (although made by Zound Industries and not Marshall directly), this just looks nice fitting into any space in your home. Covered in faux leather with fabric front and the iconic Marshall script logo, it just looks pleasing. Then when you see the gold accented control panel on top, it just pops.The build quality is tops. Buttons have a satisfying click, the knobs for controlling volume, bass, and treble move smoothly, with bright red LEDS that light up to indicate your level before dimming after a minute. The power toggle switch is intensely satisfying to flick on. It may sound minor but turning it on and off just feels great to do.You’ve got three ways of getting audio to the speaker: Bluetooth, aux cable (3.5mm input), and RCA. After powering on you can select a source. Bluetooth is the main selling point and I’d imagine for most the main way of sending music. My Pixel 6 Pro and Windows 11 PC both detected and connected to the speaker without any issue.You do not have to use the app, but I highly recommend it, at least occasionally to see if there’s any firmware updates. Mine did have one out of the box. Additionally, you can control the bass and treble controls from your phone with the app. The app also includes settings called Placement Compensation. It’s a series of two questions about how close the speaker is to the edge of a table/shelf and to a wall or corner, with the idea being that it corrects for reflective surfaces bouncing back sound. I couldn’t tell the difference, but I appreciate that it’s there. These are the only features of the app, so it’s really not something you need to open often.The other inputs are physical inputs: aux / 3.5mm input and an RCA input. The aux input is located on the top of the unit and the RCA on the back. The placement does imply that aux will only be temporarily used, while RCA would be something more permanent, such as a record player. It’s worth noting that there is no ground, so if you are planning on using this with a record player it will need to have a phono preamp either built in or as part of the chain before connecting to this speaker.I’m not audiophile, but I thought this sounded great. I tried listening to a variety of genres to get the best of it and I think it’s pretty good. It does start to get a little muddled at higher volumes and with the bass turned up higher. Neither a pro nor con but while decently sized, you can only do so much with a speaker of this size.I do wish that this speaker did a bit more. At the current pricepoint, with it being designed as a home speaker (ie, no battery built in for portability), it’s a bit of a shame it doesn’t include any sort of Google Cast / Apple AirPlay options. To me this feels like a big miss and stops it from greatness.That’s not to say there isn’t a lot to love here. I think this is a fantastic small home speaker for an office or small to midsize room. You’ve got a lot of movement range with Bluetooth but you’re still wirelessly tethered, so to speak. For me, this is the perfect secondary room speaker. I have it connected in my office to a record player, but it will not replace my main audio system in my main living area. Is this the right speaker for you? I’d consider what your needs are, what your space is like, how you listen to your music, and if it suits your aesthetic preferences.

This speaker is a nice blend of technology with the satisfaction and fine adjustment of analog controls, all with the classic look of a Marshall amp.I’m a pretty big fan of the design of Marshall’s home audio products where they stand apart from the maybe-too-modern look of most electronics nowadays where it brings some classic design like a mesh speaker grill, the leather-ish looking material surrounding the speaker (appears to be rubber), and the brass analog controls on the top of the unit.The analog controls on the top of the unit are awesome for fine-tuning the volume, treble, and bass and there’s a distinct satisfaction vs just up/down buttons that you typically find. Along with that you also have an aux port (3.5mm), a button to switch sources from ... MoreThis speaker is a nice blend of technology with the satisfaction and fine adjustment of analog controls, all with the classic look of a Marshall amp.I’m a pretty big fan of the design of Marshall’s home audio products where they stand apart from the maybe-too-modern look of most electronics nowadays where it brings some classic design like a mesh speaker grill, the leather-ish looking material surrounding the speaker (appears to be rubber), and the brass analog controls on the top of the unit.The analog controls on the top of the unit are awesome for fine-tuning the volume, treble, and bass and there’s a distinct satisfaction vs just up/down buttons that you typically find. Along with that you also have an aux port (3.5mm), a button to switch sources from bluetooth, aux, or RCA (yes it even has RCA jacks on the back), there’s also a play/forward/back toggle/button, as well as the power switch which is probably the most satisfying to use.For sound, unsurprisingly, rock sounds amazing with the sound signature they chose for this speaker where guitars are crisp and earthy, bass is deep but not overly punchy, and vocals are clear and crisp.Hip-hop also sounds great with a very clear distinction between vocals and beats.Overall, vocals are a highlight of the sound signature so singer-songwriters will sound fantastic.Electronica didn’t seem to fit the characteristics of this speaker as well where the low end may not be as forward and clear as other speakers, even while adjusting the bass level.One thing to note though is that if you’re looking for smart-home-like connectivity options you’ll have to look elsewhere - it only has bluetooth 5.2 and doesn’t have Google Assistant or Alexa support however you can pair it with the Marshall smartphone app where you can adjust the equalizer settings wirelessly.Happy to add this to my collection of Marshall gear - great sound, awesome design, all with that retro feel.