Emberton II Black & Steel

Hesitated at first because it was being sold at 15% off (saved almost P1,500, so I thought there *has to be* a catch), but it's really legit! I was able to connect the device via the official app and update the firmware. I also started getting promotional emails from the official website soon after.The build is amazing. It has some weight to it and it certainly does not feel cheap. It's also the most beautiful speaker on the market right now. The sound quality is amazing. The bass can still improve, but it's already quite good. You get the premium quality that you paid for. Although, I wouldn't recommend this for rugged outdoor use unlike the JBL. It's meant to sit pretty on your desk.

The Marshall Emberton II delivers powerful, detailed sound of a much greater volume due to its exceptional size. Experience absolute 360° sound with True Stereophonic technology, Marshall's unique form of omnidirectional sound. Over 30 hours of wireless playback, the speaker's compact size and rugged durability make it perfect to carry around, plus it only takes 3 hours to fully charge. Extremely durable and easy-to-use design with IP67 dust and water resistant design standards. Your music experience will not be hindered by rain or dust, providing a quick connection experience using bluetooth. Stay up to date with the latest software updates from Over-the-Air (OTA). Create a college sound system by connecting multiple Marshall Emberton II speakers together.

A Very Good Looking Speaker

The design of this speaker is really cool. I got this to replace a Sony portable speaker that had been using for a number of years and the Marshall speaker is by far the better looker. It also feels very good quality with a metal amp-look mesh on each side with a nice faux leather wrapped around which does make it feel high quality.The sound is as you'd expect from Marshall with a good depth of sounds and slightly better base than on similar products. The best thing about it so far is the battery life, it just doesn't seem to go down! I have been using mine for hours and the battery indicator has barely moved. They advertise this speaker as lasting up to 30 hours, ideal for taking out to the park or on a weekend trip.There is an additional feature called stack ... MoreThe design of this speaker is really cool. I got this to replace a Sony portable speaker that had been using for a number of years and the Marshall speaker is by far the better looker. It also feels very good quality with a metal amp-look mesh on each side with a nice faux leather wrapped around which does make it feel high quality.The sound is as you'd expect from Marshall with a good depth of sounds and slightly better base than on similar products. The best thing about it so far is the battery life, it just doesn't seem to go down! I have been using mine for hours and the battery indicator has barely moved. They advertise this speaker as lasting up to 30 hours, ideal for taking out to the park or on a weekend trip.There is an additional feature called stack mode where you can pair it with another Marshall Emberton 2 speaker and have double the sound. Although this sounds really great, I'm not sure how many people would buy two of the exact same product. Also with the high number of portable speakers on the market I feel it would be hard to find a friend with the exact same one you could pair together for a party. It would be better if it had technology to connect to any additional speaker or if it was compatible with Google Nest or Apple Homepod. Overall a great portable speaker which also looks fantastic on the kitchen counter.

Absolutely not worth the money!! A very poor design.

More Cons Than Pros. I bought 2 of these and wish I never did. Here’s why:1) you cannot link the two speakers to get a stereo sound, and have them both playing from the same phone. There are way cheaper speakers that can do this, so I never thought 1 million years these would not be able to do so.2) Every time you turn the speaker on or off, it plays a 3 second guitar “riff” at full volume. So forget, trying to use this in your office, or in your house at night, you’ll wake up or annoy everyone. It’s absolutely absurd!3) The sound quality is good, but the volume is mediocre. My daughter has a little JBL sport that is a 1/4 the size, 1/3 of the price, and I can go just as loud,4) The large button on top to operate all functions is barely functional. You have to ... MoreMore Cons Than Pros. I bought 2 of these and wish I never did. Here’s why:1) you cannot link the two speakers to get a stereo sound, and have them both playing from the same phone. There are way cheaper speakers that can do this, so I never thought 1 million years these would not be able to do so.2) Every time you turn the speaker on or off, it plays a 3 second guitar “riff” at full volume. So forget, trying to use this in your office, or in your house at night, you’ll wake up or annoy everyone. It’s absolutely absurd!3) The sound quality is good, but the volume is mediocre. My daughter has a little JBL sport that is a 1/4 the size, 1/3 of the price, and I can go just as loud,4) The large button on top to operate all functions is barely functional. You have to hit this thing in the exact spot, otherwise you’ll skip songs when you’re trying to turn up the volume, or you’ll stop the music when you try and turn off the volume and good luck, trying to power it off as you have to hold it perfectly straight down for three seconds, and usually takes about 3 or 4 tries.I bought these because they looked good and felt heavy/solid, and when I connected to the one in the store, it sounded good. However, once I got them home and actually started using them, I wish I would have returned them . Definitely consider a different brand at this price range.

Emberton II Review

Overall the Emberton II is a very small but attractive speaker, with a stylish wire fret on front and reverse. The case has a leather-texturised surface with illuminated battery charge level and Bluetooth connection indicator. The central control button is used for volume control and track indexing, but this is clunky and non-user centric as it's not intuitive that this also serves as the On/Off button. The battery indicator is permanently illuminated when the speaker is turned on and cannot be dimmed like other models.This Bluetooth speaker is more suitable for travel than a high-fidelity home audio system, where you're happy to compromise on audio quality for convenience on the move. The speaker is missing a 3.5mm input - meaning you can only play via Bluetooth ... MoreOverall the Emberton II is a very small but attractive speaker, with a stylish wire fret on front and reverse. The case has a leather-texturised surface with illuminated battery charge level and Bluetooth connection indicator. The central control button is used for volume control and track indexing, but this is clunky and non-user centric as it's not intuitive that this also serves as the On/Off button. The battery indicator is permanently illuminated when the speaker is turned on and cannot be dimmed like other models.This Bluetooth speaker is more suitable for travel than a high-fidelity home audio system, where you're happy to compromise on audio quality for convenience on the move. The speaker is missing a 3.5mm input - meaning you can only play via Bluetooth and can't connect some audio devices such as vinyl turntables.The Marshall mobile app seems somewhat redundant for the Emberton II. Pairing on iOS is done through iPhone settings not the app. The app can only be used for selecting one of 3 predefined equaliser settings: Marshall, Push or Voice. These could have been a toggle/dials on the speaker rather than app functionality. There is no way to manually adjust bass or treble via the speaker or app, which is a drawback.The sound quality is ok at quiet levels, however there is considerable and notable distortion at higher volume. The Emberton II has limited acoustic range, missing full audio depth on most tracks across a range of genres. The bass performance is poor, especially compared to competition at this price range. For this price range, better quality Bluetooth options are available which offer superior audio performance and connectivity.The '360-degree sound' is more 'bi-directional'. Around the room, there are certainly sweeter/louder spots than others. Other speakers offer greater true '360-degree' audio experience.I would recommend a larger unit for home use due to better sound quality, appearance, feature set and connectivity for viny.

Fantastic little speaker with great sound

This Marshall speaker is really impressive and delivers a high quality sound.The unit is a compact size, with a rubberised body and speaker grill back and front. The controls are simple but effective with a button for Bluetooth pairing and a control button for volume and track change - which are easy to get used to. One thing which would make it a bit better is to use voice recognition to change track instead of using your hands (e.g. if you are using when cooking), but is not a problem for the vast majority of uses. The cream colour is very smart, and so far hasn't been a problem to keep clean.In my opinion the audio quality well outperforms other units of this type, and has the distinctive Marshall sound as the default EQ setting (but other options to boost ... MoreThis Marshall speaker is really impressive and delivers a high quality sound.The unit is a compact size, with a rubberised body and speaker grill back and front. The controls are simple but effective with a button for Bluetooth pairing and a control button for volume and track change - which are easy to get used to. One thing which would make it a bit better is to use voice recognition to change track instead of using your hands (e.g. if you are using when cooking), but is not a problem for the vast majority of uses. The cream colour is very smart, and so far hasn't been a problem to keep clean.In my opinion the audio quality well outperforms other units of this type, and has the distinctive Marshall sound as the default EQ setting (but other options to boost base or focus audio). Although a small speaker, it truly packs a punch - and can be very loud (with good sound across the range).The battery is easy to charge with the supplied usb cable, and has an impressive life of over 20+ hours - and probably more but I've not run it for that long without charging. With the great battery and the waterproof capability this really has great opportunity to use wherever you want to take it.Overall I'd say this is a wonderful speaker, with a great sound and compact size. I would absolutely recommend this speaker.

[Rewarded Review] Doesn't work with Android 14

Garbage. I had a Google Pixel 6, and none of the Marshall android App features worked. No tuning, no sound adjustments, equalizer, treble, bass, nothing. You just have to use Bluetooth to pair to the speaker with no use of any of the advertised features.All you get is volume control.This is a known issue, and when you open the app, you are immediately notified of issues with Android 14. The very newest version of Android that was released on October 4, 2023 will not work with this speaker. Nowhere in the product listing do they share that they know about this issue, before you buy. They wait until after they have your money to reveal this crucial fact.Is there a firmware update? Are their developers working on it?Nope. They do not care.I just got a Pixel 8a, ... MoreGarbage. I had a Google Pixel 6, and none of the Marshall android App features worked. No tuning, no sound adjustments, equalizer, treble, bass, nothing. You just have to use Bluetooth to pair to the speaker with no use of any of the advertised features.All you get is volume control.This is a known issue, and when you open the app, you are immediately notified of issues with Android 14. The very newest version of Android that was released on October 4, 2023 will not work with this speaker. Nowhere in the product listing do they share that they know about this issue, before you buy. They wait until after they have your money to reveal this crucial fact.Is there a firmware update? Are their developers working on it?Nope. They do not care.I just got a Pixel 8a, and it refuses to pair at all. Pricey Bluetooth speaker and it's basically a paperweight.

[Rewarded Review] Excellent sound and beautiful design

My search started by comparing Marshall and Bosse. In my opinion, Bosse gives me the sensation of a little more volume but the absolute best quality comes from Marshall. When I already knew that Marshall would be my choice, I looked among the different models of it and chose this one for its comfort and sound quality, don't be fooled by its size! I also liked that it can be paired like other dances of the same reference, I've already tried it and OMG I need 10 of these LOL. I also liked that it is waterproof, I haven't really submerged it but I took it with wet hands and I haven't had any problems. I am highly surprised with its battery life and connection range.I am in love with this brand and especially this model!

[Rewarded Review] No better sound and build quality out there!!!!!

After looking at every other small speaker in the store (regardless of price- Bose, Sony, JBL, etc.), I picked the Emberton II. Sound quality is INCREDIBLE. Sound is full-range and is reminiscent of the old Bose direct/reflecting sound from back in the day. Volume is sufficient for a medium-sized room. Build quality is the best out of all other brands I looked at, and there's a bit of heft to the speakers. Bluetooth link is solid and range is surprisingly good. I'm getting a second one to emulate my 901 setup (the Marshall app allows for different sound curves as well as multiple speakers). I don't regret this purchase in the least!

[Rewarded Review] Surprisingly rich sound w/classic Marshall styling

Several years ago I bought a Bose SoundLink Mini to use while traveling with my laptop and DAP. Say what you will about Bose or their prices, but their engineers certainly seem to know how to squeeze some pretty amazing sound out of small enclosures. Fast-forward several years and we've given a few of the larger Marshall speakers to family members as a gift...the Stanmore in particular is a favorite with its rich, room-filling audio and vintage/classical styling. My SoundLink Mini was starting to get a bit long in the tooth and wasn't holding a charge very well anymore so I decided to give Marshall's Emberton II a spin as its price, design, and features seem to be aimed squarely at the Bose SoundLink Mini line of portable speakers. In the end, I think Marshall ... MoreSeveral years ago I bought a Bose SoundLink Mini to use while traveling with my laptop and DAP. Say what you will about Bose or their prices, but their engineers certainly seem to know how to squeeze some pretty amazing sound out of small enclosures. Fast-forward several years and we've given a few of the larger Marshall speakers to family members as a gift...the Stanmore in particular is a favorite with its rich, room-filling audio and vintage/classical styling. My SoundLink Mini was starting to get a bit long in the tooth and wasn't holding a charge very well anymore so I decided to give Marshall's Emberton II a spin as its price, design, and features seem to be aimed squarely at the Bose SoundLink Mini line of portable speakers. In the end, I think Marshall succeeded in making a portable speaker that is worthy of your dollars and consideration and it beats the Bose in nearly every category.Marshall's signature guitar amp-style design cues give this little speaker a dash of class and "rock-n-roll" sensibilities that are admittedly pretty cool-looking as it sits on a shelf or tabletop. The all-black enclosure feels solid and rugged with its pebble-finish rubberized textured shell, big brass-colored control rocker knob/button, classic Marshall logo on the speaker grille up front, and red amp-style LED bar meter one the top indicating battery level. There is also one tiny red LED above the flush-mount Bluetooth button. Unlike some other speaker designs, the Emberton II doesn't have an "ugly backside" with ports, screws, plug-ins, or switches...the rear of the speaker simply features the same guitar amp-style grille as the front. There is a small USB-C charging port on the right side of the speaker and a VERY shallow ridge of raised rubber running around the bottom of the speaker for stability and slight surface protection.Usability is top notch but with a novel approach to the audio interface that is totally appropriate to the speaker's design. Along with looking like a guitar amp, it sounds a little like one too with power-up, power-down, and BT connection/disconnection status tones taking the form of various rising and falling guitar riffs, while the pairing tone is distinctly different, sounding a little like short bongo drumbeats. Pairing itself is effortless and is accomplished with a simple press of the pairing button on the top of the Emberton until the status tone sounds--I was connected to my iPhone 12 and Shanling DAPs inside of 5 seconds each.The red BT and battery level LEDs are dim during normal playback, but they glow brighter momentarily whenever a control is activated...this is a nice way to keep on top of the battery charge level if you go several hours or more in between futzing with the controls. The main brass-colored 4-way rocker button serves several intuitive Bluetooth functions for both speaker and playback control of the connected source: press and hold for speaker power on/off, quick-press to play/pause, tilt forward or back for volume control, tilt left/right for previous/next song skip. The volume +/- and track skip icons are also debossed around the edge of the cutout for the control rocker, but the icons are so small that they get lost within the pebble-stone texture of the speaker itself and are pretty difficult to see--nevertheless, the controls are simple enough and fairly standard for BT remote controls on other products that I doubt you'll ever forget which direction to push the rocker knob to adjust volume versus skip tracks.The design is such that the drivers and passive bass radiators are the same in the front as they are in the back. This allows pretty much anyone to hear clearly and cleanly regardless of where they are sitting around the speaker; but unlike the oddball tuning of the larger Marshall Tufton's rear-firing driver, you don't get any interference, echo, or delay between the two speakers so the soundfield is smooth and continuous. Interestingly, however, the stereo performance is therefore front-to-back rather than side-to-side--it sounds weirder than it really turns out to be in practice given how small and close together the drivers are, but a few songs with VERY pronounced L/R panning will sound mostly mono from the front or rear. Volume gets almost uncomfortably loud before it starts to unpleasantly distort, but this is a tiny portable speaker after all--it would be fine for enjoying music in a small room or for those seated in a few chairs closely encircling it at the beach/poolside, but don't expect it to reassuringly fill a whole floor of a house or back end of a cul-de-sac. However, the Emberton supports what Marshall calls "Stack Mode" which allows you to link two or more Emberton speakers together all while being driven from the same single BT source...it's a neat feature to be sure, one that is characteristic of larger party speakers that can be chained together for an even "larger" sound, but you'll have to decide whether your wallet can tolerate another Emberton in your stable just for the sake of this feature.Out-of-the-box sound is tuned with Marshall's signature EQ, but the companion Marshall app allows you to choose two other presets: Push (boosted bass & treble) and Voice (enhanced midrange). Honestly, the Marshall preset was the most pleasant, engaging, energetic, and articulate of the bunch; though I suppose the Voice preset might be useful for podcasts, audiobooks, or news broadcasts. Frankly, the Push preset sounded like it exaggerated the bass and treble at the expense of a mid cut to the point where vocals sounded hollow and strained (to my ear), but there are likely some people out there who will still appreciate this overtly v-shaped EQ. The app also provides an additional set of playback controls in case you don't want to get up and walk all the way over to the speaker itself to skip tracks or pause playback.Battery life is claimed to be more than 30 hours...I never ran it continuously that long, but several days' worth of background music still left a hefty charge on board. A 20-minute quick charge restores about 3-4 hours' worth of runtime while a full charge only takes about 2-3 hours. The speaker is designed to withstand some pretty harsh listening conditions with an impressive IP67 dust and water-resistance rating--feel free to use it by the pool or at the beach, though strangely the USB-C charging port is not protected with any kind of gasket or covering. Frankly, the speaker itself looks so nice I would be hard-pressed to knock it around in such conditions (I'd hate for some sand to work its way into that charging port), but it's nice to know it was designed to survive a rain shower or some sandy/dusty conditions for those times when you simply must have your tunes on the go.Finally, to the question I was after--does the Emberton II offer a compelling enough sound/experience to dethrone the SoundLink Mini as my go-to speaker when I want big sound in a small portable package? The answer is MOSTLY yes. On pure thumping bass *quantity* alone, I have to give a slight nod to the Bose; there was just a tiny bit more palpable oomph to the SoundLink Mini's bass vs. that of the Emberton II, even on the exaggerated Push EQ preset. BUT, the Emberton II frankly sounded MUCH better balanced, a little more full-bodied throughout all the frequency ranges, and a little livelier overall. Given that this speaker is purpose-built to provide big sound from a VERY small package, I was not expecting audiophile-level sound quality or ear-blistering output, but I do value sound quality more than quantity overall. In that respect, I think the *very* minor tradeoff in just a hair less bass output for a signature sound that is simply more pleasing and fun to listen to overall makes the Marshall Emberton II a no-brainer if you're in the market for one of these brick-sized portable speakers--definitely recommended!