Overview: Marshall Heston 120 soundbar delivers huge TV sound

Marshall, the enduring 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 implies that Marshall can’t relaxation on the facility of its model — the Heston 120 should ship a robust house theater expertise to be ranked among the many finest soundbars.

Spoiler: It does. It will not be good, however for those who’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

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 even supposing the Heston 120 is a soundbar, not a devoted music speaker, I’d argue it’s some of the authentic-looking Marshall house merchandise up to now.

Whether or not that’s a great factor or not relies on your style.

I’ll be sincere, once I first unboxed the 43-inch huge Heston 120 and located myself gazing its many gold-tone accents — particularly these distinctive prime management knobs — I nervous it could show too visually distracting. In any case, if you’re watching a film, the display screen 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 out to be 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 development, distinctive Marshall brand, and salt’n’pepper cloth grille (which Marshall insists on calling a ‘fret’) — it’s not only a soundbar, it’s a dialog piece.

At three inches tall, it seems nice sitting on a floor (and it most likely gained’t block the underside of your display screen), however it’s also possible to wall-mount it with an optionally available set of brackets that Marshall sells individually.

I don’t are likely to get very bodily with my soundbars, however for those who’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 purple 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 suitable 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

Getting the Heston arrange couldn’t be simpler. When you plug the speaker into your TV through an HDMI cable after which plug it into the wall with the facility wire (each included within the field), you’re just about good to go, at the least for TV sound. You may 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 related to your Wi-Fi community. Doing so will allow Apple AirPlay, Google Solid, and quite a lot of different useful 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 also be the way in which you’ll management the speaker’s supply (TV/HDMI/Bluetooth/Wi-Fi/Aux-in) and sound mode (music/motion pictures/night time/voice) out of your couch.

Marshall Heston 120 assessment: Connections and Controls

Across the again of the Heston 120, you’ll discover some of the intensive 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.

The HDMI enter may be very useful—it helps to offset the HDMI port in your TV wanted for the soundbar’s connection. Nevertheless it’s the subwoofer output and stereo inputs that deserve a particular call-out. Sony, Bose, Sonos, Samsung, and LG — these manufacturers all provide subwoofers for his or her soundbars, however you’re restricted to the wi-fi fashions that they manufacture. With the Heston 120, you should use any subwoofer with a wired enter.

These different manufacturers often embrace 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 (when you 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 Hearth 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 facet of the equation, the Heston helps each wired Ethernet (10/100) and Wi-Fi 6. With Apple AirPlay, Google Solid, UPnP, Tidal Join, and Spotify Join, the Heston can play virtually any supply of music you might have 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 cellular gadget.

As I stated earlier, the Heston’s controls are aesthetically stunning. 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 count on 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).

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 lately, there’s no energy button. When you plug it in, the Heston is successfully on all the 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 motion pictures and TV exhibits

Below 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 sort of deep low-end that lends itself to each motion pictures and music. They supply a good stage of energy — Max Rockatansky’s opening monologue in Mad Max: Fury Highway 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 powerful and will get clearer if 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. A lot of the settings are all accessible from the homescreen, however I discovered myself wishing for just a few extra changes. A notable omission is the dearth of particular person channel ranges, particularly for the peak drivers. To get essentially the most out of the Heston’s Dolby Atmos capabilities, I needed to drive it loud. At 50 p.c quantity, the digital encompass channels and peak results lacked oomph. At 75 p.c, they roared to life. With extra management over these channels, I think I might have heard them higher, even at a decrease total quantity.

As you would possibly count on, including a wired sub improves the entire expertise. In my case, with an Vitality S8.2 sub, it added important 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, if 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 aside from the frequencies it receives.

It’s value noting that the Heston 120 additionally helps DTS-X, a Dolby Atmos competitor. I attempted just a few DTS-X demo clips, they usually sounded wonderful. Nonetheless, DTS-X followers might wish to double-check the specs on their favourite DTS-X motion pictures. Whereas the Heston had no bother 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 facet 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 motion pictures. 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 could actually get remarkably loud, with no noticeable distortion, even when enjoying tracks like Billie Eilish’s dangerous 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 reap the benefits of the soundbar’s a number of drivers. As an alternative of getting a phantom heart channel, it’s a way more expansive soundstage. I occur to love it, however for those who don’t, there’s no technique to alter it.

Your finest guess is to make use of the lossless, Wi-Fi-based Google Solid protocol from apps like Amazon Music or Qobuz on an iPhone. Alternatively, for those who’re on Android, it’s also possible to Google Solid Apple Music. Tidal customers can leverage the Tidal Join system from both platform.

Equally good are music apps on a related streaming gadget like an Apple TV or Nvidia Protect.

Lastly, for those who don’t thoughts a lossy connection, Apple AirPlay and Bluetooth are additionally out there.

In the event you’ve by no means heard Dolby Atmos Music on a speaker system, you’re in for a deal with. Hearth up a observe like M.I.A.’s Marigold, or the wonderful Atmos model of The Doorways’ traditional, Riders On The Storm, and I think 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 the event 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 useful, however restricted. You may 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 manner to make use of the presets with different companies like Apple Music, Tidal, or Amazon Music.

Marshall Heston 120 assessment: Sound changes

Like most soundbars at this worth, the Heston 120 has built-in room calibration. The effectiveness of this characteristic can rely on 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 cut back some bass muddiness whereas rising high-frequency definition.

In the event you’re not proud of the calibration, you may repeat the method or disable it fully. Both manner, you’ve additionally acquired two extra choices to fine-tune the sound.

The speaker’s sound modes ship an prompt change of emphasis, and every enter (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and so on) will keep 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 prone to hassle neighbors or relations, and Voice de-emphasizes lows and lower-mids whereas boosting the frequencies that belong to dialogue.

Nonetheless, every sound mode may be additional tweaked by utilizing the bass/treble knob. Push it as soon as to swap between these changes, then spin the dial.

In the event you actually wish to get granular, the Marshall app permits you to manually tweak a five-band equalizer. These adjustments may be completed per mode (totally different tweaks for Music vs. Film, as an illustration), however they will’t be saved for those who strive totally different combos.

Marshall Heston 120 assessment: Untapped potential

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 growth in thoughts (Sonos, Bose). In the mean time, the Heston 120 presents neither, however Marshall says that can change quickly.

A devoted wi-fi sub is on the way in which, and the plan is to let customers increase the Heston through 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 trade first for a soundbar. Time will inform if it’s as dependable and efficient as Wi-Fi.

Is the Marshall Heston 120 value it?

Sure. Contemplating its worth, design, options, and efficiency, the Heston 120 is a superb selection for a single-speaker house theater sound system. Whereas not as exact or immersive because the Sonos Arc Extremely for motion pictures, its assist for DTS:X, HDMI enter, and wired subwoofer output make it a extra versatile selection. It’s additionally an outstanding music speaker that gives the very best high quality wi-fi streaming protocols (like Google Solid), so you may stand up to 24-bit/96kHz decision out of your music, one thing the Arc Extremely can’t do.

Lovers may need for extra management, particularly round two-channel stereo and particular person channel ranges, however for those who’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 through Marshall’s vary of present Bluetooth audio system. It’s all the time a bit iffy to purchase a product for its promised options, but when this involves fruition, it might make the Heston 120 some of the compelling soundbars available on the market.

Marshall Heston 120 assessment: Simply the specs

• Dimensions: 43.3 x 5.7 x 3.0 inches

• Wall-mountable: Sure, wall-mount offered individually

• Distant included: No

• Quantity/kind of drivers: 11 (2 tweeters, 5 full-range, 2 mid-woofers, 2 subwoofers)

• Quantity/energy of amps: 11 class D (2 x 50 watts, 9 x 30 watts)

• Channels/configuration: 5.1.2

• Ports: HDMI eARC, HDMI IN (Go by), RCA Stereo, RCA Mono (Sub Out), USB-C

• Video specs/codecs: HDMI 2.1 eARC, 4K 120 Hz, Dolby Imaginative and prescient, HDCP 1.4

• Wired/Wi-fi networking: Bluetooth 5.3/Wi-Fi 6, Ethernet (10/100)

• Wi-Fi streaming platforms: Apple AirPlay 2, Google Solid, Spotify Join, Tidal Join

• Bluetooth codecs: SBC, AAC, LC3

• Audio codecs: MPEG-4, ALAC, FLAC, LPCM, Ogg, Vorbis, WMA, WMA9 

• Audio codecs: Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital, DTS-X

• Expandable: through Auracast (future replace)

• Within the field: soundbar, HDMI cable, energy cable, Fast-start information

• Colours: Black