Audio brand Marshall have announced two new additions to its portable Bluetooth speaker range.
The Marshall Willen II and Marshall Emberton III promise to maintain the quality sound for which the company is known, while building on battery life and adding new features.
The previous versions of these Marshall speakers (the Marshall Willen and Marshall Emberton II) were both launched in 2022.
Hannah Wallner, Marshall product manager, said: "It's been a pleasure to see this generational update come to life. As always, with our iconic design and Marshall sound in focus, we’ve created something unique in the portable speaker category."
Both of the new models come with an IP67 dust and waterproof rating and, in a change of direction for Marshall, they are equipped for the next generation of Bluetooth technology: LE Audio (enabling Auracast).
Bluetooth breakthrough
Auracast will be available as an over-the-air update in the Marshall Bluetooth app. This will create a 'share audio' feature which will permit the Emberton III and Willen II to act as source devices, allowing users to simultaneously broadcast music to multiple Emberton III and Willen II units.
Other differences to these speakers from their predecessors include a slight decrease in the weight of both, as well as the addition of a microphone for the Emberton III. The Willen II can also boast improved drivers, which should have a positive impact on the bass.
The experts at What's The Best have reviewed previous Marshall speakers including the Marshall Middleton, Marshall Acton II and Marshall Stanmore III, as well as the original Marshall Willen. Find out more, then read our roundup of the the best Marshall speakers of 2024.
The Marshall Willen II (RRP £99) and Marshall Emberton III (RRP £159) are available to pre-order now and are on sale worldwide from 26 August.
Willen vs Willen II
The Willen II is the newly released version of the original Marshall Willen speaker, which was first available in 2022.
What's the same?
Size: The overall dimensions of the Marshall Willen are as follows: 101.6 x 100.5 x 40.4 mm (H x W x D), which is incredibly similar to the Willen II, aside from being slightly thicker: 100.5 x 100.5 x 43.3 mm (H x W x D).
Design: The Willen II retains many of the classic Marshall design features, including the iconic metal embossed Marshall logo, gold grill, controller joystick, and leather-imitating rubber-coated enclosure. The Willen II still features a battery display and dedicated Bluetooth button, as well as a practical speaker strap for fantastic portability options.
IP rating: The Willen II keeps its IP67 waterproof rating from its predecessor, but that's hardly a concern: IP67 should cover you against large splashes and accidental water dunks.
Drivers: The drivers inside the Willen and Willen II are practically the same, both of them have a single full-range 2-inch driver inside.
What's different?
Additional buttons: The Willen II's design is largely the same as its predecessor, aside from a brand-new power button, which eliminates the need for activating the speaker via the joystick.
Frequency response range and sound pressure: The Willen II has a slightly better frequency response range overall, the original Willen having around a 100 Hz - 20,000 Hz response, and the Willen II having a 70 Hz - 20,000 Hz frequency response. The overall bass on the Willen II is fractionally better.
The sound pressure in the Willen II is also better at 88 DB SPL at 1m, compared to the original Willen's 82 DB SPL at 1m.
Battery and battery indicator: Though the general design of the battery life indicator is the same, the Willen II's battery indicator is on its side, compared to the original's vertical design. The overall battery life of the Willen II has also improved, going from 15+ hours on the original Willen, to 17+ hours on the Willen II. The charging time has been moderately reduced on the Willen II also to 2.5 hours, compared to the three hours required by the original Marshall Willen.
Bluetooth: The Willen II now has Bluetooth version 5.3, which has increased strength and better overall range, whereas the Willen has Bluetooth 5.1. The Willen II also has Auracast, which enables multiple speaker connectivity across devices simultaneously.
Power amplifier: Perhaps the largest difference between the Willen and Willen II, the original speaker's 10W amp has been drastically upgraded to 38W, giving you a much louder sound output overall.
Emberton II vs Emberton III
The Emberton III is the next generation in the Marshall Emberton speaker range. The original Emberton was released in 2020 and the Emberton II in 2022.
What's the same?
Size: While the new version of the Emberton is imperceptibly lighter (670g compared to 700g) the dimensions remain the same (160 x 68 x 76.9 mm).
General design: It retains the same look and feel of its predecessor – a rectangular amp-like unit with front and rear grilles within a silicone shell. From a bird's-eye view the grilles slightly exceed the shell on the Emberton II whereas they are not visible on the Emberton III.
IP rating: Both speakers have an IP67 rating. This means that they are dust-tight and can be submerged in 15cm to 1 metre of water for a maximum of 30 minutes.
What's different?
Buttons: The Emberton III is turned on via a separate power button rather than a long hold of the brass control knob (as was the case with the Emberton II).
Carry strap: The new Emberton features a hole through which to attach a carry strap (not provided).
Amps, sound pressure and frequency response: The Emberton III has two 38W Class D amplifiers (previously two 10W Class D amps), a maximum sound pressure of 90dB SPL at 1m (previously 87dB) and a frequency response of 65 Hz-20 kHz (previously 60 Hz-20kHz).
Battery: The battery can be fully recharged in approximately two hours which is a one hour improvement and provides 32-plus hours of playtime (the second Emberton offered 30-plus).
Bluetooth: As discussed above, Marshall have introduced Auracast, superseding the stack mode which they previously employed.
Built-in microphone: The Emberton III comes with a built-in microphone for hands free calls.
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David Ker is a journalist with a decade's experience in print and digital publishing. He appreciates technology made with its environmental impact in mind and which presents him a further means to pursue his love of music, reading, games, TV and film. Above all, with so many options out there, he's interested in products that display something out of the ordinary and offer value for money. Hard to please, he assures What's The Best readers that he'll be a discerning critic on their behalf.
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