A music specialist launching into home theater is a risky bet. With its Heston 120 soundbar, Marshall is attacking this market at the high end, with a launch price of 1,000 euros (available June 3), exactly the same as that of the excellent Sonos Arc Ultra. A strong signal for the company, which since 2023 has merged its historic British company, created in 1962 and the originator of the legendary guitar amps, with Zound, the Swedish company that has been responsible for diversification into the world of connected speakers and headphones since 2010 (of which the recent Emberton III and Monitor III ANC are worthy representatives).
It was on the occasion of this extremely important launch for the brand that we were able to speak at its Stockholm headquarters with the engineers who developed the device for two years. The basic idea is logical: to enter the very buoyant soundbar market, Marshall had to maintain its identity; both auditory and visual. The choice was therefore made to design a model that was obviously compatible with current home cinema audio standards (Dolby Atmos and DTS:X), without making music listening the poor relation (65% of soundbar owners also use them to listen to music). In a world of sad, gray parallelepipeds, Marshall also had a card to play on the design side by retaining the codes of the guitar amps that made its speakers and headphones successful.
In addition to this high-end model available at the beginning of June, Marshall will unveil the smaller and more affordable Heston 60 later this year, as well as the Heston Sub 200 subwoofer. This means a whole new range will come to life in 2025 for the manufacturer.
Marshall's signature design
Certainly, the Heston 120 doesn't reinvent the wheel and also adopts a parallelepiped design. It's hard to avoid this form factor, which must fit in front of the television without obscuring it (7.6 cm high, 110 cm wide, 14.5 cm deep, 7 kg). When it comes to Marshall-style design, we can say that we're pretty spoiled! The first thing that strikes you is the brand's iconic logo on the front, impossible to miss. The choice is bold in a world where soundbars do everything to be forgotten, but it is not the matching copper edging that runs the entire length of the speaker that will allow it.
The front and top are covered in an elegant gray mesh, while the sides and The back uses a polyurethane that reproduces the look of leather. On the edges, the side speakers are hidden by aluminum grilles, further reinforcing the rock'n'roll look of the whole thing. The assembly is perfect and leaves no room for approximation. There's no doubt about it, we're at Marshall's.
Real, practical buttons
And the haptic potentiometers located on the top of the Heston 120 won't contradict us. Here too, we have the impression of being in front of a guitar amp, and it's not just a question of style. On the far left, three small buttons allow you to launch the playlist or radio station of your choice with a simple press, previously programmed via the new Marshall application (we'll come back to this). The first potentiometer adjusts the volume, the second adds more bass or treble, and the third selects the input source. All three are highlighted by a red LED arc border that looks great. Finally, a last button on the far right lets you switch between the different sound modes (music, movie, night, voice).
The whole thing is placed on a brushed aluminum plate, which also looks great. The Heston 120 is certainly not discreet, but its finery does not distract at all when watching a movie and even adds a bit of style to the room. The manufacturer has also taken care of repairability since the grilles, tips, transducers and printed circuits are removable and replaceable. A good point for the lifespan of the device.
Rich connectivity, wired or wireless
On the back of the speaker, the connectivity is relatively rich: Ethernet, HDMI passthrough input, HDMI 2.1 eARC, USB-C, stereo RCA, mono RCA and power. Enough to physically connect a variety of devices (subwoofer, Apple TV, turntable, etc.). Two microphones are also integrated, but are only used for calibration, as no voice assistant is available on the Heston 120. Wireless connection is not left out with Bluetooth 5.3 (SBC, AAC and LC3 codec) compatible with Auracast and Wi-Fi 6 compatible with AirPlay and Google Cast. The device also supports Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect to connect directly to these two streaming services.
For this test of the Heston 120, we were able to access the new Marshall app in advance. Without offering a delirium of features like Sony can do, it gives access to the essentials and allows you to control it without necessarily having to get up from your sofa. You can switch between the 4 sound modes adapted to music, films, night listening (to reduce dynamics) and the emphasis on voices.
Bass that allows you to do without a subwoofer
If there is one area where Marshall engineers have worked hard, it is audio. With 11 Class D amplifiers (for a total power of 150W), two 3-inch midrange drivers, two 0.8-inch tweeters, five 2-inch full-range drivers, and two 2-inch x 5-inch rectangular subwoofers, the Heston 120 is pretty well equipped.
The two bass drivers were also the focus of the designers' attention, with no fewer than 17 prototypes before they finally found the right formula. As we were able to see at Marshall's Swedish headquarters, their excursion is very significant, guaranteeing suitable air movement and therefore promising bass. The system is also reminiscent of the one used by Sonos in its Arc Ultra: Sound Motion, originally developed by the Dutch company Mayht.
The result is clear: the Heston 120 is not lacking in bass, quite the opposite. So much so that, like its American competitor, it can completely do without an additional subwoofer, a real plus for a soundbar whose form factor is usually lacking in these frequencies. Whether it's an action movie or bass-rich music (hip-hop, drum'n'bass), you're more than satisfied. Sometimes even a little too much, we were able to rectify the situation thanks to the equalizer included in the application to rebalance everything a little.
Of course, with its Dolby Atmos and DTS:X compatibility, the device was expected to be a breakthrough in the field of spatialization. On this point, we are a little more mixed, particularly concerning the verticality of the whole, which we had difficulty finding. Fortunately, the Heston 120 saves the day with good horizontality, providing a very wide soundstage and going beyond its physical limits. In movies, dialogue is ultra-clear and intelligible, even when loud background noise or music might drown it out.
Audio quality that doesn't neglect music
In music, all instruments find their place. Although we were disappointed not to be able to enjoy Dolby Atmos mixes from Apple Music via AirPlay for the moment. Marshall has indeed told us that it is working on implementing spatial AirPlay, Apple having only recently released its specifications for third-party devices. An update will arrive by the end of the year to add this wireless Dolby Atmos, which for now can only be transmitted via HDMI eARC or via Tidal Connect.
Because while the Heston 120's home theater performance is excellent without being masterful, it's really its musical capabilities that really stand out. Once the bass is rebalanced, we obtain a very pleasant sound signature, bringing voices to the forefront thanks to high-performance mids and not forgetting details thanks to treble that is also well controlled. Beware, however, of the distortion that appears once the volume is exceeded three-quarters, but the speaker is powerful enough not to have to push it that far. The dynamics so important in films also serve classical music very well.
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