Marshall Emberton Bluetooth Speaker REVIEW

A satisfying sound in a small package

I’ve always been a music fan. When I was a teenager, I used to play guitar quite a bit and Marshall amps were my go-to solution for premium sound quality. Within the past few years, I’ve been very excited to see Marshall enter the Bluetooth speaker game because they bring their audio expertise to a somewhat stagnant accessory category within the technology realm. We’ve had the fortunate opportunity to review several of their Bluetooth speakers including the Acton Bluetooth Speaker, Kilburn II Portable Loudspeaker, and the Woburn II Bluetooth Speaker. Each of those speakers gave the essence of a Marshall amplifier based on their top-notch design. The one downside to each of them was their size. Despite being ‘portable,’ the speakers really weren’t that compact. I’m happy to be able to introduce the Emberton Portable Bluetooth Speaker to our audience here at MacSources. 

DETAILS

The Emberton Portable Bluetooth Speaker is named for a village in England just as the other speakers are also named for locations in England, which is the home country for Marshall. The speaker utilizes “True Stereophonic” for multidirectional sound – a unique feature from Marshall. Product designers intended for the Emberton to provide ‘absolute 360º sound’ so that no matter where you are listening from you are in the ‘sweet spot.’ The speaker has up to 20 hours of playtime with a quick-charging feature that provides 5 hours of listening time for a 20-minute charging time. 

The Emberton Portable Bluetooth Speaker is rated as IPX7 for water-resistance so it can be used anywhere. The speaker also features a multi-directional control knob, which users can use to control play/pause functions, skipping tracks, and adjusting the volume. The button also serves as the on/off controls for the speaker. The speaker fits in the palm of the hand an only weighs 0.7kg (1.5 lbs). Emberton comes equipped with Bluetooth 5.0 technology, which provides exceptional audio quality and easy connectivity for wireless music play. 

SPECS

USER EXPERIENCE

One of the first things I always comment on is the packaging of a product. Marshall always has first-rate boxes for their products. The package for the Emberton speaker is no exception. The front of the box has a gorgeous photo of the product along with the name and the fact that it has more than 20 hours of playtime on a full battery. The back of the box includes additional information about the speaker’s features like the IPX7 rating, multi-directional control knob, and its Bluetooth connectivity. When you open the box you will find the speaker along with a quick start guide, Legal & Safety pamphlet, and a USB-C charging cable. 

Set-up of the speaker is pretty self-explanatory and if you’ve ever used a Bluetooth speaker, you can probably figure out how to get started, but if you need help pairing for the first time, the quick start guide provides all the necessary instructions. To get started, the first step is to turn the unit on. To do so you simply press/hold the multi-function button on the top of the speaker. If it doesn’t immediately enter pairing mode, you can press/hold the Bluetooth button until it starts blinking. Then you can select it from your device’s Bluetooth menu. For me, the Emberton showed up immediately and paired as soon as I selected it on my phone. I did notice at one point when I was listening to some music that the speaker disconnected, but that could have been a glitch with the phone and have nothing to do with the speaker.

The design of the speaker is nothing short of remarkable. It has that classic Marshall look and feel and with the mechanical multi-purpose, this hand-sized speaker makes me feel nostalgic for days past. One of the first things I noticed about the speaker’s physical condition was how hefty it is. As noted in the specs above, the speaker weighs 1.5 pounds. It’s not ‘heavy’ but it is heavier than some other portable speakers that have a similar size. I personally don’t mind the weight because it feels like a quality product and it reminds me of the Marshall Amps I used to have.

As far as sound quality goes, this tiny little speaker can hold its own with it’s bigger siblings and to be honest, most other wired systems. It amplifies the audio from the connected device beautifully and the volume level is outstanding. I cranked it up while listening to some Nirvana and it blew me away. I also had my fiancé check it out and she loved how much full Broadway show tunes sounded as well as streaming TV shows. She also commented that she never saw any issues with dialogue syncing properly between her iPhone and the sound coming out of the speaker. She loves to watch The Office on Netflix and she’s noticed that some other Bluetooth speakers fall out of sync. The Emberton never faltered. It provides exceptional sound quality no matter what you are listening to.

CONCLUSION

Years ago when I was younger I would spend every waking hour playing my guitar or be out on my skateboard. Back then portable Bluetooth speakers were not around. But if they would have been I would have owned this little powerhouse. Having that iconic Marshall look and superior sound while being super small would have been right up my ally. My biggest issue with this speaker is I don’t want to get it dirty. How lame is that? I love the look of Marshall speakers and amps. They are classy and really just make me feel at home.

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