The Marshall Emberton II is a Bluetooth speaker that not only carries the iconic design of Marshall products, but is also weather resistant and provides us with balanced sound, not to mention that it has an enviable autonomy of up to 30 hours. If you are interested in knowing it in great detail, you have come to the right place, and if you were looking for something even more powerful and elegant you are also in the right place, because we can also recommend the Marshall Acton III for audiophiles who value style.
Design
As you might expect, the Marshall Emberton 2 features the iconic guitar amp design that brought Marshall to stardom. And according to said brand, 50% of the body is made of recycled plastic, so it’s a more or less sustainable product, but don’t give them the wrong impression, because it’s an extremely resistant speaker.
It has a rubber exterior that ensures that it will survive some bumps and scratches. In addition, it is quite compact, measuring 68 x 160 x 76 mm and weighing only 0.7 kilos.
When we look at it carefully we will notice that all the controls are in the upper part of the body. There’s a Bluetooth pairing button here, with a red light indicator next to it to show when it’s connected to the mobile. Around the side, we find 10 small bars of red light that reflect the charge of the battery . Likewise, a golden button with a ribbed texture sits in the middle and acts similar to a joystick.
We do not know what kind of witchcraft Marshall has done to make this possible, but the truth of the matter is that on the right side it has an exposed USB-C charging port , which does not compromise the resistance to water and dust that this speaker has. which is IP67 , in case you’re wondering. Technically it should be able to be submerged in water (1 meter deep) for 30 minutes and still work.
That said, the speaker is available in two color versions: cream white and black .
sound and features
Inside the Marshall Emberton 2 are two two-inch full-range drivers , two passive radiators, and Marshall’s ‘True Stereophonic’ technology, which basically translates to stereo sound. The result is, for the most part, rich, clear sound no matter what you’re listening to.
The best thing about this speaker is its soundstage, as it has a fairly balanced profile, which is appropriate for listening to many types of content. Going into details, the midrange is balanced, something that guarantees that vocals and instruments are reproduced with precision and detail in the mix; this makes it ideal for enjoying voice-focused content such as audiobooks and podcasts. It also has a bit of extra punch and warmth in the low end, so it’s not bad for enjoying electronic or Hip-Hop music.
As a bonus, the Marshal Emberton II is packed with Marshall’s Stereo Sound for 360-degree audio, and we hear it works decently, although there’s a slight drop in tone to the sides, but it’s not too obvious.
However, not everything can be rosy, and the Marshall Emberton II has disadvantages that we are obliged to address. In this sense, its dynamic performance leaves a lot to be desired , something common in speakers of this size. With that in mind, it doesn’t have enough volume to cover large venues (understandably), and when at high volume levels you notice audio compression , especially in the low-end range, this degrades and distorts audio quality considerably. as we increase the volume beyond 75%.
Finally, AAC and aptX are missing, as this speaker is only compatible with the SBC codec .
Application
As expected, Marshall’s Bluetooth application provides us with additional functions and data , and what better example of this than the sound equalization settings . Marshall is the default option; Push boosts the bass and treble frequencies and Voice boosts the midrange to give vocals more clarity. However, there is no way to make adjustments to the settings, worth the redundancy, and that limits the options.
Autonomy
To close this review with a flourish, we can refer to the battery of the Marshall Emberton II or, rather, to the autonomy it provides. In this sense, on paper Marshall promises more than 30 hours of duration from its speaker, and we are pleased to confirm that the Emberton II can indeed reach 29-30 hours of use with the volume at half .
With less conservative use we can expect a minimum of about 22 hours, which is still an improvement over the 20 hours offered by the original Emberton. That said, the recharging process takes 3 hours , but with just 20 minutes of charging the speaker gets enough juice for 4 hours of battery life, and that’s not bad at all.
PROS
- balanced sound
- good soundstage
- Sleek, waterproof design
- Excellent autonomy of 30 hours
- Mobile app compatible
CONS
- Does not allow tuning the equalization settings
- There is sound distortion at maximum volume
- Does not have a microphone for voice assistants
- Bass could be better
- price a bit high
Marshall Emberton II Specifications:
| Dimensions | 68 x 160 x 76mm |
| Weight | 0.7 kilograms |
| Colors | Black, brown and cream |
| resistance grade | IP67 |
| controllers | Two 10W full-range, 2-inch, Two passive radiators, |
| Frequency response (Hz) | 60 – 20,000Hz |
| controller type | Dynamic |
| sound pressure level | 87dB SPL @ 1m |
| Microphone | No |
| Battery | Yes, plus 30 hours |
| Loading time | 3 hours |
| wireless connectivity | Yes, Bluetooth 5.1 |
| Codecs | SBC |
| voice commands | No |
| compatible application | Marshall Bluetooth app (iOS & Android) |
| Package content | Emberton II speaker, User manual and legal and safety information, USB-C charging cable. |
| Official site | Marshall |
