Though Marshall is greatest recognized for its guitar amplifiers, the model additionally has a quite spectacular presence within the private audio section. Marshall headphones and audio system — made by Zound Industries as a part of a model licensing settlement — attempt to seize the essence of the model’s styling and sound, and my previous experiences with the merchandise have been largely optimistic. The product I am reviewing in the present day, the Marshall Stanmore III, continues with that legacy in an enormous, daring, and quite costly style.
Priced at Rs. 41,999, the Marshall Stanmore III instantly strikes you as an extremely good wanting Bluetooth speaker. It is also massive, quite heavy, and must be plugged in to an influence outlet to work, so do not count on to have the ability to take this out and about with you. Nevertheless, this additionally makes it a promising house leisure choice, and one which’s engaging sufficient to earn a spot of pleasure in your lounge. Is the Marshall Stanmore III definitely worth the worth? Discover out on this evaluate.
The Marshall Stanmore III does not have a battery, and must be plugged in to run
Marshall Stanmore III design and specs
What actually helps the Marshall vary of audio system to face out is the unmistakeable resemblance to the model’s historic guitar amplifiers. This consists of the boxy form, distinguished Marshall emblem on the sturdy however versatile straw-like speaker grille up entrance, and delightful leatherette ending on the highest and sides of the Stanmore III. It is the center product within the present third-generation lineup of house audio system from Marshall and is pretty giant, however not as giant because the Rs. 59,999 Woburn III.
The massive measurement additionally makes the Marshall Stanmore III fairly heavy, however this should not actually be a problem as soon as you have unpacked it and safely positioned it, for the reason that speaker is not actually meant to be moved round. This additionally signifies that you will have to plug it in to an influence outlet to run — there isn’t a battery on this speaker for fully wi-fi use. The underside of the speaker has small rubber legs on the 4 corners, lifting it above the floor and thus decreasing vibrations when in use.
Connectivity choices on the Marshall Stanmore III embrace Bluetooth, a 3.5mm auxiliary socket on the prime, and RCA sockets on the again. Additionally on the rear is the socket the place the included energy cable plugs into the speaker, the bass port for the woofer, and an enormous quantity of regulatory textual content that’s fairly ugly to take a look at. Wise positioning of the Stanmore III can cover the again from view, and is one thing it’s best to purpose to do when you purchase this speaker.
The controls are maybe essentially the most lovely a part of the Marshall Stanmore III, with fascinating retro-style dials, switches, and buttons that function numerous capabilities on the speaker. These are additionally digitally operational, regardless of the very analogue-like look of all of it. There are separate dials to regulate quantity, bass, and treble, a mixture press-and-slider swap controls playback, and a button controls supply choice.
Controls for bass and treble allow you to alter the equaliser settings rapidly and simply on the Marshall Stanmore III itself
There’s additionally an enormous swap for energy, and an auxiliary socket on the prime for easy wired stereo connectivity with numerous gadgets. The controls are a mixture of metallic and plastic, however really feel nice to the touch and use. There are additionally indicator lights round among the controls comparable to the amount, bass, and treble ranges, which mild up when getting used and dim to a softer glow in odd operation.
The Marshall Stanmore III has a frequency response vary of 45-20,000Hz, and Bluetooth 5.2 for wi-fi connectivity. There isn’t any Wi-Fi connectivity or microphone on the speaker, however there may be app assist for some customisation. Disappointingly, codec assist on the Marshall Stanmore III is proscribed to the fundamental SBC codec.
Marshall Stanmore III app and options
Companion apps for wi-fi audio system aren’t quite common, significantly these with simply Bluetooth connectivity, so it is good to know that there’s something for the Marshall Stanmore III. That stated, it is a quite easy app that does not provide lots by the use of options or customisations, and you will not end up needing to open up the app too usually after the preliminary setup of the speaker.
The important thing function on the app — and maybe essentially the most compelling purpose to even have it in your smartphone within the first place — is placement compensation. You may choose if the Marshall Stanmore III is positioned near an edge or wall, and accordingly it will tweak the sound to compensate for that. It did appear to make a slight distinction in bettering the sound when correctly adjusted, so it is price going by way of the method for it.
The Marshall app does not do a lot, with solely the location compensation function coming in useful
The second function is the equaliser, which lets you alter the bass and treble ranges on the speaker. It is price declaring that the bass and treble dials on the Marshall Stanmore III do the very same factor, and are arguably a lot simpler to make use of than the app. Other than this, the app additionally shows playback info, however affords little else past this.
Marshall Stanmore III efficiency
Marshall’s merchandise are usually priced at a premium above the competitors, and the Stanmore III is not any totally different on this regard. At Rs. 41,999, it is undeniably costly, particularly when you think about that it is largely meant for use as a Bluetooth speaker, and has no Wi-Fi connectivity or good performance. Nevertheless, the engaging design is not all that is there may be to it; the sheer measurement and energy of the speaker signifies that audio efficiency lives as much as my quite excessive expectations.
Regardless of assist for less than the SBC codec, the Marshall Stanmore III sounds quite good — assuming you have tweaked the equaliser a bit. The on-device dials make this fairly straightforward, and I discovered that turning up the treble by round 4 factors made all of the distinction in making the sound much more balanced and fulfilling.
The again of the Marshall Stanmore III is not very good to take a look at, however you will probably have the ability to cover it with correct positioning
The pure sound with no equaliser modifications sounded a bit bass-heavy, and did not give the Marshall Stanmore III’s wonderful highs an opportunity to shine. The speaker fortuitously retains the equaliser settings even when switched on and off once more. Tweaking the bass stage made for extra punch and assault, which could attraction to plenty of customers, however it’s the spectacular mids and highs that outlined the sound on the Stanmore III for me.
Listening to Tick Tock by Clear Bandit, the vocals sounded sharp and clear, whereas the excessive frequencies hit house capably with out sounding in any respect shrill or disagreeable. The violin riffs and rhythmic vocals performed nicely collectively, with the previous sounding nearly actual and current even in my lounge. The light rumble and drive of the lows — already a bit bumped up as in comparison with the remainder of the frequencies — added the calculated and refined aggression that the observe deserved.
The refinement within the sound was much more pronounced with A.R. Rahman’s Mausam & Escape from the Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack, which additionally revealed the spaciousness of the soundstage and the power to create a large, detailed sonic picture. The ‘drop’ involving the long-lasting sitar riff within the observe highlighted the superb tuning efforts that Marshall has put into the Stanmore III, offering a wider soundstage and extra partaking sound than I’ve heard from most audio system, wanting full-sized soundbars.
All of that is complemented by the truth that the Marshall Stanmore III can get very loud. I often had the speaker taking part in at across the 50 to 60 % quantity stage, which made for a sound that not solely crammed my lounge, however may very well be heard pretty clearly and loudly from even 10-15m away in different rooms. Larger quantity ranges of round 80 % have been impressively freed from any audible distortion or points, and sounded immersive, punchy, and attention-grabbing like nothing else of this type.
Sound high quality with an auxiliary connection was expectedly a bit higher than with Bluetooth, however the distinction wasn’t important. The speaker is not geared a lot round element and nuance as it’s across the sonic signature itself, and I most well-liked the comfort of Bluetooth given the traits of the sound. That stated, wired connectivity is a handy choice to have, significantly the RCA sockets which make connectivity with a tv or house leisure techniques a bit simpler for many who need it.
Verdict
The Marshall Stanmore III is an uncommon product in 2023 given its Rs. 41,999 worth, and the dearth of Wi-Fi-based connectivity and streaming choices which usually justify that sort of price ticket. Nevertheless, that does not make it any much less interesting; the retro-style design, spectacular construct high quality and use of premium supplies, and the fulfilling sound make this a simplicity-driven house speaker that focuses on the core performance to good impact.
The flexibility to tweak the equaliser on the system itself, respectable wired connectivity choices, and the power to get loud and sound nice whereas at it, all make the Marshall Stanmore III much more fascinating on the entire. In order for you a superb house speaker for music and have the funds for it, the Marshall Stanmore III is nicely price contemplating.