Whereas we’d by no means advocate a speaker solely on the way it appears, we do care concerning the aesthetics of a speaker. Should you’ve labored exhausting on adorning your house, then you definitely deserve a speaker that may make its new dwelling look even higher.

So, for people who recognize good design, we advocate the brand new Marshall Emberton III. Not solely does this premium Bluetooth speaker have Marshall’s iconic classic look, nevertheless it’s additionally a solid-sounding speaker for its worth level.

Regardless of the place we put the Emberton III — on a desk, the center of a espresso desk, a bookshelf, even the kitchen counter — it immediately elevated the vibe of the room. In all honesty, as a result of it appears so good, we have been a bit of skeptical that it could have the efficiency to match its fairly face.

To our shock, the speaker did carry out. Proper out of the field, it produced clear and well-rounded sound. Although it had a barely heavier-bass combine, it made Nonetheless Woozy’s “Get Down” and Billie Vacation’s “Solitude” sound equally nearly as good. We want it had a customized equalizer, however in case you obtain the companion app, you’ll be able to select between the Marshall preset (the speaker’s default sound), the Push preset that reinforces bass and treble, and the Voice preset that enhances the mid-range for voice-focused content material. The presets sounded markedly totally different, which is not at all times the case with the audio units we check. We would not advocate the Voice preset, sadly. Just like the podcast mode on the Wonderboom 4, this setting made podcast hosts’ voices sound compressed and fewer clear.

As for the on-speaker options, a lightweight signifies battery life and each the ability and Bluetooth buttons make the speaker ultra-easy to activate and pair — we by no means needed to spend greater than 10 seconds connecting or switching between units. Lastly, the speaker additionally comes with a singular knob within the middle to toggle the quantity and track choice. This labored tremendous, however the dial management may not be for everybody.

Marshall guarantees a 32-hour battery life with this speaker, and after a number of days of medium to heavy use, the speaker nonetheless sat at about 60% battery life. With the app, it’s also possible to activate battery preservation options to maintain the cost going so long as potential.

For $169.99, it is a good, however not unbelievable, sounding speaker, nevertheless it greater than makes up for its small drawbacks with a cool retro design. Launched in August 2024, its characteristic set and design aren’t that totally different from the Emberton II. So, if you wish to avoid wasting cash, you’ll be able to decide up the Emberton II at a reduction with out sacrificing a lot sound high quality.