Marshall has revived the Emberton and Willen speakers to their third and second generation, respectively. Both are designed as portable speakers that builds on their predecessors with better audio quality and longer battery life.
The Marshall Emberton III shares the same vintage look of its predecessors. Its recessed grilles with the Marshall branding and rugged finish are distinctive among its peers. Its chassis also supports IP67 dust and waterproof rating that lets it survive 1 meter of water for up to 30 minutes – perfect for taking it outdoors.
This new generation in the lineup comes with plenty of upgrades. Its battery can now last up to 32 hours – 2 more hours than the previous model – while charging is now shorter from 3 hours to 2 hours via its USB-C port. Current battery life is displayed via a red LED strip at the top.
The Emberton III will have Auracast-ready, which will allow you to connect several compatible devices to a single source. Its app handles most of its customization and updates, but you only get 3 EQ presets and no ability to adjust EQ settings.
As for audio itself, the portable speaker has an improved DSP, 2-inch 10W drivers with a 38W amplifier, and 360 True Stereophonic. All these improvements let it to have exceptional volume and clarity especially for vocals. Bass has been greatly enhanced, but trails slightly behind some of its peers. Even at higher volume, the Emberton III still retains its crispness for detailed audio.
The Marshall Willen II is the smaller brother of the Emberton III, and comes with an even more mobile formfactor. It retains the distinctive old-school, rugged look as well as IP67 dust and water resistance that lets it survive accidental immersions and rain.
Though relatively small being able to fit in your hand, this little speaker can last up to 17 hours – 2 hours more than the original Willen. A quick 20-minute charge via its USB port will give you around 5.5 hours of playtime.
Much like its bigger brother, the Willen II comes with support for Bluetooth LE and Auracast. It also shares the same limitations within the app as there are only 3 EQ presets to choose from and no EQ adjustments available.
Audio performance is decent for a small formfactor Bluetooth speaker. Highs and vocals remain clear throughout the volume range. Its bass is a bit weaker than the Emberton II, but that’s to be expected given its smaller stature.
The Marshall Emberton III and Marshall Willen II are priced at PhP 10,990 and PhP 7,590 in the Philippines, respectively. Both are now available via Digital Walker stores nationwide as well as their official online store, Lazada, and Shopee stores.
