Marshall enters soundbar market

Marshall, a brand known for its retro-styled headphones and speakers inspired by 1970s and 1980s rock culture, has launched the Marshall Heston 120 soundbar in June 2025. This marks its first foray into the soundbar market, combining vintage aesthetics with modern audio technology.

Design and features of the Heston 120

The Heston 120 features a synthetic leather finish, a woven grille, and brass potentiometers, giving it a retro look. It also includes powerful sound with deep bass and supports multiple connectivity options such as WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, and AirPlay 2. The device uses a 5.1.2 architecture with an internal mini subwoofer and eleven active transducers for immersive sound.

Connectivity and limitations

The soundbar includes two HDMI ports, one of which is eARC capable of handling 4K at 120 Hz. However, it uses HDCP 1.4, which may prevent playback of certain 4K HDR content when the soundbar is used as a direct video relay. To address this, the device also includes a rare stereo RCA input.

User controls and app support

The Heston 120 has a top control panel with three brass potentiometers for adjusting volume, bass, treble, and source selection. It also includes a mobile app with acoustic auto-calibration using two embedded microphones. The device supports several streaming services but lacks a physical remote, requiring users to use their TV's CEC control or a smartphone.

Pricing and availability

The Marshall Heston 120 is priced at 999 euros, but during Black Friday, it is available for 899 euros at Boulanger using the code AUDIO10. The offer may not be available indefinitely, and the article recommends checking for other promotions. A full test of the device was conducted at launch, along with a comparison guide of several soundbar models.