Now that Marshall is a unified brand, combining the original guitar amp business and its consumer electronics ventures, it becomes even more important to upheld the brand's reputation for "taking it to eleven", even in the most portable speakers. Offering powerful 360° sound to take on the road, the new Emberton III is a dust and waterproof design, while the Willen II will rival the best-selling JBL Go as a companion to bring on any adventure, while delivering a completely different level of sound quality.
"It's been a pleasure to see this generational update come to life. As always, with our iconic design and Marshall sound in focus, we've created something unique in the portable speaker category. On the outside of the speaker, the focus has been on improved material choices and usability, but the biggest update is on the inside. Both these products come ready for the next Bluetooth technology LE Audio, enabling Auracast. They also continue to deliver surprisingly heavy sound for the size, especially Willen II," says Hanna Wallner, the brand's product manager.
The new Emberton III is promoted for its True Stereophonic, "a unique form of multi-directional sound from Marshall" that enhances stereo sound sources by generation a convincing 360 degree reproduction, ideal for parties and group listening. True Stereophonic will be promoted by Marshall as an exclusive for its consumer products, underlining the way users can feel sound flowing and filling any space. The Emberton III also comes with a built-in microphone for hands-free calls.
Although smaller in size, the new Marshall Willen II makes a huge impact. It has a slightly larger frame than its predecessor and improved drivers, to maximize bass and the overall acoustic performance, generating a balanced sound at any volume - which is not what you would expect from such a compact object. Marshall designed the Willen II to be "the ultimate multi-purpose speaker" with multiple possibilities to fix it to an object or let it hang thanks to its rubber fastening strap. It also features a built-in microphone for calls.
Marshall is promoting the fact that the new speakers are also Bluetooth LE Audio-ready, highlighting the fact that this future-proofs the new designs and "will open a new world of audio sharing possibilities with Auracast." Audio sharing, meaning the speakers will become an Auracast transmitter, without being dependent on another source device with Auracast. The broadcast possibilities to stream to multiple Emberton III and Willen II units simultaneously is another promoted benefit.
As all consumer brands are doing for now, Marshall is warning that Auracast will soon "be available as an over-the-air update in the Marshall Bluetooth app."
www.marshall.com
