Marshall Emberton Portable Bluetooth Speaker Cream

I was debating between this and the Sonos Roam. My previous speaker was the dknight Magicbox (~$30) and this is a big upgrade! The immediate difference was noticing the presence of the music. Rather than coming from a speaker, the Sonos and Emberton filled the room with more richness- I couldn't go wrong with either. To me, the Sonos is more techie and the Marshall has a classic vibe. Sonos offers a smart Bluetooth that is small which has Sound Swap, Voice Assistant, wireless charging, and access to their Sonos radio (Warning: contains Ads). Marshall offers a simple Bluetooth that has good battery life, battery indicator, control knob (no EQ), 2 user control. If buying two speakers, the Sonos makes sense to create a stereo (in Wi-Fi only. Emberton is just mono). The ... MoreI was debating between this and the Sonos Roam. My previous speaker was the dknight Magicbox (~$30) and this is a big upgrade! The immediate difference was noticing the presence of the music. Rather than coming from a speaker, the Sonos and Emberton filled the room with more richness- I couldn't go wrong with either. To me, the Sonos is more techie and the Marshall has a classic vibe. Sonos offers a smart Bluetooth that is small which has Sound Swap, Voice Assistant, wireless charging, and access to their Sonos radio (Warning: contains Ads). Marshall offers a simple Bluetooth that has good battery life, battery indicator, control knob (no EQ), 2 user control. If buying two speakers, the Sonos makes sense to create a stereo (in Wi-Fi only. Emberton is just mono). The sound stage is better with the Marshall and at lower volumes, it results in more bass to fill in the missing volume. Both speakers degrade at higher volume levels and should be only listened to at a max of around 75%. I like the Sonos triangle form and thought it was clever to aim the sound upwards because of directional sound (Emberton has 360ish sound. The sides are a bit muted and best listen to directly forward or back of their Marshall logo). Overall, I've enjoyed the Emberton more. I felt frustrated with the technology in Sonos (had problems with the on/off function vs standby, Wi-fi connection would stop the music randomly based upon signal strength) and the simplicity and easy controls of the Emberton. I had to wait for the Sonos to pair with my phone but with the Emberton, it was instant. They both have battery indicators but to check for the Sonos, I need to look on my phone for the Sonos App. With the Emberton, I don't need the added technology that the Sonos offers. Emberton is the old skool bluetooth that works for me.

Many factors play into what type of Bluetooth speaker is best for you.If small size with excellent sound quality is what you need the Mashall Emberton will fit the bill nicely.I place this on the mantal above my fireplace and the sound is impressive from anywhere in the room. It's portable. I'll sometimes pick it up and take it with me to the garage or the shower.On the flipside, if value and thundering sound is what you want, this is not the right speaker. The Emberton's price point is quite high for its size and although it has excellent quality sound, it's all relative to its size.It produces a better musical sound than my Klipsch Heritage Groove. But, the Emberton doesn't have a mic and speakerphone capability.Battery life is a plus and build quality ... MoreMany factors play into what type of Bluetooth speaker is best for you.If small size with excellent sound quality is what you need the Mashall Emberton will fit the bill nicely.I place this on the mantal above my fireplace and the sound is impressive from anywhere in the room. It's portable. I'll sometimes pick it up and take it with me to the garage or the shower.On the flipside, if value and thundering sound is what you want, this is not the right speaker. The Emberton's price point is quite high for its size and although it has excellent quality sound, it's all relative to its size.It produces a better musical sound than my Klipsch Heritage Groove. But, the Emberton doesn't have a mic and speakerphone capability.Battery life is a plus and build quality seems top notch.

Gifted myself this speaker for my birthday and I'm so happy with it. It sounds decent for the size; I never turn the volume above 50%, and it's plenty loud and clear for me at that volume (using the speaker with an iPhone 12 Pro).The two 2"-drivers are positioned opposite each other to the right of the Marshall logo, while the passive radiators are to the left. They produce a nice punchy sound; you'd have to listen to it yourself but I can say it's perfect for me in my bedroom. Even outside, it sounds awesome.Because one driver and one passive radiator are facing the back, it can get a bit overwhelming if the speaker is placed against a wall; so I try to keep it on a table/desk with enough space to spread out the sound; again, I never push the volume above 50%, ... MoreGifted myself this speaker for my birthday and I'm so happy with it. It sounds decent for the size; I never turn the volume above 50%, and it's plenty loud and clear for me at that volume (using the speaker with an iPhone 12 Pro).The two 2"-drivers are positioned opposite each other to the right of the Marshall logo, while the passive radiators are to the left. They produce a nice punchy sound; you'd have to listen to it yourself but I can say it's perfect for me in my bedroom. Even outside, it sounds awesome.Because one driver and one passive radiator are facing the back, it can get a bit overwhelming if the speaker is placed against a wall; so I try to keep it on a table/desk with enough space to spread out the sound; again, I never push the volume above 50%, and I think beyond that it'll start to adjust the EQ to reduce bass output (which is okay for a speaker this small).It feels like it's built like a tank. The rubber on the outside has a nice texture and the buttons are nice and clicky. The grills on the front and back feel very sturdy. I haven't tried bringing the speaker in the shower or out in the rain, but the IPX7 means it can take a good dunk in water; just make sure you fish it out right away!The controls are very intuitive; Marshall have a winner with the multi-direction button; press to pause (long press to turn off/on), and press in any direction to control and volume and to go to previous/next track; I love speakers with track seeking controls because sometimes my phone is not at arm's length.The battery indicator is also a winning feature; it features 10 small bars, which I'm assuming are 10% per bar, a total of 100%. The lights never turn off while the speaker is in use, but they dim to conserve energy until you press the multi-direction or Bluetooth buttons. Excellent user interface.The absence of a microphone is a not a big deal because I never use my Bluetooth speakers for phone calls, but sometimes I like using Siri and it would've been nice to have a microphone.Of course, USB-C for charging is perfect. I wish the speaker came with a charging adapter in the box but a regular 5W iPhone adapter works just fine, as well as plugging in to a computer/laptop of course.Hopefully I haven't missed anything worth mentioning regarding the Marshall Emberton. It's a great small speaker that looks and sounds fantastic; can't beat the Marshall aesthetic.