Marshall Emberton III

Introduction

With the Emberton II, Marshall made a point of it being the Empire Strikes Back of portable speakers. That must mean the Emberton III is the Return of the Jedi – a fun trilogy closer that ends in a party with… Ewoks?

Well, rather than Ewoks, you’re (more) likely to be gathering with friends and family but you get the point (I hope).

Just like any Hollywood film trilogy, the Emberton III sticks to a tried and tested formula with a few changes like a revised design, longer battery life and tweaked sound profile.

The Emberton series has been one of my favourites; the previous two speakers both scored 4.5 stars. Can the Emberton III cap the trilogy with another?

Design

• Tweaked aesthetics
• New carry loop
• IP67 rating

Changes to Emberton III are both minor and somewhat significant. It comes with a carry loop, allowing for easy transportation via wrist strap. The top surface has been slightly tweaked with a separate power button, and there’s a different look to the battery indicator.

The silicone texture of the speaker is slightly different, too. It’s less rubbery and smoother, while the Marshall logo has a burnished, golden appearance. The grille on both the front and back doesn’t stick out like it did on the Emberton II. What difference that makes I’m not sure aside from looking less chunky at certain angles.

Otherwise it carries the same water resistance (IP67), the dimensions are almost identical (this speaker is slightly thicker), and the weight is down slightly (0.7kg to 0.67kg).

Build quality feels robust and it’s graced with the multi-directional dial that makes controlling Marshall speakers such a tactile and satisfying experience.

Marshall says that 79% of the plastic used in the Emberton III comes from previously recycled plastics (more than the Emberton II’s 50%), and it’s also entirely PVC-free as Marshall continues to step up its commitment to sustainable products.

Battery Life

Marshall was less than specific about the Emberton II’s battery life, only willing to commit that it was ‘30+’ hours. The Emberton III is 32+ hours – make of that what you will.

Carrying out a battery drain with a Spotify playlist at around 50% volume, the speaker lost 2-3% in charge an hour, so 32 hours is within the realm of possibility.

As for charging, you’ll be most reliant on the USB-C port. A 20-minute top-up provides six more hours of playback, an improvement of two hours over the Emberton II. From low battery to full takes two hours, which also shaves an hour off from its predecessor.

Features

• LE + Auracast support
• 360-degree audio
• Marshall app

The Bluetooth platform has been boosted to v5.3 but the biggest change is the addition of LE Audio (higher quality audio while using less battery) and Auracast streaming.

The latter enables ‘broadcast’ of the sound from the Marshall speaker to other Auracast-toting speakers (such as multiple Emberton III and Willen II speakers). Auracast has completely replaced the Stack mode from before.

The stability of the connection seems to be better than the Emberton II, holding on for longer and only starting to get shaky once I reached the other side of my garden.

The Emberton III features Marshall’s True Stereophonic sound for 360-degree audio, meaning you get the same performance from wherever you are in relation to the speaker.

The Marshall Bluetooth app allows for some customisation with the audio and battery. There are three EQ presets: Marshall (the ‘signature’ sound), Push (boosting bass and treble) and Voice (more clarity with voice-focused content).

The Battery Preservation feature allows you to limit the maximum charge to 95% to prolong battery life. You can also lower the charging speed of the speaker if the temperature outside helps prolong the battery life (I’m not sure how that works, but it’s there). Lastly, you can limit the charging speed to extend the life of the battery.

There’s a slider in the app where you can adjust the settings. The app itself is simple and easy to use.

Sound Quality

• Clearer, more detailed midrange
• Less punch to the lows

The Emberton II was one of the best-sounding speakers at its price point and the Emberton III further cements that position in my mind with an improved performance.

It continues Marshall’s push for clarity, though it’s altered the balance to achieve that. The original Emberton was quite a smooth and bassy-sounding speaker. This sequel is slightly less so with the bass reduced further.

With Warren G’s Regulate there’s not the same level of punchiness to the bass or impact with the Emberton III as there was on the Emberton II. Bass has presence, along with others I’ve tested (Maye’s La Cancion, Childish Gambino’s This Is America) but I can’t feel it as much.

There’s a better balance between highs, mids and lows, while overall clarity has been improved.

So a trade-off has been made and I think it’s a worthwhile one. Marshall has extracted more detail from the midrange – instruments sound better defined and detailed – while voices benefit the most.

Whether it’s Jacob Collier’s in Sky Above or Rachael Price’s in Lake Street Drive’s Hypotheticals; there’s higher levels of clarity, a better sense of definition and bigger presence to vocals. Vocals sound more natural in tone too.

With regards to the speaker’s treble performance, I find the Emberton II sounds clearer and sharper than the current speaker, which sounds a little richer in describing the highs. I prefer how the Emberton II sounds, but the Emberton III is by no means poor in this respect.

Other good aspects about the Emberton III include the depth of the soundstage for a speaker of its size – not necessarily depth in terms of the soundstage, but that the speaker can push sound out from behind as well.

The True Stereophonic Sound works in that you can spin the speaker around and there aren’t any obvious holes in the soundstage. Music sounds relatively consistent wherever you are, the only slight problem being that the sides of the speaker don’t sound quite as good as the front and back.

If there’s an area where the Emberton III doesn’t sound as comfortable, ironically considering Marshall’s heritage, it’s with rock.

One Armed Scissor’s At The Drive sounds better on the Emberton II – a bit more lively and energetic – but that performance doesn’t translate to all rock tunes. Soundgarden’s Black Hole Sun sounds better on a new speaker, but I’d say any track that requires a dose of energy doesn’t fare as well on the Emberton III as it does on the older model.

Should you buy it?

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