Marshall Heston 120 Review: Premium Style, Restrained Sound

2 hours ago7 min read

Marshall has long been the leather-clad, guitar-amp titan of the music world, a brand that screams rock and roll rebellion from every stitch of its iconic vinyl covering. So, the arrival of its first-ever soundbar, the Heston 120, feels like a headline act finally taking the stage for an encore in a new genre.The aesthetic is, unsurprisingly, a perfect ten. It’s all there: the textured vinyl wrap, the brutalist wood cabinet, the gleaming brass-finished inputs, and that legendary script logo front and center.Placing this in your living room is less about installing a speaker and more about mounting a piece of musical history; it’s the audio equivalent of a vintage Les Paul leaning against a velvet couch—it just looks the part. The build quality is impeccable, feeling every bit the premium product you’d expect from a company that has spent decades building gear meant to survive mosh pits and world tours.Yet, when the house lights dim and the first notes are supposed to hit, there’s a curious restraint. The soundstage it creates is clean, wide, and undeniably detailed, handling intricate acoustic melodies and podcast dialogue with a crisp clarity that would make any audiophile nod in approval.But where’s the crunch? Where’s the visceral, chest-thumping low end that you instinctively associate with that Marshall nameplate? It’s as if a legendary hard rock band decided to release an unplugged acoustic album—beautifully performed, technically proficient, but missing the raw, stage-diving energy that made you a fan in the first place. The bass response, while present, lacks the authoritative punch needed to truly sell a blockbuster film’s explosion or the driving beat of a hip-hop track; it feels polite, holding back when it should be dominating the room.This creates a peculiar dissonance. Your eyes see a speaker that promises the fury of a stack of amps at Wembley, but your ears hear something more suited to a sophisticated jazz lounge.It’s a performance that’s brilliant on technique but shy on soul, a piece that understands the notes of the song but hasn’t quite connected with the emotion behind them. In the crowded arena of home audio, where competitors like Sonos and Bose trade on consistent, room-filling power, the Heston 120 stands out for its undeniable style and heritage.It’s a statement piece that will win the beauty contest every time. But for those whose primary metric is a gut-punch of sound, for those who want their movie nights to feel like live concerts and their gaming sessions to be seismic events, this debut act feels like it’s still holding back for the solo, leaving the audience waiting for the full-throated roar they know the brand is capable of delivering.

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