The first Marshall soundbar is the $1,000 Heston 120 with Dolby Atmos
When a company enters a new product category, it might as well swing for the fences. That's exactly what Marshall is doing with its first soundbar. The Heston 120 is a $1,000 Dolby Atmos and DTS-X living room speaker, equipped with 11 drivers to power that spatial audio. Like the company's headphones and speakers, there's plenty of the iconic guitar amplifier aesthetic to go around.
Inside, two subwoofers, two mid-range units, two tweeters and five full-range drivers produce the Heston 120's sound. There are also 11 Class D amplifiers (two 50W and nine 30W) inside and the soundbar has a total power output of 150 watts. Bluetooth (5.3) and Wi-Fi are also onboard, which means AirPlay 2, Google Cast, Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect are all available. For wired connectivity, there are two HDMI 2.1 ports (1 eARC) for your TV and other home theater gear, plus an RCA input allows you to hook up a turntable or other audio devices.
The Heston 120 takes design cues from Marshall's line of guitar amps. This has been the case for the company's headphones, earbuds and speakers, and it will continue with soundbars. To that end, there's a mix of leather and metal, complete with the trademark gold script logo. There are also tactile controls you typically don't see on a soundbar, like the gold knobs and preset buttons akin to those that adorn an amplifier.
This soundbar doesn't come with a subwoofer, but Marshall says a standalone option is on the way. What's more, that Heston Sub 200 and a smaller Heston 60 are both due to arrive "at a later date." Lots of companies are bundling at least a sub with their high-end soundbars, so it's disappointing that Marshall didn't do the same. I look forward to getting a review unit to see if the company's promise of "bass rumbling from below like never before" from the soundbar itself hold true.
The Heston 120 will be available for purchase from Marshall's website on June 3.
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