Pros & Cons
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- Classic Marshall design
- Excellent audio response
- Rich, deep bass even without a subwoofer
- Supports music streaming services
- Useful analog inputs
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- Expensive
- Doesn’t support surround speakers
- Doesn't support voice assistants
Marshall Heston 120 Specs
| Bluetooth | |
| Channels | 5.1.2 |
| Multi-Room | |
| Physical Connections | Ethernet |
| Physical Connections | HDMI in |
| Physical Connections | HDMI out |
| Physical Connections | RCA |
| Physical Connections | Subwoofer Out |
| Speakerphone | |
| Wi-Fi |
The $1,299.99 Heston 120 marks Marshall's first foray into the soundbar market, and it's an impressive entry. It looks and sounds fantastic, has a wide selection of ports and controls, and handles numerous high-quality streaming music connections. As good as it is at producing a room-filling accompaniment to your movies, we wish the Heston connected to surround speakers for a full home theater experience, as well as supported voice assistants, like competing soundbars do. Ultimately, the $1,099 Sonos Arc Ultra delivers deeper bass response, has a more immersive simulated surround experience, connects with Sonos' home audio system, and supports the Sonos and Alexa voice assistants for $200 less, so it remains our Editors' Choice for high-end soundbars.
Design: A Distinctive Look
While most modern soundbars are long, plain black boxes, the Marshall Heston 120 stands out with some visual flair. It features design elements inspired by Marshall amplifiers, like the iconic logo and gold trim, and it looks fantastic. Most of the soundbar is covered in a fabric blend of black and gray fibers, with faux-leather beneath the gold trim.
(Credit: Christian de Looper)It is wide and heavy. It measures 3.0 by 43.3 by 5.7 inches (HWD) and weighs 15.5 pounds. It's only slightly narrower than the Sonos Arc Ultra, but it's deeper and heavier (the Arc measures 3.0 by 46.6 by 4.4 inches and weighs 13 pounds). If you have your TV on a stand, it may not fit between the TV's feet, so it's worth measuring beforehand. My TV is wall-mounted, so I didn’t have to deal with this issue, but the soundbar occupied the entire depth of my mantle. You can mount it to the wall, although you need to purchase the $49.99 wall mount brackets separately.
Three large brass knobs, which serve as manual controls, are located in a recessed section at the center of the top panel. They manage the volume, source, and the bass or treble levels—and feel fantastic to use. The volume and EQ knobs turn smoothly, while the source knob has a satisfying click as you move between options and press it to make your selection. Each knob also features an LED ring to indicate adjustment levels or your selected source.
Three preset buttons, also located on the top panel, enable you to quickly select things like a Spotify Connect playlist or an internet radio station through Airable. There's also a button for switching between the four sound modes: Movie, Music, Night, and Voice.
Marshall includes a decent selection of ports on the rear panel. There's an HDMI eARC port, which is used to connect the Heston to your TV, as well as a second HDMI input to compensate for the one lost on your TV when using eARC. It also features an Ethernet port for wired connectivity, a USB-C port for powering or charging USB-C devices, and an RCA input for wired listening through analog devices, such as a turntable. Last, there's an output for a subwoofer. I'm surprised it lacks a 3.5mm auxiliary port, though you can purchase an RCA-to-3.5mm adapter or cable if needed. The Sonos Arc Ultra includes a single HDMI (eARC) port and an Ethernet jack, but not a USB-C port or RCA connection.
(Credit: Christian de Looper)The Heston features a 5.1.2 channel configuration, achieved through a combination of two 0.8-inch tweeters, five 2-inch full-range drivers, two 3-inch mid-woofers, and two 5-inch-by-2-inch racetrack subwoofers. The two subwoofers and three of the drivers are forward-facing (for center, left, and right channels), while the other two drivers fire to the sides for simulated surround audio. The tweeters and mid-drivers are positioned on the top of the unit for 3D audio. Together, the drivers deliver a frequency range of 40Hz to 20kHz. The soundbar supports the Dolby Atmos and DTS:X audio formats.
The Arc Ultra features a 9.1.4-speaker configuration and connects wirelessly via Wi-Fi 6 and Apple AirPlay 2. Moreover, the Arc Ultra can seamlessly integrate with your home's existing Sonos system for multi-room audio and surround sound.
Marshall doesn't include a remote, but you likely won't need one. In addition to the physical controls, you can control the soundbar using your TV or media player remote. Alternately, you can use the Marshall app for Android and iOS. In addition to the soundbar, Marshall includes a power cable and an HDMI cable.
App: Rich With Streaming Options
From the main screen of Marshall's companion app, you gain access to various settings, including the ability to switch audio sources, change sound modes, create presets, and adjust the EQ.
(Credit: Marshall/PCMag)Each sound mode has its own EQ that you can adjust, and the soundbar will remember your settings for each mode. It isn’t necessarily the most detailed EQ, but the five bands, between 160Hz and 4.2kHz, allow for some personalization.
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The Heston supports several streaming features, primarily via Wi-Fi. It works with both AirPlay 2 and Google Cast, and supports Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, and Airable, in addition to direct Bluetooth connectivity. It doesn’t support any voice assistants, such as Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant.
The Sonos app is still a mixed bag, but the Arc Ultra supports Sonos Voice Control and Amazon Alexa.
Sound: Booming Bass—No Subwoofer Required
The Heston 120's bass response is excellent, even when not paired with a standalone subwoofer, which is the only add-on it supports. (Marshall sells the $599.99 Heston 200 subwoofer separately.) The soundbar is as excellent for listening to music as it is for watching TV.
(Credit: Christian de Looper)With its default tuning in place, the soundbar is relatively warm. At times, that means it lacks clarity. There is plenty of bass on a track like The Knife's “Silent Shout” by The Knife. The kick drum is deep and impactful, while the sub-bass synths sound relatively full. The bass doesn’t overshadow the higher frequencies, though, so the percussion and lead synths still sound superb.
The solid bass response helps on songs like Kendrick Lamar's “Loyalty." Here, a sub-bass synth is present throughout the verse and chorus, and the soundbar is able to reproduce almost all of the notes in the bassline, except for the deepest tones. This is a fairly impressive feat for a soundbar that isn't connected to a subwoofer. Moreover, Lamar and Rihanna's vocals come through cleanly and richly.
Bill Callahan's “Drover” sounds excellent. This track doesn't have quite as much going on in the low-mids, and the kick drum and bass guitar are full and deep. Callahan's baritone vocal doesn't get muddy; instead, it sounds rich and pleasingly defined. The drums and cymbals are bright and present.
(Credit: Christian de Looper)In Movie mode, the opening scene to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is immersive and wide-sounding, even without satellite speakers. The Heston does an admirable job of simulating Dolby Atmos via reflections off the ceiling. I was able to hear environmental elements of the street fight bounce around the room.
Like the Sonos Arc Ultra, the Heston's bass response is so substantial that I'd argue it doesn't need a dedicated subwoofer. The Marshall's bass response isn't quite as capable of reproducing the deeper frequencies that the Arc Ultra can muster, but it's powerful nonetheless. (Of course, I'll always recommend adding a subwoofer to any home theater for the added bass depth.)
The Sonos is superior, however, at reproducing height effects on its own. Its up-firing drivers have more oomph and directionality behind them, which brings more clarity to effects like flying debris. Moreover, you can add not only a subwoofer, but also front and rear surrounds to the Arc Ultra to complete your home theater setup.
Still, for its very first soundbar, Marshall has produced an excellent offering.