Marshall amps have been an iconic aspect of rock and roll for decades. They've been the speakers many top-name musicians and bands have played with since 1966. They haven't really been consumer products (not counting garage band members) until recently, though, with the Marshall Monitor headphones. Marshall is expanding on that idea with the Stanmore and Hanwell, big Bluetooth speakers that evoke the aesthetics of Marshall amps but offer performance and connectivity suitable for any music lover with a smartphone. We tested the $400 (direct) Stanmore, and while pricier and less portable than most Bluetooth speakers, its sound quality and power is top-notch and its design is a look at rock and roll's past. It's our new Editors' Choice for high-end Bluetooth speakers.

Design

This isn't a Marshall amp turned into a Bluetooth speaker; it's a consumer speaker built in China, not Marshall's factory in England, and its size and design are meant to evoke the look of Marshall amps, not replicate their performance. The Stanmore is a "compact" speaker only in comparison to its bigger brother, the Hanwell. For nearly every other Bluetooth speaker currently on the market, it's huge. It's 13.8 inches wide, 7.3 inches tall and deep, and weighs 11.2 pounds. Its size and heft let it pack more audio power than smaller Bluetooth speakers, though. Under the fret grille cloth sit a 5.25-inch woofer, two 0.75-inch tweeters, and an 80-watt class D digital amplifier. That's much, much more power than you'll find behind smaller speakers like the Bose SoundLink II, though it means the Stanmore is both chunky and requires a power outlet; you can't pick it up and run on battery power like most Bluetooth speakers.