Marshall's Boldest Soundbar Yet Has Me Rethinking My Entire Sonos Setup

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• Marshall's Heston 60 compact soundbar is disposable for $700 successful Black and Cream.
• Despite its mini frame, its sound capacity is impressive, and its wired and wireless streaming options are seemingly infinite.
• However, for $700, you tin bargain a convertible soundbar and subwoofer package from Samsung.

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In nan soundbar world, Samsung's options are often astatine nan beforehand lines of innovation, performance, and value. This year, Samsung unveiled a soundbar equipped pinch an soul gyroscope, enabling you to set nan soundbar's predisposition to suit your room's circumstantial needs without compromising sound quality.

Also: The champion soundbars of 2025: Expert tested and recommended

Although Samsung wasn't nan first to merge a gyroscope into its soundbar, its execution of nan characteristic was remarkable. However, location intermezo newbie Marshall besides recognized that consumers want a soundbar that is sonically accordant sloppy of its orientation. Marshall's Heston 60 soundbar builds upon nan lessons learned from Samsung, adding its ain design-first twist to nan technology.

I've been utilizing nan Heston 60 for a month, and if you've considered straying from mainstream names for illustration Sonos and Samsung, here's what you should know.

Small frame, large sound

Marshall's Heston 60 soundbar's size falls betwixt that of nan Samsung HW-QS700F and nan Sonos Beam (Gen 2). It features a 5.1-channel configuration, comprising 7 Class D amplifiers, 5 one-and-a-quarter-inch full-range speakers, and 2 three-inch woofers. 

The Heston 60's sound output is afloat and robust, and contempt its much compact size compared to Marshall's Heston 120, nan Heston 60 is well-suited for mini to medium-sized rooms. Still, nan Heston 60 doesn't person dedicated tallness channels, and contempt its DTS:X and Dolby Atmos compatibility, nan deficiency of upfiring speakers diminishes nan immersive effects.

Also: Finally, a portable 4K projector worthy of replacing my TV - and it supports Dolby Vision

I won't clasp nan deficiency of upfiring speakers against nan Heston 60; moreover a soundbar for illustration nan Sonos Arc Ultra aliases nan Samsung HW-Q900F pinch 4 tallness channels, capacity is heavy limited connected nan soundbar's position comparative to your TV and nan region betwixt nan soundbar and your ceiling.

Still, nan Heston 60's horizontal immersive audio capacity is excellent. While watching "The Equalizer 3," a clear separation and activity of sounds crossed nan surface were evident, specified arsenic footsteps aliases nan sound of cars driving past. 

You tin entree nan Heston 60's Bluetooth 5.3 aliases Wi-Fi 6 capabilities for wireless streaming, pinch support for Apple AirPlay, Google Cast, Spotify Connect, and Tidal Connect. Or, plug into nan soundbar's 3.5mm Aux In, Sub Out, aliases USB-C ports for wired connectivity. Music fans tin admit nan Heston 60's array of compatible codecs, including FLAC, WMA, LC3, and MPEG4.

Design is Marshall's first language

Like each of Marshall's products, creation is arsenic important arsenic audio performance. Although nan Heston 60 doesn't person an soul gyroscope for sound consistency, it does see waveguides and angled beforehand drivers to execute a akin outcome. Waveguides power nan guidance of nan speakers' sound dispersion, and nan angled drivers besides assistance successful sound localization.

Jada Jones/ZDNET

But dissimilar its competitors from Sonos and Sony, Marshall's logo is nan astir stressed syllable successful its creation language. Without its logo beforehand and center, and without eye-catching accents, Marshall's Heston products would lucifer its modern and muted counterparts, which is nan antithesis of its ocular mission.

Also: 5 ways to usage your Chromecast TV beyond streaming shows (including a smart location hack)

As a result, you tin region nan Heston 60's Marshall logo and nan soundbar's power sheet casing and magnetically reattach them to lucifer nan soundbar's orientation. Its subtle yet noticeable creation choices group nan Heston 60 isolated from its peers, whose creation elements are overmuch much subdued and nondescript.

A $600 subwoofer to propulsion it each together

Alongside nan Heston 60, Marshall debuted its first outer subwoofer, nan Sub 200. It follows nan aforesaid creation connection arsenic its soundbar counterparts, and its superior method allure lies successful its mode of connectivity. 

Unlike Sonos' offerings, Marshall's Sub 200 connects to a Heston soundbar via Bluetooth LE alternatively of Wi-Fi. Additionally, nan Sub 200 has an RCA Sub In larboard for relationship to different systems. I encountered a fewer connectivity issues during setup, but erstwhile it was up and running, everything went smoothly.

Also: My Sonos Arc Ultra faced an unexpected challenger - and nan soundbar met its match

Although a subwoofer has 1 occupation -- to elevate your soundbar's bass consequence -- nan Sub 200's bass output isn't arsenic powerful, tight, aliases robust arsenic I'd hoped. Considering my surviving room sub is Sonos' Sub 4, I had precocious expectations. The Sub 200 is fitted pinch 2 120W Class D amplifiers and 2 five-and-a-quarter-inch woofers. Its ported creation helps pinch amplifying low-frequency sounds, and its bass capacity is connected par pinch Samsung's subwoofers recovered successful its boxed sets.

Jada Jones/ZDNET

The movie theater-esque thunder and rumble of nan Sub 4 is unmatched; Marshall's Sub 200 surely adds an further furniture of bass to nan Heston 60, but it's harder to consciousness unless you're listening astatine precocious volumes, aliases max retired nan Sub 200's divided point.

However, Marshall's sub allows for much personalization than Sonos, specifically allowing users to set nan Sub 200's crossover threshold. With this feature, users tin configure nan bass divided constituent betwixt nan Sub 200 and their Marshall soundbar.

ZDNET's buying advice

Marshall's Heston 60 compact soundbar is simply a awesome action for group who want a soundbar that does much than simply link to your TV's eARC port. Its compatibility pinch an array of Bluetooth codecs, wired options, and spatial audio formats sets it isolated from its competitors, on pinch its unsocial creation and elasticity pinch different sound systems.

The Sub 200 is simply a awesome summation to Marshall's soundbars, and its stone 'n' roll-inspired design, coupled pinch its execution of Bluetooth LE, makes it different awesome measurement from Marshall into nan location audio market.

Still, for their size and performance, nan Heston 60 and Sub 200 are expensive. When Sonos' flagship Arc Ultra and Sub 4 are connected sale, they're only $180 and $120 much than nan Heston 60 and Sub 200, respectively.