- Marshall Heston 120 Soundbar will be launched on June 3rd 2025
- And it will set you back an almighty $ 1000 / £ 899
- Dolby Atmos, DTS: X and HDMI Review
Marshall, known for his AMP-Making inheritance and Rock ‘n’ Roll-inspired speakers, takes his first steps into a brand new product category: Soundbar.
The very first sound bar, Marshall Heston 120, will come to your living rooms from June 3rd 2025 and will be available for a conspicuous $ 999 / £ 899 (around AU $ 1599). Marshall’s Dolby Atmos-enabled Sound Beam is over 100 cm long-filled for the best 55-inch TVs and up and promises a “colossal sound experience” with both “immersive and spacious sound”.
However, it does not utilize a separate sub or rear speakers to deliver this, with Marshall instead choosing an all-in-one design. As a result, it feels that this is a natural competitor to the excellent sounding Sonos Arc Ultra, which includes the title ‘Best All-in-a-Say Beam’ in our guide to the best sound beams available today.
To get the hands with Heston 120
I was lucky enough to be among the very first to hear Marshall Heston 120 at Marshall’s headquarters in Stockholm. First of all, I was struck by its luxury, retro design – something I’ve always loved by products like Marshall Monitor III ANC and Marshall Emberton III.
Its faux leather outer house combined with slim golden details makes it stand out in a market full of chunky black plastic bars.
There is also a lot of attention to details with design. E.g. Marshall has installed three tactile calls to control volume, EQ and source. These use haptic feedback for a satisfactory user experience and are made of ridden metal — a other NIKK for Marshall’s AMP-related roots. There are also buttons for various sound conditions such as music, movies, night or voice.
But what you are probably most eager to find out is how Heston 120 sounded? Well, I only got a short demo in a room that almost mimicked a living room. But from what I heard, this thing is pretty impressive.
Marshall showed Heston 120’s capabilities across three formats: stereo music; Dolby Atmos Music; and Dolby Atmos films. Ed Camphor, sound technology and setting manager at the Marshall Group told me that “our focus was very much on getting a good level of polishing on all format”, and that certainly seemed to be the case.
For example, when I listen to stereo music, I was immediately beaten with punchy, effective bass – the kind that so many sound beams struggle to replicate, especially without the help of a dedicated sub.
Dolby Atmos -Music impressed me too – when I tuned in bury a friend Of Billie Eilish, vocal pans were tracked exactly with rumbling, deep bass and haunting screams that pierced.
Finally we saw a part of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace On Disney Plus. The direction of soaring spaceships in a scene was delivered with precision, and the sound beam recreated great sound effects, such as such stips that overtook and crash in a real life’s way. Unfortunately, Jar Jar Binks’ dialogue was crystal clear, all the way through the stage.
Of course, this is just my first impressions from a demo, so if you want my full and unfiltered thoughts, you will have to wait for my full review. It’s coming soon …
Into the Party Cruel …
So in terms of technological specifications, Marshall Heston uses 120 11 active drivers, which include altitude channels to capture the verticalness needed for ‘real’ Dolby atmos and side channels for truly expansive sound. In total, you get a maximum effect of 150W in a 5.1.2 configuration. Of course, there is Dolby Atmos compatibility for both movies and music, but Heston 120 also supports DTS: X content, which is an advantage it has compared to Sonos Arc Ultra (Sonos continues to avoid DTS support).
There are so many ways to play through Heston 120 as well. There are HDMI EARC and HDMI review gates (another plus it has over ARC Ultra, which has only one HDMI port), RCA stereo and mono slots as well as both Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 6 compatibility.
You can play music over Apple AirPlay 2, and Marshall has also integrated a number of streaming services, including Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect and Airable. These may also be tied to preset buttons for easy access. There is even auracast.
Another lovely little nugget of info is that Marshall will renew his companion -app in tandem with the launch of Heston 120 Soundbar. This unlocks detailed EQ settings, volume remote control, source and sound states and the options of calibration of the room to get the best sound for your home.
The app is actually spotted that the Heston 120 does not come with a separate remote – all you need is your phone and you are ready to go.
Marshall may be launching Heston 120 as an independent sound beam, but it has confirmed that you will later be able to beat Heston Sub 200-a separate subwoofer-to really feel the low-end outbreak.
On top of that, a smaller sound bar, Heston 60, will be available to those working with a little less space. Both will be released later in 2025 and we will be sure to keep you updated with more details when they come.
Marshall Heston 120 Soundbar is available for pre -order now and will be sold from June 3, 2025 via Marshall’s own site. It will later be available with selected dealers from September 16, 2025.
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- Want to grab Marshall Heston 120’s competition? Then look at our list of the best Dolby Atmos Soundbars
- Do you want a flashy new sound beam but are working on a tight budget? Fear not – we’ve got you covered with our guide to the best cheap sound beams
