Marshall's Emberton loudspeaker crash test -

20 Minutes

  • With its Emberton, the Marshall brand delivers a nomadic speaker capable of withstanding shocks and water.

  • The little warrior who weighs only 700 grams diffuses a sound rich in bass and can be proud of a well thought out ergonomics.

  • But at 149 euros, it will find rivals already well established on its way, such as JBL, Urban Ears or Sony.

Another brick in the wall

.

The Marshall Audio brand is expanding its range of portable speakers with Emberton.

This small 700 gram block is for the manufacturer the first nomadic speaker capable of withstanding the outrages of everyday life.

While its big sister, the Stockwell II, could only withstand a few splashes (IPX4 standard), the Emberton absorbs shocks and can even be submerged (IPX7).

Verification.

Measuring 68 x 160 x 76 mm, Emberton weighs just 700 grams.

- MARSHALL

Marshall plays on velvet

The signature design of the stage amplifier brand does not disappoint.

Marshall is playing on velvet by paying attention to a clientele undoubtedly acquired and rather trendy rock.

Tattooed with the logo of the house founded in 1963, the Emberton uses the manufacturer's aesthetic codes, such as this metal grille on the front and back of the speaker.

The usual textured imitation leather covering that dresses most Marshall speakers is here replaced by a black silicone supposed to absorb small shocks.

Not too reassured, we nevertheless proceeded to release a few 30, 50 cm high, then 1 meter high.

Not even hurt.

The silicone liner once opened very slightly on the back of the speaker, but we were able to snap it back immediately.

For the next deconfined vacation, the Emberton is not afraid to get wet.

- MARSHALL

We then had the small enclosure take a good shower, then completely submerged it and could verify that it was not afraid of water: it continues to work perfectly.

A speaker with a safe

Bluetooth 5.0, the Emberton can be configured in two steps, three movements.

Once connected, the device (which survived) is piloted, either from the screen of a smartphone or tablet, or from its joystick.

Rather clever the little appendix.

Thanks to it, it is possible to turn the speaker on / off, to increase / decrease the volume and to navigate in its playlist.

Observation: despite its very small size (68 x 160 x 76 mm), the Emberton has a safe.

And surprisingly, the speaker is capable of delivering powerful bass.

The Emberton loudspeaker is suitable for indoor or outdoor use.

- MARSHALL

Quite at ease in the mids (and a little less in the treble), the Emberton delivers a suave and quite sensual sound, not to say consensual.

The restitution is very warm but undoubtedly lacks a little shine.

We regret that it is not possible to personalize listening as on other Marshall speakers which benefit from the support of an application with integrated equalizer.

Distributed at the front and at the rear, the two full-range loudspeakers (5 cm each) associated with a Class D amplifier give an impression of good amplitude, the sound being distributed at 360 °.

Still, it is possible to increase the volume quite significantly without the listening comfort suffering.

The 20 hour battery life displayed is confirmed.

Fast recharging (5 hours of battery life for 20 minutes of recharging) is appreciated.

The Emberton speaker thus accompanied us through a full day of teleworking: from waking up to the end of the evening, most of our use having been carried out at moderate volume.

Improvise a soundbar with the Emberton speaker to watch The Young Wallander on Netflix.

- CHRISTOIPHE SEFRIN / 20 MINUTES

For fun, we even had fun making a small support to put our smartphone on it.

The idea: discover a few episodes of the new

The Young Wallander series

on Netflix and transform the Emberton into a mini soundbar!

Then sleep.

The competition is already there

At 149 euros, Marshall's Emberton is therefore not without its advantages.

Even if it holds well in the hand with its coating which grips the epidermis, it is however missing something that could serve as a small handle, or a large carabiner that would allow it to be hooked and to secure its use if one use it on the go (like on a bicycle).

Despite a unique personality, the small speaker, however, arrives on a ground mined by the resistant speakers of JBL (Flip 5, Charge 4), Sony (SRS-XB33), or Ultimate Ears (Boom 3) which provide a similar service for an almost identical price.

High-Tech

WH-1000XM4: Sony sets the new benchmark for noise-canceling headphones

High-Tech

VIDEO.

"Stanmore II Voice" test: Marshall's connected speaker sends (very) big sound

  • High-Tech

  • Extreme sport

  • 20 minutes video

  • Mobility

  • Music

  • Smartphone