The Basics

Marshall almost never fails to live up to its impressive sound quality claim thanks mainly to the excellent reviews on the Kilburn. But how does the Marshall Stockwell Bluetooth speaker fare? Carrying the same retro-modern look, the latest from the English company features adjustable treble and bass, and comes in two sonically identical versions, but one with a sleek flip cover, which also acts as a kickstand and the other without.

Unboxing

We unboxed and reviewed the Marshall Stockwell with the cover, which is made of vinyl and lined with red velvet (a plus if you’re design conscious). It’s not just pretty because you can actually use it as a kickstand to angle the speakers upward. The speaker itself features a cloth speaker grille, the now iconic Marshall logo and controls at the top. There are knobs for volume, treble and bass, which all range from 1 to 10, and are retractable so you can keep your settings from accidentally adjusting. It also has a Sound Source button (for Bluetooth or wired input), Phone, Pairing and Power as well as a USB port at the back for powering mobile devices. Other items that come with the Marshall Stockwell include:

• Cloth cover

• Wall adapter

Real Talk

The Marshall Stockwell is love at first sight, especially if you’re an audiophile with an eye for retro-modern design. Connect—the Bluetooth wireless range is pretty impressive—and play, and listen to crisp, rich sound that can last for up to 25 hours. Other noteworthy features include:

• Tailor-tuning or adjustable treble and bass for quality sound

• Built-in speakerphone for con calls, if any or applicable

Meanwhile, areas for improvement include:

• USB charging and audio cables would be nice and convenient additions

• Sonic performance varies depending on the music genre you want, which makes tailor-tuning a chore if you want to switch from say, folk to EDM

So if you value both design and sound quality, and have extra cash to spare, then the good-looking and portable Marshall Stockwell is a good investment. But if you’re a serious basshead or nitpick sonic details for a living, we’ll place our bet on the Kilburn instead.

The Marshall Stockwell Speaker is available at shop.globe.com.ph and in all Globe Stores nationwide.