Marshall Stockwell review: Decent sound with a classic design

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We’ve reviewed a couple Marshall headphones previously here at Techaeris, and now it’s time for our Marshall Stockwell review in which we take a look at one of Marshall’s Bluetooth speaker offerings. Read on to find out what we thought!

Specifications

The Marshall Stockwell portable Bluetooth speaker has the following features and specifications:

  • 2x 2.25” woofers
  • 2x 2.25” dome tweeters
  • Two-channel Class D amplifier
  • Separate volume, bass, and treble analogue control knobs
  • Bass and treble tone control
  • Battery playing time: up to 25h (volume setting to 5)
  • Bluetooth: 4.0UP TO 25H (Volume Setting Nr 5)
  • Frequency range: 50-20.000Hz
  • Input: 1x 3.5mm
  • Input voltage: 14-17 VDC
  • Max output: 27W RM
  • Weight: 2.65lb (1.20 kg)
  • Size: 10.24in (260mm) x 5.51in (140mm)

What’s in the Box

  • 1x Marshall Stockwell Bluetooth Speaker
  • 1x Power Adapter with interchangeable plug adapters
  • 1x Quick Start Guide
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What’s in the box…

Design

Hands down, one of my favourite things about the Marshall Stockwell Bluetooth speaker is the design. It was definitely designed as an homage to Marshall’s amps, albeit much thinner. The speaker is mostly black with gold accents, the first being a strip around the front speaker grille. In the middle of the speaker grille is the Marshall logo in white and gold.

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The Marshall Stockwell design definitely plays off the Marshall amp designs.

The top of the speaker houses the various buttons and input port — all gold coloured and placed on a gold base. From left to right you’ll find the AUX input, source selector, Bluetooth and Input indicator lights, volume, bass, and treble knobs, and finally the phone, pairing, and on/off buttons. The volume, bass, and treble knobs have diamond cut edges and can be clicked down to be almost flush with the top of the speaker. All of the knobs and buttons are beveled around the edges and have a series of circles engraved on the top.

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Retractable volume, bass, and treble knobs are a nice touch.

The back of the speaker is where you’ll find the 5V/1A USB port for charging your devices while on the go, the 15V power port is on the right side, and the bottom has two rubber feet for added grip when it’s sitting on a flat surface.

In addition to the speaker, you can purchase a multifunctional flip cover that works as a cover, and also as a supportive stand for the speaker when not in use. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a chance to check it out as well, but there’s no question that this speaker is a well designed, fantastic looking Bluetooth speaker.

Ease of Use

The Marshall Stockwell is really simple to use. Bluetooth pairing was quick and painless, as was connecting to and disconnecting from a phone call.

Sound

For as good as the Marshall Stockwell looks, sound is a bit of a mixed bag and really depends on what type of music you listen to. Being able to control the volume, bass, and treble independently of your smartphone or whatever device you have connected to the speaker is actually a blessing in this case. For most music, I found that having the bass and treble set to 5 (out of 10) worked best, and with the volume at no more than 7 I found that most types of music sounded fantastic. When cranked to 10, the speaker is almost too loud and music starts to distort. Standing near it at this volume is almost impossible. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, and using it at a lower volume definitely helps the battery last longer.

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Separate volume, bass, and treble knobs let you tweak the sound to your liking.

While music generally sounded fantastic, the mid-range tones definitely sounded the best on this speaker, with pop, rock, jazz, and classical music sounding the best. If you listen to a lot of hip-hop or EDM, you’ll find the bass somewhat lacking, and it’s something that could use a bit of a boost. Turning the bass up higher doesn’t help either, as you’ll start to hear the distortion from the bass.

When used with the knob settings I indicated above (volume 7 or lower, bass and treble around 5), the Marshall Stockwell is a very good sounding speaker.

Call Quality

I’ve never really been a fan of the speakerphone aspect of Bluetooth speakers, and the Marshall Stockwell works about as well as most other speakers do when answering a call. While you can hear the other party pretty easily, the closer you are to the speaker when you respond makes a lot of difference in how easy and clear the party on the other end of the call can hear you.

Battery Life

Marshall claims the Stockwell gets up to 25 hours of battery life when used at volume level 5 (which is mid volume). During our testing we easily hit this mark, and even got 28 hours out of one charge. This is a speaker that will definitely last you quite a few evenings or at least a full weekend of listening before needing to be charged back up.

Price/Value

At $229USD, the Marshall Stockwell is priced in the mid-range of Bluetooth speakers. While it has decent enough sound, depending on your music choices, the design is what really stands out here and this speaker offers a pretty good value for the price.

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There’s no doubt the Marshall Stockwell is one sharp looking Bluetooth speaker.

Wrap-up

If you’re looking for a decent sounding Bluetooth speaker with an exceptional look, you should definitely consider the Marshall Stockwell Bluetooth speaker.

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*We were sent a demo unit of the Marshall Stockwell Bluetooth speaker for the purposes of this review.

Last Updated on June 23, 2016.

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