Marshall Emberton is a miniature rock 'n' roll Bluetooth speaker

(Image credit: Marshall)

With campsites reopening, long walks and picnicking now permitted and lockdown easing for many of us, you might be looking for a summer Bluetooth speaker companion. Enter Emberton, the smallest newcomer to the Marshall portable speaker line-up. 

Emberton utilises what Marshall is calling True Stereophonic, a form of multi-directional sound promising to expand the soundfield of stereo recordings for a 360-degree presentation, where every listening spot is a sweet spot. Emberton combines said signature Marshall sound with IPX7 water-proofing and a whopping 20 hours of portable playtime too, making it an ideal sonic companion – on paper, at least.

Emberton promises to deliver a sound much louder and larger than its compact form factor (it weighs just 0.7kg) would suggest, and can be quickly charged, with 20 minutes via the USB-C charger providing a claimed five hours of playtime. The battery indicator on the top of the speaker should make it easy to keep an eye on the battery level, too. 

(Image credit: Marshall)

Emberton's silicone exterior and solid metal grille will appeal to Marshall fans, but unlike the guitar amps its aesthetic is built upon, Emberton fits in the palm of your hand and, thanks to its IPX7 water-resistance rating, can be submerged in a meter of water for up to a 30-minute period.

Rock 'n' roll devotees will be happy to note you can control it with the control knob on the top of the unit. You can play, pause, skip tracks and crank up the volume of your speaker here, as well as turn it on or off. Support for Bluetooth 5.0 promises a wireless connection with a 30-foot range. 

Emberton is available to buy from today, priced £129in the UK and $149 in the US (about AU$219, but Australian pricing and availability is yet to be announced).

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Becky has been a full-time staff writer at What Hi-Fi? since March 2019. Prior to gaining her MA in Journalism in 2018, she freelanced as an arts critic alongside a 20-year career as a professional dancer and aerialist – any love of dance is of course tethered to a love of music. Becky has previously contributed to Stuff, FourFourTwo, This is Cabaret and The Stage. When not writing, she dances, spins in the air, drinks coffee, watches football or surfs in Cornwall with her other half – a football writer whose talent knows no bounds.