Customer Ratings & Reviews

The unboxing experience is excellent. The bar has good sound but lacks bass. The power cord is black, it's unfortunate that they didn't add a cord that matches the cream color a bit. Good connectivity, but Spotify Connect needs to be setup before Google. Otherwise you will not be able to activate Lossless audio. I believe this sound bar is better for music and casual tv. I second other reviewers about the wall mount, mount only if you have a small room with low ceiling and casual tv. Overall is a nice bar, nice sound, nice looks, and worths the money. I would give 5 stars, but wth.

Marshall has come out with their Heston 60 & Heston 120 soundbars with the Heston 60 being the more compact of the two. They are sold separately from the Sub 200. This review is for the Heston 60 soundbar which comes with a U.S. power cord, HDMI cable, mounting "knobs, magnetic control cover & Marshall emblem, and paperwork. The speaker bar comes with a manufacturer's 1-year warranty. Disclaimer: I tested the bluetooth (BT) audio using a Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. This product comes in black or cream. This review is for the black model. PROS: ----------- * Premium build quality. Marshall's signature leather-like exterior look, gold accents, salt/pepper grill, and guitar amp-inspired design makes a strong visual statement. It's clearly different from other soundbars. * Can be mounted directly to a wall or on it's 8 rubber feet. The mounting "nubs" are screwed directly into the wall and as long as your 2 mounting points are mostly level, the 2 nubs can be rotated to adjust the height slightly on each side. * Building on the last point, if you mount vertically or horizontally, the magnetic control cover and Marshall logo can be flipped/moved depending on orientation of the soundbar. The Marshall logo can be facing forward in either way (see pictures of cover/logo front & back) - or you can remove completely if you're not into the logo showing. * Supports 5.1 Dolby Atmos, DTS-X, and Hi-Res audio so music and movies sound great * Soundbar has 7 drivers (FIVE 1.25" full-range speakers and TWO 3" woofers) that provide 56W power output max. This provides better spatial precision but lacks the bass of some bigger soundbars. * Soundbar has a room tuning function that takes about a minute to perform. It has a couple of mics that test the area so each speaker can be individually tuned. * Distinct listening modes - Music, Movie, Night, Voice. I was impressed at the tuning of each setting as they are very precise and actually sounded exactly how they should. * Soundbar has distinct "height" audio, has punchy bass (for its size), spacial audio is acceptable as bigger/better soundbars do offer more. * Ample connection options: BT, Wi-fi (Spotify/Airable), HDMI with eARC, AUX-in, Subwoofer RCA-out. 5V/1A USB-C port for power/charging other devices. * Can use these interfaces: Apple Airplay 2, Google Cast, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, and Airable (internet radio) * The plastic cover on the back with groove helps maintain cable management * The SUB-out RCA connection can be used with another sub that's not Marshall. This is the only way to have another sub connected to the soundbar unless you use the Marshall Sub 200 which can be used via RCA cable or BT. * The "PROG" button on the speaker is a single "preset" that can be set in the app. It can be set to automatically go to Spotify or a specific Airable station. If you don't have Spotify Premium, I don't believe Spotify can be saved as the preset. * The 5-channel equalizer is a good addition for more user control rather than "general presets". * The Marshall app generally works ok and has some decent options but was confusing at first on how to switch between the soundbar and the sub - just click on the secondary device in the header to switch between the two (see app pictures). CONS: ----------- * No remote. The only control are the 5 physical buttons and a BT-connected device... however, HDMI-connected devices can use their remote controls to control the volume. * Pairing can be buggy in the app, especially when adding the sub 200. It was not a smooth setup - the app needs a little more work. Sometimes the app images/sections don't load... once the user scrolls up or down, then it usually refreshes the screen. The firmware update did execute just fine once connected and took less than 5 minutes. * Value: The price of this soundbar indicates that the buyer is paying for the "Marshall" brand name. Even though this speaker is very nice for the size, there are a number of other speakers (some include subs) that would provide similar sound/features for a lower price point. * Marshall does not offer a rear speaker setup for the Heston 60 or Heston 120 which is needed. Even though Dolby/DTS sounds extremely good on this soundbar, it offers no real "rear surround" audio. I played various movies and Dolby/DTS audio demos and never got any rear sounds to really pop. Left, center, right (and up, to a degree) were pretty distinct. Rear, not at all there. * One Q&A in the user manual states the following: == Question: My TV does not have an eARC/ARC HDMI port == Answer: If your TV does not support HDMI ARC/eARC, connect your TV's audio output to the RCA inputs on Heston 60. THERE ARE NO RCA inputs on the Heston 60. This entry should be removed from the user manual Q&A section. OTHER OBSERVATIONS: ----------- * Actual full user manual is in PDF format on the Marshall website. You can get there from the Support page (via search) or the product page (bottom of page in the Specs section). * There is no ON/OFF button. The soundbar goes into standby mode after around 20 minutes and will automatically turn on once connected. *The Heston 60 can be "factory-reset" by using a sequence of instructions in the user manual which can be downloaded at Marshall's website. CONCLUSION: ===================== This sound bar has an incredible look and premium build and has a nice punch for such a small soundbar. It's Marshall's first iteration of such a beast in their home audio lineup, and they are on their way to perfecting this gem. With the app a bit glitchy at times and no remote, this can leave the user a little stranded at times. The spacial audio for movies is very good along with great audio balance for music. This is not a soundbar that I would use for a home theater, but more like for a bedroom, small room, or apartment. For complete sound, as with most soundbars, having a sub connected will absolutely finish out the sound spectrum you need for a complete audio experience Ultimately, buying this soundbar may come down to price, look, and connectivity options, because paying for this Marshall will cost a bit extra.

Marshall's Heston soundbars (and the optional subwoofer) project the Marshall signature look and sound in a fun, attractive way that stands out from the pack. Their gold-on-black aesthetic will draw compliments from your guitar aware friends! The unit arrived in solid, attractive packaging with accessories packed securely in separate compartments. You have the option to mount the bar horizontally below your television or on a wall if you prefer. Marshall has provided a thoughtful touch by attaching the logo and faceplate magnetically so that you can orient them to match your mounting choice. Physical installation is very simple - just set the unit where you want it and plug in the mains! The Heston 60 offers a single HDMI earc port for connecting your television and/or an auxiliary port if you prefer. There are also a sub out connector that you can use if you prefer to supply your own unit rather than the Marshall's own Sub 200. One last thing I found interesting is the inclusion of a USB-C output port. Not sure about its use but an interesting differentiator! After you get everything attached and the power plugged in you will need to load the Marshall app. Be aware that Marshall has different apps for its portable speakers/headphones and for the Heston products. Double check that you are downloading the appropriate application. Initial bluetooth pairing with the soundbar was relatively fast. WiFi pairing locked the app up. I had to cycle the power, remove the initial pairing and restart the app in order to get it to run correctly. The app immediately checks for and downloads firmware if necessary. The firmware update process for the bar ran flawlessly and completed in less than 10 minutes. BT pairing for Google casting can be finicky. Occasionally I have to remove and rediscover the sound bar in order for the apps to see it again. Room correction is easy to initiate. It is a relatively brief process and I tested it by moving the bar and sub to different spots in my room to see if I could detect any differences in the sound profile. The correction must be subtle because I couldn't detect any significant changes. I find the sound quality to be very good. The Heston 60 definitely benefits from having the subwoofer. The built in sound modes do provide a noticeable difference. There is also an equalizer function built into the app so it is easy and convenient to fine tune any of the modes. I found the volume to be adequate but not room shaking. I have listened to hours of music and I believe that this unit does a stellar job with it. The soundstage is wide and very balanced. TV and movie listening were also a pleasant surprise. I was impressed that in addition to Dolby ATMOS the unit will also decode DTS-X. In addition to a preset Movie sound profile the app also offers a Night mode which will decrease the bass and dynamic range. This mode can also improve lower quality audio streams by applying a bit of dynamic compression which can help make voices clearer. There is also a dedicate Voice mode but I find it to be a little too bright for my taste. Overall I enjoy the Marshall Heston system. I believe that it is a worthy contender in the compact soundbar space and is definitely worth your consideration.