Marshall - Heston 60 5.1 Channel Soundbar with Dolby Atmos Immersive Sound for TV / Movies / Music - Cream

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 60 SoundBar provides excellent sound in a elegant package with a great selection of connectivity methods! Design While this is entirely subjective, I think the timeless Marshall design translates beautifully into the Heston 60 SoundBar. I love the woven cover/grill that wraps from the front up and over the top. The texture around the perimeter of it adds a nice touch as well. The Marshall logo looks great - and nobody will guess that it's magnetic. You can take it off to change the position in case you wall mount it. The same goes for the control panel cover. Both the control panel cover and the Marshall logo come separately in the box (see picture) for you to put them on as needed. In the middle of the back, you can remove the small cover. There you'll find AC in, HDMI (ARC and eARC), 1/8 Stereo Aux in, an RCA out for a Sub (it can be wireless if you use the Heston Sub 200), and a USB C port to charge a device like a phone. (see picture) It looks like speakers fire in pretty much all directions...front, top, bottom, back. and sides. A power cord and HDMI cord are included. The controls are very nice, high quality looking buttons that are well labeled. There are buttons for input, sound mode, play/pause, volume up/down, and a program button that's used for playing a custom playlist. There are lights to show you the selected sound mode and input. You can set it for wall mount mode or table top mode, but by default it will auto detect the mounting orientation. Setup The setup was straight forward and didn't take long. After connecting everything, install the app on your phone and it will walk you through the setup. You'll need it update the firmware, but there are also a number of setting you may want to adjust. You will want to name it, connect it to WiFi, and look at the available settings. There's room calibration, which I recommend. This uses two mic built into the soundbar to customize the output based on the acoustic properties of the room. After running that, I thought the audio sounded more balanced, or fuller. It was a subtle change but noticeable for my room which doesn't have perfect, surrounding walls. Sound I've used the Heston Bar to listen to different styles of music as well as different types of shows and video. Pianos and violin's sound clear and crisp. The low end also impressed me for a SoundBar. It's not going to replace a sub, but I think it's impressive bass on its own. With Dolby Atmos/DTX X, vocals come through loudly and clearly while the sound field produces sounds that are bright and full to me. For not using any rear speakers, the sound field it produces is very impressive. There's some great depth to the sound. I can hear objects moving around the room when listening to content that supports that. It's not quite the same has having rear speakers but it may fool me here and there. There's still some impressive sound positioning that happens for sure. The calibration of the volume was different than I'm used to. Most of the time when I'm listening to things or watching a show, I'll probably have the volume around 50% to 70%. 70% to 80% is getting pretty loud. I'm used to having my TV around 20% to 30% and never getting up to 50%. I guess this makes more sense using the whole range more, but it was unusual for me at first. Connectivity I've used it mostly connected to a Dolby Atmos capable TV using HDMI eARC, but I've also used it over Bluetooth and using the Google Cast on my home network. Both worked very well. I like being able to Cast to it from a Chrome web browser as well as phones and other devices support audio casting. I find that less annoying that pairing lots of devices over Bluetooth, but I'm glad it does Bluetooth too. It also supports streaming from TIDAL Connect, Spotify Connect, and Internet Radio. I don't have TIDAL or Spotify and didn't expect to use the Internet Radio streaming, but then I tried it. I was impressed! The Marshall app makes it very easy to get into and just start listening! I'm also glad it has a 1/8" stereo input. There's an RCA out for connecting a Sub too. I recommend the Heston Sub 200, which is made to work with it and can be connected by RCA or wireless (Bluetooth). App You will definitely want to install the Marshall app. You can use this to change the source, sound mode, volume, and customize EQs. That's just on the main screen. If you go into "Settings and Calibration" you can run the "Room Correction", manually change the soundbar placement. There are DTS settings for compression and dialog control. You can adjust delay to fix lip sync issues in some situations. There's even an adjustment for the brightness of the lights on the control panel. It also makes it easy to access Spotify, TIDAL, and Internet Radio. I was curious so I took a look at "Internet Radio" and I was impressed! There's no sign up required of any kind, you just go in and you can select options like local, popular, or trending stations. It keeps a history of the ones you listened to and you can mark favorites. I never listen to the radio but I may start using this since it's so accessible. Summary The timeless Marshall look is even better than I thought it would be on my TV stand. Thankfully, it has sound to match! The Heston 60 has great wired and wireless inputs, excellent, room filling sound, and features to make my music and video sound its best. I love that I can quickly play music on it over Bluetooth or using Google Cast. Don't forget to check out the Heston Sub 200 for deep, room filling bass.

I've owned a lot of sound bars over the years, and I believe I'm pretty picky when it comes to sound quality. I also play guitar and am no stranger to Marshall guitar amps, and I’ve even become familiar with their later entries into the Bluetooth speaker market (the Acton line of speakers is incredible). So, my expectations for the Marshall Heston 60 soundbar were pretty high. The Heston 60 is the little brother to the bigger Heston 120. The soundbar is pretty small in size, measuring something like 2.5-3’ in length. It’s definitely more compact than several of my other soundbars. But it’s size does not make for small sound. This thing booms, with excellent equalization out of the box. And the classic Marshall black and gold styling looks great with any setup. So when you first unpack your soundbar, you’ll need to download Marshall’s app for soundbars, which evidently is a separate app from their Bluetooth speaker app… So you will have to download yet another app, and you can’t really avoid it because this soundbar does not come with a remote, probably because HDMI-ARC is almost ubiquitous now that you really don’t need one. But regardless, the app is how you’ll adjust EQ and update the firmware on the speaker, which it will need out of the box to make sure you’re getting the best sound quality Marshall offers. The speaker also offers seamless Apple AirPlay and Google Cast so you can easily stream music from your phone, tablet or computer to the soundbar. And if you’re playing music, that’s where this speaker really shines. It’s so well balanced, even without a subwoofer, but is elevated even further with the pairing of a Heston Sub 200. It meets the quality I’ve come to expect from my Acton 3 Bluetooth speaker from Marshall. All-in-all this is an amazing sounding soundbar. The reliance on a phone app for general controls, fine tuning EQ settings, and software updates is a minor annoyance, but in reality, you may not need to open the app often once you have things set up and sounding the way you like. CEC control with HDMI ACR worked excellently, which really eliminated the need for another remote to eventually lose.

The Marshall Heston 60 soundbar is a superb sounding audio component for video and music. The audio quality is excellent with plenty of volume. Basic control features like level, input source and sound mode, and other more advanced features like room correction, custom EQ settings and firmware update are all easily accessible through the Marshall smartphone app. The Heston 60 includes the soundbar with user panel and Marshall script logo, HDMI cable, power cable, wall mounts, a quick start guide and wall mount instructions. The Heston 60 soundbar has a removable back panel hatch for access to AC mains power in, an HDMI ARC/eARC port, a subwoofer RCA output jack, an AUX 3.5mm stereo input jack and a 5V/1A USB-C power/charging port. The Heston 60 user panel and script logo attach easily and are held in place magnetically. The script logo can be attached to the front of the soundbar if it is placed horizontally on a flat surface, or to the top if it is mounted vertically on a wall. The soundbar supports a wired or wireless connection to the subwoofer. The Heston 60 is easy to set up through the Marshall smartphone app which guided me through the process. I ran into Bluetooth connection timeouts when initially trying to connect to the soundbar from my smartphone by following the instructions in the Marshall app. The Marshall app instructions worked well after first pairing my phone with the soundbar outside of the app. With the Bluetooth connection established, the Heston 60 can be connected to the local WiFi network. Subsequent communication between the Marshall app and soundbar occurs over WiFi instead of Bluetooth, providing a faster and more stable connection. The Marshall app automatically handles soundbar firmware update as part of the setup process. I'm using the Heston 60 with a Heston Sub 200 subwoofer. After setting up the soundbar and subwoofer through the Marshall app, they were moved to their desired positions and the room correction step was run in the Marshall app. The soundbar and subwoofer now work with the TV over the HDMI ARC/eARC connection, and the input source, sound mode, volume level and more are controllable through the Marshall app. Audio output from my smartphone also works well over a Bluetooth connection. The only wired connection besides AC power is the HDMI cable from TV to soundbar. I've had a small Marshall Bluetooth speaker for a little over a year and really like the way it sounds. This made me eager to try out the Heston 60, and I haven't been in any way disappointed. The audio quality is excellent, clear and responsive across the audio spectrum. I used the app EQ settings to add a little more high end, and the sound is amazing. I hear everything well and don't find myself losing voices in movie soundtracks. My expectations are low for smartphone apps that control devices like the soundbar, but the Marshall app has been a very pleasant surprise. The app is stable and reliable on my Android phone, is nicely featured and is easy to use. It allows selection of the Marshall device that you want to control, eg. Heston 60 or Heston Sub 200, and provides full access to configuration and settings for the selected device. Device information including serial number, firmware revision and more is also available. The WiFi connection to the soundbar is fast and stable, with no perceptible delay when changing volume, EQ, and other settings through the app. The Marshall Heston 60 soundbar looks and feels solid and well made. The black color scheme with gold Marshall script logo is great looking with a vintage amp vibe. The Marshall smartphone app is easy to use, stable and reliable, and provides easy access to soundbar settings and controls. The audio quality is everything I was hoping for and more, approaching the quality of more expensive home theater systems. The soundbar is easy to set up and use, works reliably, looks great and provides a wonderful audio experience whether watching video or listening to music.