Customer Ratings & Reviews

The sound sharpness and quality when we play music at very low volume levels are amazing. It’s like a wonder packed in a small box. The retro look elevates the appearance of my room.

This product is amazing and the soound is very nice.

It’s hard not to love the Stanmore III speaker. It’s got a style and quality to it that just begs you to interact with it. And it sounds great to boot. The fact that it doesn’t include any sort of Wi-Fi-based streaming is a letdown for a home speaker in this price range, but I think it has a lot of qualities that a lot of people would be really happy with (myself included). Unboxing the speaker I was immediately drawn to the build quality. The vegan leather that wraps the side feels great to touch and the buttons and knobs across the top are the highest quality I can remember in any speaker I’ve owned. I normally prefer to interact with most of my speakers via my phone, but I’m constantly drawn to the Stanmore. It’s got a such a cool timeless aesthetic that is backed up by the build quality and looks fantastic. For sources you get Bluetooth 5.2, a 3.5mm input, and an RCA input. The sources are swapped via a button on the top of the speaker. The controls on top offer 3 knobs for volume, bass, and treble, a play/pause/skip control, and a power switch (which is VERY satisfying to use). There’s no AirPlay or Cast built-in, which is a shame, and while you’re getting the (mostly) latest Bluetooth 5.2 built-in, there isn’t any support for hi-res codes like aptX or LDAC. This is consider a home speaker, so no built in battery. There’s no power brick to contend with, just a regular power cord, which is nice. Getting connected to the Stanmore III via my Pixel 7 was dead simple. I switched it on and almost immediately got a notification to connect to the speaker via Android Fast Pair. Marshall doesn’t seem to advertise it on the box, but there is an app you can download for the Stanmore, though it only offers some basic room correction controls and firmware updates in addition to the audio controls already present on the speaker itself. It’s likely you won’t be accessing the app much and that’s actually fine with me - everything seems to have an app these days and I appreciate the simplicity here while still being able to apply the occasional update to the speaker firmware. It would be nice if Marshall added more granular EQ adjustments to the app in the future, but I could see this clashing with the treble/bass controls. I listened to the Stanmore III mainly through Bluetooth via my Pixel 7. I was a little worried the volume/bass/treble controls on the speaker wouldn’t be synced via Bluetooth, but they are and you can adjust volume on your phone or the speaker. In general I found myself leaving the bass/treble controls at their default 50% values, though they do make a noticeable difference without completely destroying the audio if you find either of them to be lacking. Music sounded really great through the speaker and felt clear and balanced to me. I could pick out lots of detail in all the tracks I played and while the bass isn’t room-shaking it’s still very present and not muddy at all. I don’t mind listening to music over Bluetooth and sound quality is not an issue here, but one thing I don’t like about listening to music via Bluetooth is that I’m more-or-less tethered to the area the speaker is in if I don’t want the audio to drop out and the music is potentially prone to being interrupted by my alerts and phone calls. This is the main reason I would have liked to see AirPlay or Cast built-in, especially since this is considered a ‘home’ speaker. I was able to travel around my living room and kitchen with my phone with no issues though. The Stanmore III is advertised with a 30ft Bluetooth range, which seems about right to me not factoring in walls. I think the Stanmore III offers a unique set of features. It sounds great and has the looks to match. Without Wi-Fi it does feel like an incomplete home solution, but if that’s not a factor to you there’s a lot to like.

TL;DR 5-star audio quality, 4-star over all product because of the lack of Wi-Fi audio connectivity. Every concert goer from the past 50 years surely recognizes the Marshall amps that have shared the stage with some of the best artists ever. I won’t lie, my own concert memories attracted me to this brand. But I was also skeptical because too often legendary brands license out their name which ends up on sub-par products. This is not the case here. The Marshall home speaker is made by the same parent company of the pro equipment you see in arenas and musical events. This is a genuine Marshall product, not a Marshall-licensed product. In the Stanmore III you get a classically designed compact stand-alone stereo speaker that pumps out big, beautiful sound – a tough task for any Bluetooth product given Bluetooth’s narrower bandwidth compared to Wi-Fi or “old fashioned” speaker wires. I’ll get into sound quality later, but upfront I want to emphasize that the Stanmore III here has two tweeters and a woofer, i.e., it’s stereo, unlike most Bluetooth speakers, which are only stereo if you pair two together. So immediately, the Stanmore III provides value with this feature alone, saving both money and space. Also fairly uncommon with wireless speakers, the Stanmore III looks like a solid piece of furniture that belongs in a well-furnished room but would also look “cool” in dorm too. More often than not wireless speakers in this price range are bland black plastic or over-the-top colorful. The Stanmore III’s case though is surrounded by a leather-look fabric. Whatever it is it’s vegan if you need that assurance. It looks snazzy to keep with the retro theme. The front is speaker cloth with a definite 60s vibe to it. The center has the Marshall script logo in gold, which I’m not wild about. This logo placement and size doesn’t suit the overall elegance of the speaker. If it were smaller, maybe offset at one of the corners it wouldn’t even be a discussion point. Unfortunately, also, the logo is glued on which is a head-scratcher to me because every speaker I’ve ever owned had logos that just pulled out if a “clean” look was desired. It should be the case here too. The top controls are a stunning conversation maker. The design offers lots of unique touches like a metal power lever that you’d find on pro amps. It adds tremendously to the user experience. (Keep the power flipped on as there is no way to remotely turn it on in the off position. My assumption is it automatically goes to sleep when not in use like devices do these days). It only gets better though as the control dials on the unit feature active red backlighting to indicate levels for their respective control: volume, bass, & treble. There is also a switch to skip, repeat, and pause the track playing, as well as another lighted indicator confirming the current input source selected: Bluetooth, the top 3.5” AUX input jack or backside RCA jack. There is, of course, a power cord input on the back too. This model is strictly plug-in for power, no batteries allowed. (Marshall does make portable models with batteries if that is what you are looking for). Side note, the Stanmore III is not water resistant so don’t place it in the bathroom. While these analog dials and switches are aesthetically front and center, the Stanmore III was designed for the digital age. iOS and Android apps are available to control the speaker remotely – except for power, that must be done at the speaker. The app is optional but recommended. It’s as simple as the radio itself with only options to adjust volume, bass, and treble. It would have been a nice touch if Marshall included a full range equalizer and some pre-sets too. Part of the app also has info about other Marshall products which I found off putting and it only made a simple app seem cluttered rather than interesting me in other products. And truly, the Stanmore III speaks for itself and does more to sell the Marshall brand than a hard sell in an app. Marshall would be smart to remove this in a future update. Plugging in an analog source (via the RCA or AUX jacks) will naturally give the best possible sound, but the reality is this is a Bluetooth speaker and that is how most will use it. The Stanmore III has Bluetooth v5.2 with aptX, which, for practical purposes is the latest Bluetooth version. But unlike the older Stanmore II with Voice, Marshall has stripped out Wi-Fi in the Stanmore III. The Stanmore III would be a 5-start product with the inclusion of Wi-Fi audio capabilities like Chromecast Audio, Spotify Connect, and Apple AirPlay 2. Would be. Not including Wi-Fi audio is a significant backtrack and “big miss” for this speaker, worthy of a one-star deduction, because it offers lossless fidelity and a wider connection range than Bluetooth. Several music subscription services like Tidal and Amazon offer lossless streaming and the type of consumer who would be interested in this speaker might even have their own lossless FLAC or ALAC music library. Of course, you can buy a Chrome Audio dongle to plug into the aforementioned AUX input and gain Wi-Fi audio capability. But that’s a workaround and extra cost and looks clunky ruining the aesthetics of the speaker. It’s not a choice users should have to make. And if you use Apple Airplay 2, there really is no affordable “band aid” here. It’s understandable why battery-powered portable speakers usually don’t have Wi-Fi since Wi-Fi consumes more power than Bluetooth. But when a AC -only speaker like Stanmore III doesn’t have it have I have to wonder what the engineers were thinking. Hopefully whenever Stanmore IV comes around it will fix this omission. But read on. Lack of Wi-Fi does diminish the “total package,” but make no mistake, this speaker knows how to rock (or rap or toot, whatever your favorite genre is). Another side note. Apple device users – while the Stanmore III doesn’t have Wi-Fi you can use Siri on your phone or iPad to skip and repeat or to request a specific song or playlist on your device just as you would if the music was playing on your device rather than an external speaker. Pairing with your device takes seconds. I used an iPhone, but I imagine the Android experience is a similar experience. I started the process with only my phone’s Bluetooth. Quickly a pop-up asked if I wanted to download the Marshall app, which I thought was smart given the hassle of finding the correct compatible app can be sometimes. Once the app was installed I was set to push play – no forced registration like some products insist on when using their app. Thank you Marshall. My musical taste is as confused as minestrone soup – from classic rock to classical music and almost everything in between. I also don’t have super-human dog hearing. Below is just how my pedestrian ears reacted to the Stanmore III’s performance. I will give myself this much credit: I can tell the difference between lifeless and biased speakers and ones that compel me to keep listening. So first up I thought it was apropos to play some Jimi Hendrix as he was a pioneer using Marshall amps on tour. I cranked up the volume, bass and treble all to 8 and let it rip with Foxey Lady and Purple Haze. What I got was that Hendrix sweet, sweet bass thumping out of the relatively small Stanmore III. I felt it across the room like it was 10x larger. Not quite like Hendrix was in the room but impressive for a pair of 15w tweeters and a 50w woofer. More remarkable to me was the bass, while front and center, didn’t down out the rest of the range or vocals like some bass-centric speakers do. It was a powerful but even and clear sound filling the roughly 640sq ft room it was in. With just a 320Mbps AAC source. At near peak volume. Never a hint of struggle or distortion. I continued sampling other bass prominent songs like Beck’s Odelay, Arcade Fire’s Rebellion, and a electronic dance remix of Dolly Parton’s Jolene by Destructo. I was not disappointed. All the instruments and vocals were tight and identifiable and filled the room. Next I took it down a notch and played some mellow vocal-centric stuff like Dire Straits Brothers in Arms, John Cale’s rendition of Hallelujah, and Munford & Son’s Ditmas. With this music style, which isn’t meant to be cranked, I had to turn the volume down to 6 from 8 because distortion was rearing its evil head with some of the vocal ranges. But even at a lower volume the sound punches above its weight class and delivers well-defined tunes. Typically, clarity at low volumes, not high, is what separates a good speaker from a great one. And the Stanmore III certainly has that quality. For my last test I went completely off course for a “rock and roll” speaker and played part of one of the more complex classical music symphonies – Bruckner’s #5 in B Flat Major (1. Adagio-Allegro). If you are not familiar with this piece, it’s an intense crescendo that in minutes goes from barely audible to crashing waves of horns and strings. My goal here was to see if, at a middle volume, the low level parts would be audible while the more spirited sections did not play too loud. Even keel from start to finish is all I wanted. And that’s pretty much what I got. The early ramp up was harder to hear that I would have preferred but the louder end was perfect just as it was for the vocal music. Those are my impressions of the Stanmore III. To sum it up, it’s a fantastic sounding stereo speaker and well worth the cost. It’s an especially good choice if you love the authentic bass sound of the 60s and 70s. This is Marshall’s signature. But from a technological perspective, the lack of Wi-Fi is a serious blow to the speaker’s potential at a category killer. Because of this omission every buyer should first consider what their connectivity priorities are against what speaker sounds best to their ears. It’s not an easy choice having to choose between better sound or better technology.

Right away let’s get to how fantastic this speaker looks. Modeled after the Marshall guitar amplifiers you’ve undoubtedly seen stacked at concerts (although made by Zound Industries and not Marshall directly), this just looks nice fitting into any space in your home. Covered in faux leather with fabric front and the iconic Marshall script logo, it just looks pleasing. Then when you see the gold accented control panel on top, it just pops. The build quality is tops. Buttons have a satisfying click, the knobs for controlling volume, bass, and treble move smoothly, with bright red LEDS that light up to indicate your level before dimming after a minute. The power toggle switch is intensely satisfying to flick on. It may sound minor but turning it on and off just feels great to do. You’ve got three ways of getting audio to the speaker: Bluetooth, aux cable (3.5mm input), and RCA. After powering on you can select a source. Bluetooth is the main selling point and I’d imagine for most the main way of sending music. My Pixel 6 Pro and Windows 11 PC both detected and connected to the speaker without any issue. You do not have to use the app, but I highly recommend it, at least occasionally to see if there’s any firmware updates. Mine did have one out of the box. Additionally, you can control the bass and treble controls from your phone with the app. The app also includes settings called Placement Compensation. It’s a series of two questions about how close the speaker is to the edge of a table/shelf and to a wall or corner, with the idea being that it corrects for reflective surfaces bouncing back sound. I couldn’t tell the difference, but I appreciate that it’s there. These are the only features of the app, so it’s really not something you need to open often. The other inputs are physical inputs: aux / 3.5mm input and an RCA input. The aux input is located on the top of the unit and the RCA on the back. The placement does imply that aux will only be temporarily used, while RCA would be something more permanent, such as a record player. It’s worth noting that there is no ground, so if you are planning on using this with a record player it will need to have a phono preamp either built in or as part of the chain before connecting to this speaker. I’m not audiophile, but I thought this sounded great. I tried listening to a variety of genres to get the best of it and I think it’s pretty good. It does start to get a little muddled at higher volumes and with the bass turned up higher. Neither a pro nor con but while decently sized, you can only do so much with a speaker of this size. I do wish that this speaker did a bit more. At the current pricepoint, with it being designed as a home speaker (ie, no battery built in for portability), it’s a bit of a shame it doesn’t include any sort of Google Cast / Apple AirPlay options. To me this feels like a big miss and stops it from greatness. That’s not to say there isn’t a lot to love here. I think this is a fantastic small home speaker for an office or small to midsize room. You’ve got a lot of movement range with Bluetooth but you’re still wirelessly tethered, so to speak. For me, this is the perfect secondary room speaker. I have it connected in my office to a record player, but it will not replace my main audio system in my main living area. Is this the right speaker for you? I’d consider what your needs are, what your space is like, how you listen to your music, and if it suits your aesthetic preferences.

This is great stand alone speaker with great sound quality. Don’t try to use them in tandem as they will not pair. The app for Marshall speakers needs some work. They also need to upgrade their technology. If using one speaker, it is easy to use with Amazon music or Spotify. I ended up returning the 2 speaker as I wanted them to pair but unfortunately this was not possible yet.

Great sound for a small unit. Fills the whole room. Lots of bass. Cool design.

Loud for its medium size, buttons, switches and knobs are smooth and satisfying. Clean design and quality. Marshall keeps minimalistic and simplistic with its design but a bit pricey.

The Marshall Stanmore III is a powerful and stylish Bluetooth speaker that delivers a rich, immersive sound experience. It's perfect for filling any room with your favorite music, and it's also great for watching movies or playing video games. The Stanmore III has a classic Marshall amplifier design, with a black leatherette finish, a gold Marshall logo, and a fretcloth grille. It's a very stylish speaker that will look great in any home. The speaker is also very well-built, and it feels solid and durable.

Looks great and sounds very good. Lacks mid range sound but overall has a nice sound to it.

Amazing deal I got.. I always buy electronics products from bestbuy but never had this kind of offer availed before, so lucky am I to bought this Marshall sound system. I would recommend to others as well if they would get this opportunity must buy it.

Great speaker . Awesome sound . Perfect bass not too much not less . Love it

[Employee of bestbuy] Wish it had a battery power option. Other than that, phenomenal sound.

Phenominal sound! Astounding bass! This is a great sounding speaker with a stunning vintage amp look.

Sounds great, however lacks mids & has a noticeable difference in peak volume between bluetooth & RCA connections

Good quality and sound! Would recommend. Haven't tested battery life ..

Nice little amp. I was surprised by the big sound that came out of that little box.

It sounds amazing only issue for me is bass but love the sound quality on it

Thus was a gift for my son. He loves it. Sonds good

Marshall speakers have always been my go to speakers. Its a great speaker! One downfall, wish it was louder and the bass was more booming but its an overall great speaker.