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Marshall Heston 120: two-minute evaluate
The Marshall Heston 120 Dolby Atmos soundbar is a product that goals to make a mark in a world of hulking black bins. This amp-inspired, meter-long bar is powered by 11 energetic drivers and appears to supply room-swallowing bass output, a colourful spatial impression, and top-tier music replication. Nonetheless, it comes with a price-tag that’s removed from small. So, is it price taking the plunge on the Marshall Heston 120?
Properly, in the event you’re on the lookout for a one-box soundbar (ie, no subwoofer or rear audio system) that’s able to phenomenal Dolby Atmos and DTS:X efficiency, the reply is nearly definitely sure. You get actually spectacular expansiveness from the Marshall Heston 120, with side-firing drivers offering mind-boggling width and up-firing tweeters presenting lifelike verticality. Would a multi-box different whip up an much more fleshed-out cinematic expertise? Presumably. However for a standalone soundbar, it’s laborious to beat the Heston 120.
Whether or not you’re watching films with Dolby Atmos or not, the Marshall Heston 120 delivers actually distinctive efficiency. You’ll hear crystal-clear speech from the middle channel whether or not you’re in Film or Voice mode and, most of all, get to expertise shockingly shaking bass from the Heston’s twin rear-facing subwoofers. Critically, the bass rumble alone places the Marshall Heston 120 proper up there with the best soundbars round.
However one thing that actually units the Heston 120 other than an unlimited sea of opponents is its class-leading efficiency for music – whether or not you’re listening to an Atmos or stereo combine. With spotless channel separation, scrumptious depth, a broad soundstage, and fantastic management proper throughout all frequencies, the Marshall Heston 120 is a musical maestro in addition to a film marvel.
In fact, given its value and one-box standing, the Heston 120’s apparent rival is the Sonos Arc Ultra, which is definitely one of many best Dolby Atmos soundbars that cash can purchase. The Marshall could not have a voice assistant or fairly as a lot energy because the Arc Extremely – however it does have HDMI passthrough (4K at 120Hz, too) and DTS assist – a few elements that we actually missed from the Arc Extremely.
And although the Arc Extremely is a rounded, clean-looking character, I’ve to say that the Heston 120 is an actual murals. All the things from its gold particulars, its amp-like aesthetic and its stylish knurled metallic dials actually screams premium. It’s best to know that you simply would possibly catch just a few reflections on these tactile knobs when watching TV in low-lit areas, relying in your angle – however nonetheless, they make for a novel, engaging addition.
The Heston 120 is a standalone soundbar within the truest sense. There aren’t any further audio system – at the least not but, although the Heston Sub 200 is coming later this 12 months. And also you received’t even discover a distant right here – the whole lot is managed by way of the flashy new Marshall app, which helps you to flick by 4 sound modes, calibrate the bar to your room’s form and dimension, regulate quantity, EQ… you identify it. I really like the pure simplicity of this – I do not need one other distant laying round, personally.
You received’t discover a show on the soundbar – the whole lot it’s essential to see is in that app – which can be extra of a frustration for some. If you wish to know whether or not the Heston 120 is taking part in Atmos, you will must verify the app.
I’ll drill into the finer particulars under, however in the event you simply need the lowdown, then the Marshall Heston 120 is frankly an exemplary soundbar that fuses Marshall’s musical heritage with top-drawer cinematic sound for the fashionable period. It’s constructed to final – Marshall will even promote elements if one thing goes mistaken – it sounds wonderful, and… properly, simply have a look at it!
Sure it’s costly and it’s possible you’ll properly be capable of discover a robust multi-box choice at an identical value. However if you wish to take your movie-watching or music-listening experiences to the subsequent stage, all by way of one expertly crafted hub, the Marshall Heston 120 is my selection.
Marshall Heston 120 evaluate: value & launch date
- Priced at $999 / £899 / AU$1,799
- Launched on 3 June 2025
- May even be out there by way of choose retailers from September 16, 2025
The Marshall Heston 120 launched on third June 2025 and is the very first soundbar Marshall has ever delivered to market. It’s, admittedly fairly expensive, coming in at $999 / £899 / AU$1,799. However even when it’s costly, there are pricier all-in-one rivals. The Sonos Arc Extremely is £100 extra for UK clients (the identical within the US), whereas the Devialet Dione and Sony Bravia Theater Bar 9 carry listing costs of $2,399 / £1,990 / AU$3,999 and $1,399 / £1,399 / AU$1,795 respectively.
In fact, you will get multi-box soundbar techniques for the same value or much less – even the fantastic Samsung HW-Q990D may be discovered for under a contact greater than the Heston throughout many territories. However this can be a true all-in-one choice that doesn’t depend on separate audio system for a full-sounding cinematic expertise, in order that they’re totally different propositions in some methods.
Marshall Heston 120 evaluate: Specs
|
Dimensions |
43.3 x 5.7 x 3.0 inches / 1100 x 145 x 76mm |
|
Speaker channels |
5.1.2 |
|
Connections |
HDMI eARC, HDMI IN (passthrough), RCA Stereo, RCA Mono (sub out), USB-C, Ethernet, Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi |
|
Dolby Atmos/DTS:X |
Sure/Sure |
|
Sub included |
No |
|
Rear audio system included |
No |
Marshall Heston 120 evaluate: options
- 5.1.2 speaker configuration with 11 energetic drivers
- Dolby Atmos and DTS:X assist
- Function-filled Marshall companion app replaces a distant
Though the Marshall Heston 120 makes use of a 5.1.2 channel setup, there are, the truth is, 11 energetic drivers powering the soundbar. All of them mix to ship a most energy output of 150W.
The highest of the soundbar homes two midwoofers for lateral sound in addition to two up-firing tweeters, with two facet drivers additionally included to mirror sounds off partitions for a wider spatial impression. As well as, there are three front-facing drivers for clear dialogue replica and twin rear-facing subwoofers that do the heavy-lifting within the low finish. You’ll discover 4 passive radiators put in on the reverse facet of the soundbar too, which assist the Heston’s whopping bass output.
In fact, there aren’t any exterior audio system that come alongside the primary bar itself – this can be a true all-in-one providing from Marshall. There might be a separate sub launched later in 2025, although, dubbed the Heston Sub 200.
Even nonetheless, the Heston 120 can create a splendidly expansive sound because of its assist for Dolby Atmos, in addition to DTS:X – notably, that latter format is lacking on the soundbar’s fundamental rival, the Sonos Arc Extremely. I’ll drill extra into the standard of Atmos results within the ‘Performance’ part, however they’re spectacular to say the least.
And whether or not you’re watching films with DTS:X or tuning into your favourite Atmos mixes, there are such a lot of methods to harness the facility of your Heston 120. There’s an HDMI eARC for simply connecting the soundbar as much as your TV, HDMI in for passthrough (and sure, it’s 4K at as much as 144Hz), Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, in addition to RCA – a nod to Marshall’s musical roots.
There’s even Auracast – a kind of Bluetooth know-how that lets you tune into an audio broadcast transmitted from a telephone, TV or comparable system with none pairing.
Marshall has additionally built-in a complete host of music companies into the Heston 120, guaranteeing seamless connectivity with out long-winded pairing processes. In the intervening time, these embrace: Google Forged; Spotify Join; Web Radio; Tidal Join; and Apple AirPlay 2. These will also be sure to preset buttons for simple entry. And it’s price noting that the soundbar helps hi-res recordsdata similar to ALAC and FLAC, so you will get the perfect out of these music apps.
You possibly can view the entire built-in companies by way of Marshall’s revamped app, which has a complete bunch of options to sink your enamel into. A couple of nuggets embrace a five-band equalizer, AV sync to adjusts audio delay to sync up with video, and Room correction, which performs a variety of sounds to optimize your soundbar for the house that you simply’re utilizing it in.
There’s no distant included with the Heston 120, with the app performing as a full on substitute. It lets you regulate quantity, change between the totally different sound modes, cycle by sources and examine whether or not Atmos or DTS:X are in-use or not. A lot of this may be performed by the soundbar’s bodily controls too, however we’ll get onto these later.
Marshall Heston 120 evaluate: efficiency
- Earth-shaking bass output
- Nice Atmos with spectacular width and verticality
- Impeccable for music, particularly stereo
So the Heston 120 will get the title of Marshall’s first ever soundbar, because the legendary audio model takes its first step into the world of house cinema leisure. No stress then. From advertising alone, it’s clear that Marshall is assured within the Heston 120’s “rumbling” bass, “immersive” Dolby Atmos sound and “pure vocal readability” – however can it reside as much as the hype?
Properly, earlier than I reply that, let’s undergo the Heston 120’s key focal areas and see the way it measures up. When I spoke to the audio engineers that worked on the Marshall Heston 120, I used to be advised there have been three focal factors: Dolby Atmos for films; Dolby Atmos music; and stereo music.
Let’s go large and begin issues off with Atmos for films. I’ve to say, the Heston 120 performs extremely properly right here. I began my testing by watching a 4K UHD Blu-Ray of Nosferatu – you recognize, the one the place Pennywise performs the eponymous position. And even from the Common Studios fanfare, I knew I used to be in for a deal with, with booming bass filling our TV testing facility.
Throughout a scene the place Depend Orlok confronts Ellen, the vampire’s haunting voice got here by with unbelievable depth and haunting ranges of element, with every breathy element and deep inhale coming by cleanly. Quaking sub-bass additionally rippled by a part of the scene, completely capturing the image’s tense, fear-inducing nature. Whether or not it was that enormous sub-bass, frantic dialogue or piercing high-pitched screeches, the Heston was greater than as much as the duty. I watched this movie when it was first launched and, truthfully, the Heston had sufficient expertise to make me really feel as if I used to be again within the cinema.
However once I take into consideration Atmos, I feel, initially about expansive, directional sound that actually makes me really feel a part of the motion. And I actually wish to give the Heston 120 some kudos there, as a result of it carried out very admirably certainly in that division.
When watching The Boy and the Heron, the soundbar effortlessly tracked parts such because the width of the heron’s flight path or the verticality of an arrow being fired into the sky. Equally, when tuning into The Batman, the motion of bats flying in the direction of me had me inching again in my seat – and the Heston gave me a real sense that they flew over my shoulder too.
Nonetheless, in the event you’re trying to find probably the most full encompass sound available on the market, you’re not going to get it from the Marshall Heston 120 – at the least not proper now. There aren’t any rear audio system included to present you final wraparound sound and, on the level of launch, there’s no separate sub to take low frequency output to one more stage – each issues that might be superb for these with bigger dwelling rooms particularly. An choice just like the JBL Bar 1300X, for instance, has a fundamental soundbar with a sub and two rears, which means you get an much more fleshed-out spatial impression.
Nonetheless, I’m right here to guage the Heston 120 for what it’s – not what it may very well be, and it actually did impress me on the subject of Dolby Atmos results, dialogue readability and low-end punch. So, it solely appears proper to subsequent deal with the world of Dolby Atmos music.
This format, I concede received’t be everybody’s favourite strategy to hearken to tunes, however the Heston, as you’d count on, will get the perfect out of Atmos mixes. When blasting I’m Gonna Love You Simply A Little Extra Child by Barry White, I used to be astonished by the width of audio emitting from the Heston 120. Guitars sounded as in the event that they have been taking part in from the perimeters of the room, quite than from the bar itself, with funky drums dancing and keys dancing throughout the room.
That was paired with a managed, balanced vocal efficiency taking part in from the middle and a complete lack of harshness or distortion, guaranteeing a extremely pleasant and three-dimensional listening expertise.
Regardless of all of that, I’ve to inform you that absolutely the spotlight of my time spent with the Marshall Heston 120, was listening to stereo music. That actually isn’t to remove from the unbelievable Atmos results – it’s simply all too widespread for soundbars to overlook the mark on musicality, however the Heston is really class-leading.
When listening to Unusual Meadow Lark by Dave Brubeck, the channel separation was phenomenal, drums subtly enter the left facet, keys work their magic subtly on the precise with punchy bass holding it down all through the observe with out smothering the combination.
Once more, with Affirmation by George Benson, each instrument was given loads of respiratory house. Every aspect – whether or not emotive strings, rhythmic percussion or clean bass – was positioned superbly. I genuinely sat for hours listening to albums on this format, I actually couldn’t get sufficient.
I most popular stereo music on the Heston 120 over what the wonderful Samsung HW-Q800D may provide – a soundbar that I’ve been fortunately utilizing for nearly half a 12 months, so… it might be time for an improve.
Marshall Heston 120 evaluate: design
- Present-stopping amp-like aesthetic
- Tactile dial controls with haptic suggestions
- Although these can catch reflections from TV
So, the Heston 120 has already wowed me with its unbelievable feature-set and superior audio, however there’s one side that’s much more interesting. And that’s, after all, its beautiful design, infused with Marshall’s amp-making heritage and completed off with eye-catching gold particulars.
Once I spoke to Marshall at its Stockholm HQ, I used to be advised that the Heston 120 was meant to face alone in a sea of homogenous black bars. And yep, it positively does that. Even the golden plate on high of the soundbar oozes class, with three knurled metallic knobs positioned alongside well-sized preset and sound mode buttons.
LED lights across the knobs additionally point out quantity and EQ ranges in addition to supply, which is a pleasant contact. There’s no show, which some could miss, however as I discussed earlier, the app homes all the data you’ll want.
Let’s return to these metallic dials, although, as a result of they are surely a novel design selection for a soundbar. Firstly, I ought to emphasize that they’re a pleasure to make use of. They’re clean and pleasing to show, with haptic suggestions included for a extra interactive consumer expertise.
However alas… they do carry an issue to the desk. When watching films in a low-lit or darkish room, I discovered that they have been illuminated by the TV and caught some reflections. That is nothing too invasive, after all, you’re not going to be blinded by Marshall’s knobs… however it can be a contact distracting.
It’s additionally price noting that I had the Heston 120 positioned proper below the TV, and the reflectivity will change relying on the hole between the dials on the display, how far the soundbar is from the TV, and the place you are sitting – and in the event you’ve wall-mounted them, that will even change issues.
Talking of a wall mount: you’re going to should buy that individually. You possibly can seize one on Marshall’s web site for $49 / £44 / AU$79 – a good chunk lower than the Sonos Arc Extremely’s mount, notably. I must also point out that the Marshall web site is house to a bunch of substitute elements and a certified restore service, simply in case your Heston ever will get broken.
Earlier than we transfer on, it must be stated – the Heston is a chunky fella. It’s greater than a meter lengthy and weighs in at over 7kg. It is going to be well-suited below a TV sized 55-inches and up – simply be certain your setup has loads of room, or it might be a good squeeze.
Marshall Heston 120 evaluate: setup & usability
- Tremendous simple to put in
- All the things you want is within the Marshall app
- Large number of connectivity choices
In relation to getting setup and able to go, most trendy soundbars are pretty easy, and the Marshall Heston 120 isn’t any totally different. I merely plugged in my energy cable and hooked the included HDMI wire from our testing TV into the eARC slot and I used to be performed. Yep, actually, that’s all it’s essential to do.
In fact, if you wish to actually optimize the Heston 120 on your dwelling house, then it’s well-worth heading over to the Marshall app. One of many first issues I did was make use of the Room Correction characteristic to verify I used to be benefiting from this gorgeous soundbar’s sonic skills.
And as we mentioned earlier, the app has the whole lot a consumer will want, from quantity controls, supply switching, sound mode choice and EQ adjustment. The dearth of a distant, if something, is most welcome for me. I actually just like the simplicity of an all-in-one digital hub.
One of many large wins the Heston will get over its rival, the Sonos Arc Extremely, is that it has an HDMI passthrough port. That’s extremely helpful in the event you’ve already used up your whole TV’s HDMI slots and it was one of many fundamental causes we didn’t charge the Arc Extremely greater than 4 stars in our evaluate.
And simply usually, there actually are so some ways to attach the Heston 120. You get all these built-in music companies like Spotify and Tidal Join, loads of ports, together with HDMI, RCA and USB-C, in addition to Bluetooth connectivity. The one factor that some could miss in the intervening time is a few type of voice-assistant assist. That’s one thing you will get on the Arc Extremely, however truthfully, it’s not a characteristic I sometimes make use of on a soundbar.
- Setup & usability rating: 5/5
Marshall Heston 120 evaluate: worth
- Comes at fairly the fee
- However is class-leading in musicality and provides superior Atmos
- You will get robust multi-box choices at an identical value
Regardless that I’ve raved in regards to the Heston 120 to this point, it must be stated that it is a dear piece of equipment. At $999 / £899 / AU$1,799, it’s properly and actually within the premium tier. It prices the identical as its all-in-one rival, the Sonos Arc Extremely – that’s in the event you’re within the US and Australia. The Heston is £100 cheaper for these of us within the UK, although.
Having stated that, the Heston 120 remains to be priced competitively when you think about a rival just like the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 9 is available in at $400 / £500 extra. On the identical time, although, you would get a extremely competent encompass sound system for the same value. The wonderful Samsung HW-Q990D can usually be discovered now for simply over $1,200 / £1,000 and that comes with twin rear audio system and a separate sub – discuss worth!
Once more, although, as a single field, the Heston 120 actually is up there with the perfect of the perfect. I’ve not heard higher musicality from any soundbar earlier than and as an all-in-one answer, the degrees of bass and expansiveness are significantly spectacular. That’s to not point out the truth that this mannequin packs in primarily each characteristic and connectivity sort that you simply’d hope to see. So sure – it’s expensive – however for good motive.
Ought to I purchase the Marshall Heston 120?
|
Attributes |
Notes |
Score |
|---|---|---|
|
Options |
Tons of connectivity choices, Atmos and DTS:X, nice companion app. |
5/5 |
|
Efficiency |
Booming bass output, glorious Atmos results, best-in-class musicality. |
5/5 |
|
Design |
Beautiful seems, helpful repairability choices, dials can catch reflections. |
4.5/5 |
|
Setup & usability |
Simple setup, app is ideal management hub, tons of connectivity choices. |
5/5 |
|
Worth |
It’s expensive, however comes with a load of helpful options and stellar sound. |
4/5 |
Purchase it if…
Don’t purchase it if…
Marshall Heston 120 evaluate: additionally contemplate
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
Marshall Heston 120 |
Sonos Arc Extremely |
Samsung HW-Q990D |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Value |
$999 / £899 / AU$1,799 |
$999 / £999 / AU$1,799 |
$1,799 / £1,699 / AU$1,995 |
|
Dimensions |
43.3 x 5.7 x 3 inches / 1100 x 145 x 76mm |
2.95 x 46.38 x 4.35 inches / 75 x 1178 x 110.6mm |
Soundbar: 51.3 x 23.4 x 10.9 inches / 1309 x 595 x 277mm; Subwoofer: 8.6 x 16.2 x 16.1 inches / 220 x 413 x 410mm; Rear audio system: 5 x 7.9 x 5.5 inches / 129.5 x 201.3 x 140.4mm |
|
Speaker channels |
5.1.2 |
9.1.4 |
11.1.4 |
|
Connections |
1x HDMI eARC, 1x HDMI in, RCA Stereo, RCA Mono (sub out), USB-C, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.3 |
1x HDMI with eARC, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth |
1x HDMI eARC, 2x HDMI 2.1 in, optical digital audio, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth |
|
Dolby Atmos/DTS:X |
Sure/Sure |
Sure/No |
Sure/Sure |
|
Sub included |
No |
No |
Sure |
|
Rear audio system included |
No |
No |
Sure |
How I examined the Marshall Heston 120
- Examined throughout a week-long interval
- Utilized in our TV testing house at Future Labs
- Each Dolby Atmos and stereo sound examined
When testing the Marshall Heston 120, I had it hooked as much as the unbelievable Panasonic MZ1500 TV by way of HDMI eARC. I additionally used Tidal Join over Wi-Fi and Spotify over Bluetooth when tuning into my favourite tracks.
Throughout testing, the soundbar was positioned in entrance of the TV in our TV testing house at Future Labs. I attempted viewing and listening to an unlimited array of content material throughout an intensive testing interval. This included quite a few films and TV exhibits and songs on our TechRadar testing playlist. For reference, I used the Panasonic DP-UB820 to view Dolby Atmos-enabled 4K UHD Blu-rays.
On high of that, I made in depth use of every listening mode: Film; Music; Voice; and Night time. I additionally dug into further choices on the Marshall app, guaranteeing every characteristic functioned as marketed.
I’ve examined tons of soundbars right here at TechRadar – the whole lot from ultra-cheap choices just like the Hisense HS214 by to pricier fashions just like the Samsung HW-Q800D. I’ve additionally obtained loads of expertise testing different gear, together with the best Bluetooth speakers and best headphones, which helped me to evaluate the caliber of the Heston 120’s musicality.