Usually when the Bluetooth speaker is small, the user expectation is not that high. But my experience is that there are some exceptions to this, some really small speakers that can blow you away with the quality of its audio output. The past few days I added the Marshall Emberton III to the list.
The Marshall Emberton III is a small speaker, not much larger than the smallest box of Ferrero Rocher that will flood Indian households this Dilwali. It has a faux leather finish with a gold Marshall insignia up front on the speaker mesh. The speaker mesh is full on the rear too suggesting that this speaker offers more than just front-facing audio. On top there is a gold toggle button to adjust volume and skips songs. On the right is a red LED strip that tells you when the speaker is on and also indicates the battery level. There are separate power and pairing buttons.
If it is a speaker you can grip in your hands, the experience is usually more personal. These are ideally speakers you keep near you. But the Marshall Emberton III can fill the room when you turn it on and it is also stereophonic with audio objects finding the ability to place themselves around the room. You can use the Marshall app to switch between EQ presets — Marshall signature sound, Push for extra bass and Voice for more midrange clarity.
With Christopher Tin’s Waloyo Yamoni, you get the full effect of the Marshall signature sound preset as it gives a good indication of the capabilities of this speaker, flowing from the highs to the lows with volume variations that almost give you the feel of wind blowing through the house. At no point do you feel the speakers are stressed because of the chorus with intermittent highs.
The battery lasts over 30 hours on a full charge. (Image Credit: Nandagopal Rajan/The Indian Express)
On the other end of the spectrum, Amrit Ramnath’s Samiran made me love the voice preset as much for the tuning of the speaker as for his ethereal voice. Ali Sethi’s vocals cut through the early autumn calm as the speaker switched to Ranjish Hi Sahi, the instruments taking the backstage wonderfully well, with layered spaces between each of them.
The bass heavy preset was not something I really enjoyed, mostly because of my personal preference. Also, with the Marshall Emberton III I thought bass is something it does not have to do that well. It is a well-balanced speaker with a good bass level that does not need further pushing. Yes, for those who love the balmy effect of lows on everything they listen to, this mode might be an option.
The battery lasts over 30 hours on a full charge. And you can also make calls with the speaker which has an inbuilt microphone, but I would not like my calls to be public entertainment. And despite the leather like finish, the Marshall Emberton III is dust and waterproof, which is great considering this is a very portable device you would like to pack for your next camping trip.
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At Rs 17,999, the Marshall Emberton III is a great speaker for those who love their music without much tampering. This one will look good on your living room mantelpiece as well as by your tent in the Himalayas. For me, it is a no-brainer to recommend this one.
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