The Emberton is an opportunity for Marshall to return to the field of portable speakers, and even to try out rugged models. Does the manufacturer’s new recipe work? The answer in this test…
The Marshall Emberton is a rugged portable speaker that gets straight to the point. It is certainly not perfect, but it does the job on the main criteria, which makes it a pleasant model to use and listen to… as long as you don’t ask too much of it. The lack of features could, however, disappoint techies. In a completely different style, and if you have nothing against a slightly larger and heavier speaker, we recommend that you go for the Sony SRS-XB33much more complete and more efficient.
Points forts
- Rich, lively and “punchy” sound.
- Good power reserve.
- Very neat and robust design. Pleasant to hold.
- Ease of use, complete controls, multipoint connection (2 devices).
- Autonomy (20 h).
Weak points
- Restitution of the sound not very subtle and lacking in precision.
- Distortion-limited power utilization.
- No mini jack input.
- No features, just the essentials.
NB: The reported price drop is calculated by comparing the lowest price of the day with the average of the lowest prices charged by all merchants for the product last month, with security rules to exclude prices from shops whose the VAT policy is not clear (known as “grey” shops, typically in the case of imports from China).
An alternative
It certainly does not make a perfect sound copy, but the Sony SRS-XB23 can count on its excellent manufacturing quality and its remarkably balanced audio reproduction to appeal to people looking for a portable speaker that is as versatile as possible. We advise all the same, before any purchase decision, to oppose competitors such as the JBL Flip 5with less deep but better controlled bass… even its own sister, the SRS-XB33certainly larger and a little more expensive, but with a musicality of a completely different caliber.