Marshall Stanmore III Bluetooth Speaker Looks Like a Guitar Amp, is Cool for Everyday Rooms

Marshall designed the Stanmore III, priced at $249.99 (was $400), to capture the look and feel of its famous amplifiers while giving people a straightforward way to fill a room with music. The result sits in that sweet spot between lifestyle speaker and serious audio hardware, and it earns plenty of praise as one of the stronger home Bluetooth options available. A cloth grille stretches across the front with the gold Marshall script logo front and center. Leatherette sides and top give it a durable, premium texture that feels good to the touch. Brass-finished knobs and switches on the upper panel complete the vintage amplifier impression without looking like a costume piece.

Listeners keep returning to the top-mounted controls because they work so well. A large volume knob sits between the bass and treble dials, each having clear markings and a comfortable weight. A button to switch between Bluetooth and wired inputs is right there in the mix, as are extra playback buttons for pause, skip, and connection, making things refreshingly clear. In terms of what’s going on within the boxy cabinet, a five-inch woofer handles the low end with the help of a rear bass reflex vent, while two smaller tweeters are directed outwards to expand the stereo image significantly over the previous Stanmore model. You have three class-D amplifiers that generate 80 watts of power, cover frequencies from 45 Hz to 20 kHz, and reach a peak of 97 dB at one meter.

The sound is full-bodied and robust, but not in a neutral way. The bass can really dig in and stay rather tight even when the thing is burning away. The mids are clear enough to pick out the singers and guitars, while the treble adds just enough brightness to keep things interesting. This tuning is especially handy for rock and metal, but the actual tone knobs allow you to tune down or amplify the desired bits as much or as little as you need, whether they are pop, techno, jazz, or classical.

Bluetooth 5.2 can easily manage wireless connections up to 30 feet away. Phones, PCs, tablets, and other devices pair fast and consistently. If you don’t require the sophisticated wifi or are working with older equipment, the rear panel includes dual RCA inputs and a 3.5 mm auxiliary connector for connecting. Most of the time, you can just plug it into a turntable, computer, or mixer with no problems.

Marshall’s phone app allows you to change the sound based on how it’s configured, including location compensation to help the sound out when it’s on a shelf, against a wall, or out in the open, as well as firmware upgrades. The physical knobs control the majority of the settings, so you won’t need the app.

The Stanmore III is 35 cm wide, 20.3 cm tall, and 18.8 cm deep. It’s large enough to be noticeable on your credenza or lowboard, but not so big that it’s difficult to handle, and its weight of 4 and a quarter kilograms makes it appear quite substantial once placed. Some rubber is placed on the bottom to protect the area it is sitting on and prevent it from sliding around.