The little speaker that thundered

Marshall – maker of the iconic stage amplifier beloved of so many of history’s greatest rock guitarists – continues to rock on with its latest release, the Marshall Action. It’s the firm’s most compact Bluetooth speaker to date.

Like its elder brother, the Marshall Stanmore, the Action resembles the classic stage amplifier with a black, leather-like vinyl body, the “vintage” fret-grille cover emblazoned with the Marshall in script, and the similarly “classic” brass plate up top. A version with the body in cream colour is also available.

The top plate has the power switch and knobs for volume, bass and treble that will jar happy memories for any old-school guitar wizard. Marshall has recreated the look of these on the Action with affectionate nostalgia in mind.

This is no stage amp, though. It’s only 265x160x150mm and weighs just three kilograms. 

This is a speaker you can easily carry around with you – though you need to find a wall plug since it has no battery.

The Action puts out 41 watts RMS. That’s 25watts from the woofer and eight watts apiece from two tweeters. The four-inch woofer and pair of three-quarter-inch dome tweeters generate rich sound across the spectrum of frequency response, from 50-22,000Hz. There is also a port at the back for enhancing the bass, so the Action is capable of reproducing deep and powerful bass throughout the midrange and into the highs.

For the Bluetooth connection, Action supports Bluetooth Version 4 with EDR (enhanced data rate) technology.

Also on the brass control pane is a 3.5mm stereo jack to augment your Bluetooth connection. The source-selector button is near the power switch. LED lights show whether you’re in Bluetooth or 3.5mm input mode. The Bluetooth pairing button is below the source selector.

Adding to the classic feel of the speaker is a coiled, double-ended stereo cable with 3.5mm plugs on each end. It looks just like a classic guitar cord. Use this to link the speaker to your smartphone or an MP3 player and play music.

The volume knob “only goes up to 10” – no cranking it up to 11 like the fictitious (but entirely believable) mock-rock band Spinal Tap, which had its Marshall amps customised for maximum noise. But the sound out of the Action is amazingly loud.

During my test I only had the volume set to five and the music easily filled my spacious living room. The bass and treble knobs were only at mid-level too, and yet there was plenty of thunder and clarity.

I Bluetooth-linked the Action to an iPad (first edition) and used plugged the cable into my Motorola Razr Maxx phone. The musical tone and especially the bass were truly impressive. At higher volume you could feel the floor trembling.

With such depth in the details, I spent a great few hours listening to old-school rock. AC/DC’s latest album, “Rock or Bust”, had the bass drum and bass guitar churning away while the lead guitar screeched enjoyably the way God intended it.

Ash Asia (http://th-th.ashop.asia) sells the Marshall Action for Bt11,990 and it’s also available at iStudio and Gizzman.

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