Honey, they shrunk my Marshall
The rock star's favourite amplifier is just about as small as it can get and still shatter windows
MARSHALL – famed for its mighty stage amplifiers – has come out with the Stockwell, its smallest travel speaker to date at a mere 1.2kg and 260mm in height. But this is Marshall, and the roar from this diminutive sound box is intense.
I tested it in my large living room and found the bass a little less powerful than previous Marshall mini-models but still impossible to ignore, and nothing was lost in the music’s clarity.
There are two 2.25-inch woofers powered by a pair of Class D amplifiers, which translates as “really loud”. A brace of passive radiators enhance the bass further. Two 2.25-inch dome tweeters take care of the high range and do it very well.
Maximum output is 27 watts RMS. The frequency range is 50 to 20,000Hz.
Like everything else Marshall makes, the Stockwell looks like a classic guitar amplifier. You have three retractable analogue control knobs for volume, bass and treble.
There’s a 3.5mm stereo input for connecting to a portable music player and a source button for switching between a Bluetooth connection and the stereo source. Another set of buttons is used to link the speaker to your smartphone, turning the Stockwell into the phone’s “really loud” speaker. There’s a button to press once to answer an incoming call and an on/off button to reject it. To end a call, just hit the phone button again.
The rechargeable lithium-ion battery keeps the speaker going for up to 25 hours. If your phone battery taps out, plug its charging cable into the full-size USB port at the back of the Stockwell.
The Stockwell retails for Bt10,990 at the Marshall store on the second floor of Central East Ville, and at I Studio By Copperwired, Gizman, Power Buy, Zoundaholic, Hifi-Lover, Dot Life, Munkong Gadget and Btrend, as well as www.AShop.asia.
Key Specs
- Bluetooth: |Standard V4.0 + EDR
- Frequency range: |50 to 20,000Hz
- Input: 3.55mm
- Mains input voltage: |14 to 17VDC
- Max output: 27W RMS
- Battery playing time: Up to 25 hours at volume setting 5
- Weight: 1.2kg
- Size: 260x140x40mm
