Marshall Stanmore II Wireless Bluetooth Speaker - Black (UK)

Product Information

It’s a fairly large Bluetooth speaker that perfectly at home being cranked up loud. It has oodles of Marshall style and fairly good audio quality, too. However, since it doesn’t rely on Wi-Fi like its pricier sibling, the Stanmore II Voice, this version is just begging for an integrated battery like the Harman Kardon Go + Play 2. Fast-forward some 50 years and the bass thud of Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes thrummed as well as I hoped it would. The rose-gold accents really lend the design of this speaker a sense of sophistication, and are carried through the bottom panel, Marshall logo, and the controls on the top of the casing.

To polish off the Marshall look, there’s some brass plating, nice LED lighting (around the volume, bass and treble controls and at the front of the device), and twiddly knobs that are made out of rubber and metal, which is a change to the brass ones that the original Stanmore used. Replete with Tolex-style finishes and Marshall’s iconic brass control knobs and script logo, the third-generation models have a PVC-free build, with the company claiming each speaker is manufactured from 70% recycled plastic and fully vegan materials. However, place the Stanmore II side-by-side with a classic Marshall head and you’ll notice that the finer points of their visual impact are completely different. In a good way. There’s no hiding that the Stanmore II falls behind top performers such as the Sonos One and Harman Kardon Go + Play in certain areas, though. Bass control, dynamics and separation are just okay.The Marshall Stanmore II Voice has a bold, brazen sound that fills the room when turned up, but not at the detriment to the audio quality. Bass may be thunderous, hitting with a thud when a song allows it, but there is still enough room in the mids and trebles for a song to breathe. If you are particularly susceptible to fatigue as a result of treble frequencies, you can turn the treble dial down to soften the sound, which should take the edge off. It sounds its best when played fairly loud, but doesn’t quite have the separation and dynamics of the very top performers. The same criticism can be levelled at Marshall’s other speakers, too. The speaker is covered in Marshall’s signature textured vinyl, the grille over the front is a mottled grey, and the logo and base plate are brass-colored, which looks really fantastic. The Marshall Kilburn IIlooks like a toy when put alongside, in terms of both size and materials. The Stanmore is heavy at 10.5 pounds (4.75kg), and the footprint is sizeable, so you need a decent surface to place it on. Make sure you set aside a strong shelf for the Stanmore II Voice if you want one. Once it’s there, it’ll stay, as it does not have a battery for portable use. At first the upper-mids and treble can sound a little unrefined, but I found my ears grew accustomed to the tone within an hour or so. If yours don’t, you can just tame the treble a little with either the treble knob up-top, or through the app.

The Marshall Stanmore II Voice has a bold, brazen sound that fills the room when turned up, but not at the detriment to the audio quality.The Marshall Stanmore II has two jobs: it needs to sound decent, and to look like a direct descendant of a Marshall guitar amplifier. Clattering synths and tactile percussion come through with sharpness and clarity - although, at times the higher frequencies can be slightly harsh, which can cause ear fatigue after a while. Just as the Stanmore II doesn’t use any particularly interesting or advanced tech in its actual speaker drivers, the sound is an effective but somewhat blunt instrument. All in all, if you’re looking for a great party speaker with the ability to control your smart home, the Stanmore II Voice could be your new best friend. Vocal-driven, pop-heavy songs such as Iz*One’s La Vie en Rose sparkle too, due to being able to manually adjust the bass and treble on the speaker or by voice. Such easy, on-the-go tweaking of the sound makes a difference if you have varied tastes. We wanted to hear the group sing, more than the bass here, for example.

The Marshall Stanmore III is a mid-size speaker, for powerful sound that doesn't take over the room. (Image credit: Marshall)The Marshall Stanmore II is just like the Stanmore II Voice, without the Wi-Fi and smart-assistant features. To get a portable model you have to downgrade to the Marshall Kilburn II. It’s significantly smaller and has smaller-scale sound. Marshall does give a nod to those with older tech that they may want to plug-in, including a 3.5mm aux input on the top, and a stereo RCA phono pair on its rear – handy for plugging in a record player.