The Marshall Emberton II is the second generation of the Marshall Emberton and looks very similar to its predecessor. The Emberton II sports Marshall's iconic amp-like design. This small speaker is part of Marshall's portable speaker lineup, along with the smaller Marshall Willen, making it easy to bring your favorite music with you wherever your heart desires. However, unlike the Emberton, it's also compatible with the Marshall Bluetooth app, which you can use to access EQ presets, and you can connect the speaker to other Marshall Emberton II speakers when you want to amplify your audio.
Our Verdict
The Marshall Emberton II is alright for music. It has a balanced sound profile suitable for listening to a wide variety of audio content. Its balanced mid-range ensures vocals and lead instruments sound clear and present in the mix, and there's a bit of extra warmth and boom in the bass range too. It also has a fantastic soundstage that you'll perceive as immersive and spacious-sounding. Unfortunately, like most small speakers, it also lacks low-bass, so you can't feel the deep thump and rumble typically present in bass-heavy music. That said, while there isn't a graphic EQ to let you fully customize its sound to your liking, there are EQ presets you can use to choose a sound you prefer.
- Balanced sound profile.
- EQ presets.
- Fantastic soundstage.
- Lots of compression present at max volume.
- No graphic EQ.
- Lacks low-bass.
The Marshall Emberton II is passable for watching videos and movies. This stereo speaker offers a fantastic soundstage that you'll perceive as immersive and open-sounding. It also has low Bluetooth latency with iOS and Android devices. As a result, the visuals you see on your screen are in sync with the audio you hear from the speaker. Some apps compensate for Bluetooth latency differently, and your experience may vary. Also, like most small speakers, it doesn't get very loud and lacks low-bass, so you can't feel the deep thump and rumble typically present in action-packed scenes like during car crashes or explosions.
- Balanced sound profile.
- Low Bluetooth latency with iOS and Android devices.
- EQ presets.
- Fantastic soundstage.
- Doesn't get very loud.
- Lots of compression present at max volume.
- No graphic EQ.
- Lacks low-bass.
The Marshall Emberton II is good for listening to podcasts. It has a balanced mid-range that ensures voices and dialogue reproduce clearly and accurately in the mix. There's even a 'Voice' preset you can use when listening to vocal-centric content like audiobooks and podcasts. It's small and lightweight, making it incredibly portable, so you can easily move your podcast with you from room to room. Also, it has excellent directivity, so your audio sounds the same when listening from different angles, like when listening from behind the speaker.
- Balanced sound profile.
- Incredibly portable.
- EQ presets.
- Doesn't get very loud.
- No graphic EQ.
The Marshall Emberton II doesn't support voice assistants.
The Marshall Emberton II is good for outdoor use. This portable speaker is rated IP67 for dust and water resistance, meaning it's certified to be dust tight and immersible in up to a meter of water for up to 30 minutes, so you can take it outdoors without worrying about it getting wet. It also offers a long-lasting battery life of around 22 hours from a single charge, making it great for long listening sessions spent outside. That said, like most speakers its size, it isn't loud enough to fill large outdoor spaces. There's also a lot of compression present at max volume that degrades the quality of your audio when the volume is maxed out.
- IP67 rating for dust and water resistance.
- Incredibly portable.
- 22-hour battery life.
- Doesn't get very loud.
- Lots of compression present at max volume.
Changelog
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Updated Oct 23, 2025:
The Controls and Wired sections were updated to mention the Marshall Middleton II.
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Updated Aug 04, 2025:
We've updated the Wired box to include a comparison with the Marshall Kilburn III.
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Updated Mar 26, 2025:
We've edited the Dynamics box to mention the Marshall Tufton as it gets louder with less compression present as maximum volume.
- Updated Apr 05, 2023: Added a market comparison with the Marshall Middleton in the App box.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Marshall Emberton II comes in two color variants, 'Black and Brass' and 'Cream'. This review represents the test results for the 'Black and Brass' variant; you can see its label here. Both variants are expected to perform similarly.
If you come across any other variants, let us know in the discussions, and we'll update our review.
Popular Speaker Comparisons
The Marshall Emberton II is the next generation of the Marshall Emberton. Like its predecessor, it's a small portable speaker designed to look like an amp. However, it's compatible with the Marshall Bluetooth app, which lets you access EQ presets to tweak its sound to your liking. It produces a slightly more extended low-bass. It's also better built with an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance that certifies it to be dust-tight and immersible in up to a meter of water for 30 minutes. However, like most speakers its size, it doesn't get very loud and lacks low-bass, so you can't feel the deep thump and rumble typically present in bass-heavy music like EDM and hip-hop.
See also our recommendations for the best portable Bluetooth speakers, the best Bluetooth speakers for bass, and the loudest Bluetooth speakers.
The Marshall Middleton is a bit better than the Marshall Emberton II. Both are portable Bluetooth speakers with a similar design, though the Middleton is slightly larger. It can reproduce more bass, and you may find its bass and treble adjustments give you more control over its sound than the Emberton II's presets. That said, its battery doesn't last quite as long.
The Marshall Emberton II is a slightly better speaker than the JBL Flip 6 overall. The Marshall can produce a more extended low-bass and can play stereo content without downmixing it to mono. It also offers a wider-sounding soundstage and has a longer-lasting battery life of just over 22 hours. However, the JBL has less compression present at max volume, resulting in cleaner audio when the volume is maxed out. It also features a graphic EQ to tweak its sound to your liking.
The Bose SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen) and the Marshall Emberton II have different strengths but, on balance, the Marshall is the better speaker. The main benefit of the Bose is that it supports your smartphone's voice assistant and is amazing at hearing what you're saying, even when you're far away or in a noisy room. On the other hand, the Marshall has a longer battery life and can play stereo content, so its soundstage feels wider and more immersive. It also gets a little louder than the Bose, albeit at the cost of increased compression.
The Marshall Emberton II is a slightly better speaker than the JBL Charge 5, though they have different strengths. The Marshall is smaller, making it more portable. It offers a wider and more immersive-sounding soundstage that can play stereo content without downmixing it to mono. It has a longer-lasting battery life. It also has lower Bluetooth latency with iOS and Android devices, making it more suitable for watching movies and videos. However, the JBL gets a touch louder than the Marshall, with much less compression present at max volume, so your audio doesn't degrade as much as you turn up the volume. Also, while the Marshall comes with EQ presets to adjust its sound, the JBL has a graphic EQ that gives you more control over the speaker's sound.
Test Results
The Marshall Emberton II is a small, rectangular portable Bluetooth speaker designed to look like an amp. It looks similar to its predecessor, the Marshall Emberton. However, its grille is black, and the logo is brass colored. This review represents the test results for the 'Black and Brass' color variant, but you can also find it in 'Cream'.
The Marshall Emberton II is incredibly portable. Like the Marshall Emberton, you can carry this small, lightweight speaker in one hand, making it easy to bring with you wherever you go. It's battery-powered, so you can take it outdoors without looking for a power outlet.
The Marshall Emberton II is very well-built. It feels sturdy overall, and there are metal grilles to protect the drivers inside. It's rated IP67 for dust and water resistance, meaning it's certified to be dust tight and immersible in up to a meter of water for 30 minutes, so you don't have to worry about it getting a bit wet or accidentally dropping it into a pool of water.
The Marshall Emberton II has a decent selection of easy-to-use controls. It comes with a multi-function button atop it. You can press and hold it to turn it on/off, press once to play/pause, and push left and right to skip tracks or backtrack. You can also press and hold it left and right to fast-forward or rewind your track, and hold it up or down to adjust its volume levels. The speaker emits a chime to let you know once you've reached max volume. There's a Bluetooth button, which you can press and hold to enable pairing mode. It causes the Bluetooth light to blink and then turn solid red once it's paired with your device. The speaker also emits a chime to inform you that it has paired successfully. You can triple-press the Bluetooth button to start or end what Marshall calls a 'Stack Mode'. It lets you connect multiple other Marshall Emberton II speakers when you want to amplify your audio. Like the Marshall Emberton, it also has a battery life indicator on the top-right of the speaker. If you want to take calls or have dedicated Bass and Treble buttons on hand, check out the Marshall Middleton II.
- Marshall Emberton II speaker
- USB-C charging cable
- User manual with legal and safety information
The Marshall Emberton II's frequency response accuracy is alright. It has a balanced sound profile overall, making it suitable for listening to a wide variety of audio content. Its balanced mid-range ensures vocals and lead instruments reproduce accurately and with detail in the mix, making it good for vocal-centric audio content like audiobooks and podcasts. There's also a bit of extra boom and warmth in the bass range that's good for fans of bass-heavy music like EDM and hip-hop. That said, like most speakers its size, it lacks low-bass, so you can't feel the deep thump and rumble typically present in bass-heavy music. While there's no graphic EQ to fully customize its sound profile to your liking, you can still tweak its sound thanks to the presets featured in its companion app.
The Marshall Emberton II's soundstage is fantastic. This stereo speaker offers excellent directivity since it projects sound from its front and rear. As a result, you'll perceive its soundstage as wide and spacious-sounding, and your audio sounds the same when listening from different angles, like when listening from behind the speaker. Also, since it can play stereo content without downmixing it to mono, instruments and sound effects in your audio are localized to a pinpoint location. For example, if you play a song that normally has the drums on the left and the guitar on the right, this speaker emits the drum sounds from the left side of the speaker and the guitar sounds from the right side. Since the speaker is small, it's hard to notice these distinctions when passively listening to music. However, this adds to the immersiveness of the speaker's soundstage.
The Marshall Emberton II has a poor dynamics performance. Like most speakers its size, it doesn't get loud enough to fill larger rooms and spaces, though it still gets loud enough to fill a small bedroom with sound. It also has a lot of compression present at max volume, especially in the bass range, which degrades the quality of your audio as you bump up the volume. As a result, your audio doesn't sound as clean and clear when the volume is maxed out. If you want a speaker from Marshall that gets louder with a bit less compression at max volume, try the Marshall Tufton.
The Marshall Emberton II has a great battery performance. While it's advertised to last over 30 hours from a single 3-hour charge, the speaker lasted a little over 22 hours from a 4.9-hour charge during testing. That said, 22 hours is still fantastic, making it great for longer listening sessions. Battery performance also differs depending on your listening habits and chosen settings. There's also a power-saving mode that shuts the speaker off after almost 20 minutes of inactivity.
Unlike the Marshall Emberton, this speaker is compatible with the Marshall Bluetooth app. The app isn't bad and is compatible with both iOS and Android devices. You can use it to access its EQ presets: 'Marshall' which is its default preset, 'Push' to give the bass and treble a boost, and 'Voice' which boosts the mid-range for vocal-centric audio content like podcasts. If you prefer bass and treble adjustments, you can look at the similarly-designed Marshall Middleton. Both speakers also have a party mode the manufacturer calls 'Stack Mode', which you can use to connect with compatible speakers to amplify sound across larger spaces.
Aside from its charging port, the Marshall Emberton II doesn't have wired inputs. If you regularly use an AUX input, it's worth considering the slightly larger Marshall Middleton II.
The Marshall Emberton II has fantastic Bluetooth connectivity. You can connect two devices to the speaker at once, which is handy when you frequently switch between audio sources. It has fantastic range, so your paired devices remain connected to the speaker from far away. It also has low latency with iOS and Android devices, making it suitable for watching videos since the audio you hear is in sync with the video you see on your screen. Some apps compensate for latency differently, and your real-world experience may differ.