Marshall is best known for its guitar amps and guitar gear, and they’ve been around for a very long time. But a number of years ago, the company jumped into the consumer audio space, and its Marshall Emberton III is a good example of how far they’ve come. The first Emberton has been my favorite small Bluetooth speaker since I reviewed it back in 2021, we still use it. Now, the Marshall Emberton III is here in 2025, and it has some very nice upgrades, well worth an upgrade over the first generation.
Estimated reading time: 9 minutes
When Marshall first jumped into the consumer audio space, I knew they would be a hit. The company made the wise decision to base a lot of their aesthetic design on its iconic guitar amps and gear. They’ve continued on this path with some minor, but excellent, changes. Let’s jump into the full review of the Marshall Emberton III.
The Quick Take
The Marshall Emberton III is now my favorite small Bluetooth speaker, as it brings some very nice upgrades to the table over the first generation. I highly recommend this speaker to just about anyone, here is the score and the bottom line.
Score and Bottom Line
Marshall Emberton III
$169.99
Nailed it
- Design is mostly the same as the first generation with some nice refinements that pay homage to Marshall’s heritage
- Easy to use and setup, can be used with the app or without
- Still has outstanding sound
- Battery life is fantastic and improved by 12 hours over the first generation
- Better water and dust protection
- Value is 100% here and the sale price is the same price as the regular price of the first generation
Needs work
- ZERO complaints about this speaker
Overall, the Marshall Emberton III is truly one (the best, IMO) of the best small Bluetooth speakers on the market. Its price point is doable by most, and it offers fantastic sound, dust protection, waterproof protection, portability, and 360 sound which makes this a phenomenal value that you’d be a fool to pass up.
Specifications
The Marshall Emberton III has the following features and specifications:
- Frequency Response: 60Hz – 20kHz
- Driver Type: Dynamic
- Driver Size: Two 2″ 10W full-range with two passive radiators
- Stereo/Mono: Stereo
- Max Sound Pressure Level: 90 dB SPL @ 1 m
- Cabinet Principal: Sealed with passive radiator
- Power Amplifiers: Two 10W Class D Amps
- Battery:
- 32+ hours of playtime
- 2-hours to full recharge
- 20-minutes charging gives 6-hours of playtime
- Bluetooth Range: 10m / 30ft
- Bluetooth Technology: Bluetooth 5.3 LE
- Dimensions: 160 x 68 x 76.9 mm / 6.3 x 2.7 x 3 in
- Weight: 0.67 kg / 1.5lbs
- Water Resistance: IP67 Dust and Waterproof
What’s In The Box
- Marshall Emberton III
- User Manual and legal/safety information
- USB-C charging cable
Design
Marshall amp designs are iconic. If you’re a musician, you know what Marshall amps look like, and you know how their look helps set the stage for the show to come. Marshall stacks have contributed to many major bands lore from the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s.
As before, that same design language translates over to the company’s line of Bluetooth speakers, including the Marshall Emberton III. The whole speaker is not even as long as the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, and it’s only about a third of the height. Basically, it’s small.
The Marshall logo is prominently displayed on the front grill, and my unit has the classic gold color to the logo. The bottom only has a soft rubber foot that keeps the speaker planted on most surfaces. On the back, you’ll find more of the same grill material that’s on the front in the same black mesh material.
The left side has a small logo that says Established 1962, while the right has the USB-C port for charging and a lanyard mounting point. The top of the Marshall Emberton is where the bulk of buttons and lights are located.
At the top are the Bluetooth pairing button and an LED battery light bar that shows how much battery there is. In the center is a gold knob that controls the volume/track movement, and the power button is up here as well.
The entire Marshall Emberton III is covered in a material that is similar to actual guitar amps. It has the same sort of texture which gives it the classy Marshall look. The first generation was IPX7 and this generation ups that to IP67 waterproof and dust resistance. That’s a huge upgrade.
Overall, the design is everything we’ve come to expect from Marshall. It’s attractive, rugged, well-built, and feels premium throughout. The Marshall Emberton III brings numerous great improvements in design, including a lanyard mount and IP67. The other bits really didn’t need any improving.
Ease of Use and Setup
Setting up the Marshall Emberton III is simple, especially if you have no intention of using the app. For this, you just need to fully charge it first, then turn it on, and it should already be in Bluetooth pairing mode. Open your Bluetooth settings on your phone, I used my Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. Find Marshall Emberton III and connect. That’s it.
If you want to use the app, and I suggest you do so, you can get firmware updates for the speaker, there are a few more steps, but it’s easy. Once your battery is all charged, download the Marshall Bluetooth app for Android or iOS. Turn on your speaker and open the app. Once you get through a few prompts, the app will ask if you want to set up a new device, click that and the Emberton III will show up.
Click the Emberton III and the app will send you to Bluetooth settings to accept pairing. Once that is done, you get sent back to the app to finish pairing. That is it.
Using the app is simple as well. The app is essential for firmware updates, but you have access to a few EQ presets and a few informational bits and pieces. There is also a battery preservation setting to help keep your battery healthy. I would say that I wish there was a custom EQ, but I love the default Marshall EQ that I don’t need one.
Overall, setting the Marshall Emberton III speaker up and using it, is straightforward. I recommend using the app, but you don’t have to.
Sound
The Marshall Emberton III features more bass than its predecessor. Dynamic Loudness adjusts the tonal balance as you change the volume. It’s just a massive sound from such a tiny little speaker, and there is ZERO break up or cracking. These drivers can take a beating!
This feature is available exclusively on Marshall products, True Stereophonic sound is a unique form of multi-directional sound. This is absolute 360° sound, and it really works well. No matter how the speaker is positioned, you can hear the sound clearly and loud.
Like the first generation speaker, the Marshall Emberton III soundstage is balanced well, and it seems Marshall was shooting for an accurate representation of the artist’s mix. Music that has prominent bass produces the bass as it should sound.
The mids and highs all sound good, everything is well-balanced, and the drivers are strong enough to handle the volume being up to the max, though I never go past 60% on any speaker. Overall, this is a banging little speaker. The Marshall Emberton III is a little monster ready to attack your ears with glorious 360 sound! It’s fantastic!
Battery Life
The Marshall Emberton III claims an insane 32+ hours of battery life. I didn’t run this speaker for 32 plus hours straight, but I can say that I’ve run it a few hours a day for a few weeks and still have yet to plug it into recharge. I did the same with the first generation, and it really took a long time to have to recharge it. So I know that 32 hours of battery is effortless to get to.
Volume and Bluetooth connectivity does affect battery life, so keep that in mind. One of the best things about the first generation was its battery life. The Emberton III almost DOUBLES the battery life of the first generation, that is FREAKING amazing!
The Emberton also features USB-C and Quick Charging. It recharges in 2-hours, and if you’re in a rush, you can get 6-hours of playback with only 20-minutes of charging. These numbers are also a big improvement over the first generation. Marshall really made some massive improvements in battery life, impressive is only one of many words to describe the battery life.
Price/Value
The retail price of the Marshall Emberton III is slightly more than the first generation, but it is often on sale and that brings the price down to the first generation or cheaper. Either way, the price is well worth what you get. The value is 100% here and this is a speaker everyone should consider buying.
Wrap Up
Overall, the Marshall Emberton III is truly one (the best, IMO) of the best small Bluetooth speakers on the market. Its price point is doable by most, and it offers fantastic sound, dust protection, waterproof protection, portability, and 360 sound which makes this a phenomenal value that you’d be a fool to pass up.
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