A Legendary Hi-Fi Company Just Breathed New Life Into Its Older Speakers

Marshall is obviously best known for its iconic guitar amplifiers. So much so that, in recent years, it has released a wide range of Bluetooth speakers designed with the same classic rock aesthetic: black vinyl and gold accents, woven grilles, tactile knobs and switches, and Marshall’s signature logo positioned front and center.

Now, the legendary British audio maker has introduced a new hub — the Heddon — that adds streaming capabilities to its existing Bluetooth speakers, making them more versatile than ever.

Marshall

A multi-room, Bluetooth streamer

Marshall’s Heddon is a wireless streaming hub designed for people with multiple Marshall speakers in their homes, as it allows them to group their speakers into a multi-room audio system — a la Sonos. It also brings new Wi-Fi streaming capabilities to these Bluetooth-only speakers, too.

Marshall

Here’s how the Heddon works. It plugs into power and connects to your home’s Wi-Fi network, so you can stream audio over Wi-Fi to the hub. It supports leading streaming services including Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Google Cast and AirPlay. Basically, it makes streaming a little bit easier than over Bluetooth.

The Heddon then broadcasts that audio to Marshall’s home speakers via Auracast, a new audio-sharing technology that works over Bluetooth. You can group several Marshall home speakers together using the companion app. This way, they’re also synced and playing music throughout your home.

Marshall

The compatible speakers

But before you get too excited, there is a catch. The Heddon is only works wirelessly with the brand’s latest third-generation Bluetooth home speakers: the Acton III ($300), Stanmore III ($400) and Woburn III ($600).

(Note: Marshall rolled out a firmware update to all three speakers, giving them support for Auracast.)

Marshall

If you have an older-generation Marshall speaker, you’re not totally out of luck. The Heddon has one set of RCA outputs, so you can hook up one older Marshall speaker using a wired connection and have it play in tune with the larger multi-room system.

Older-generation speakers that work with this wired connection include previous Acton, Stanmore, and Woburn models, as well as Kilburn, Stockwell and Tufton. The Heddon is not compatible with Marshall’s smallest portable speakers, the Emberton and Willen.

Marshall

Turntable integration

The other cool thing about the Heddon is that it also has a set of RCA inputs, which are specifically designed for connecting a turntable (must have a built-in phono preamp). This way, you can stream your vinyl records around your house, as well.

According to Marshall, the Heddon “bridges analogue and digital listening, bringing the warmth and richness of vinyl into a connected, multi-speaker environment.”

Marshall

Price and availability

Naturally, you have to be really invested in Marshall’s home speakers for the Heddon to make sense. And even for those that are, it won’t come cheap.

Marshall’s Heddon costs $300 and comes in one black finish. It’s available now.

For those in the market for any of Marshall’s third-generation home speakers — the Acton III , Stanmore III and Woburn III — when you purchase one from Marshall, you can pick up the Heddon for half off.

If you buy two (or more) of those speakers, Marshall will throw in the Heddon for free.

Marshall

Marshall Heddon

• $300 at Marshall

Want to stay up to date on the latest product news and releases? Add Gear Patrol as a preferred source to ensure our independent journalism makes it to the top of your Google search results.

Related Topics