Marshall has done a great job of making the Stanmore II resemble an amp, while at the same time adding a bit of glamour and softness for it to comfortably fit in a living room. The Stanmore II is a mid-size model in the Marshall lineup. It’s a similar size to a Sonos Play:5; big enough to be thought of as your main music source. 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.

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. The Marshall Bluetooth app is free and delivers firmware updates for the speaker. It also allows you to use custom EQ presets or create your own, working in conjunction with the bass and treble knobs on the control panel. In addition, you can use the app to adjust the brightness of the red LEDs, turn audio prompts on or off, and pair the speaker with another Marshall unit to make a stereo pair. Performance

Rock 'n' roll gets sophisticated

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. 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. In short, the Marshall Stanmore II is a clever piece of design. It’s eye-catching, yet it will fit in with most choices of decor without looking out-of-place — although you definitely know it’s a speaker. You’ll have to accept this, as to get the most from the Stanmore II Voice, it has to be able to hear you, so hiding it away is not really an option. Not that the Stanmore II is small enough to be hidden away anyway. Size aside, we like the speaker’s brass look, the illuminated controls, and the sturdiness. It looks and sounds every inch of a quality piece of audio equipment. Sound 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.

Sensitive ears may find the harsh treble frequencies cause fatigue, but this can be rectified by adjusting the treble and bass dials on the top of the speakers.None of this is criticism. However, a Marshall amp in a living room has a tendency to make a flat or house look “studenty”. A Marshall Stanmore II won’t. You could even attach a guitar amp modeller pedal and use the Stanmore II as a low volume guitar practice amp. Wired connections in wireless speakers are, thankfully, fairly common – but here they’re unusually prominent. And the button that switches between them is right there up-top. Also included on this unit is a handle, something that I wish was part of every speaker for the purposes of portability. Despite being a Bluetooth speaker, the Marshall Stanmore II actually needs to be plugged-in to function. To look at it you may think, “of course it needs mains power, look how big it is”. However, the Harman Kardon Go + Play 2 is a similar-ish size but can run for up to eight hours off a charge. 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.

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. Having bass and treble controls is one of Marshall’s calling cards when it comes to its speakers, and it’s a lovely touch, especially if you like being able to control exactly the way your music sounds. The Marshall Stanmore II has two jobs: it needs to sound decent, and to look like a direct descendant of a Marshall guitar amplifier.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. Synonymous with the classic Marshall branding, the central positioning of the brand logo, the brushed gold plate that holds the knobs, the chunky knobs themselves, and the leather effect vinyl that covers the Stanmore II’s entire outer feel familiar. That being said, if it’s all about that bass for you, then you will likely be very happy indeed with the audio quality of the speaker, and it’s perfect for listening to hip-hop and other bass-heavy genres. The bass frequencies are pretty good, with a warm, generous sound, but it’s in the sub bass that the Stanmore II shines, sending out powerful, thumpy vibrations you can feel in your chest.