Marshall Heston 120 sound bar review
Hands on with Marshall's flagship sound bar
Marshall has been an iconic guitar amp brand for over 60 years, and now they're bringing that experience to TV sound with their high-performance Heston lineup.
The Heston 120 is their most powerful model, a hard-rocking Dolby Atmos bar that delivers expansive home theater sound with 11 built-in speakers. This includes side- and up-firing drivers for a wide soundstage and immersive overhead effects. Plus, an array of built-in woofers and mid woofers produce solid bass without a separate subwoofer.
Marshall's flagship Dolby Atmos bar gives you big, immersive home theater sound.
I got to spend some quality time with a sample of this sound bar before release. Read on for my thoughts.
My listening impressions
I come from a family full of musicians, so I was curious to see what Marshall had in store for me. My folks gifted me one of their guitar amps in my 20s to pluck on my acoustic electric. While I never ended up being particularly great at guitar (the family gene skipped me, I'm afraid), there was a surprising sense of nostalgia as I unpacked the Heston 120. The grille and logo instantly reminded me of my old amp.
I plugged into an AC outlet, connected the HDMI cable included in the box, and then painlessly blew through the room calibration using the Marshall app on my phone. I found myself smiling during the room calibration, certainly a first for me, as the correction tones were all styled off the sounds of an electric guitar. What a cool touch!
With everything set up in matter of minutes, I was more than ready to go.
The Heston's sharp looks and onboard controls are inspired by Marshall's storied guitar amps.
A riddle of steel and bass
I started with one of my favorite movies of all time: Conan the Barbarian. I was immediately greeted with deep, resonating drums as Conan's father pounded red hot metal into the shape of a sword. I didn't have much time to ponder the secrets of steel before Basil Poledouris's epic track "Riders of Doom" thundered its way into the room, sweeping me into the drama of a village under attack. The soundtrack then eased its way into a heavy, trudging rhythm as I watched Conan grow to manhood while slowly driving the wheel of pain.
I've seen this movie hundreds of times and have popped it on just to watch that intro on many occasions. The music is doing most of the heavy lifting in those scenes and the Marshall 120 perfectly captured the grandeur of that classic soundtrack with crisp detail and way deeper bass impact than I expected. It was able to breathe new life and energy into an experience that could've easily been "ho-hum, here we go again."
Magic big and small
I sat down the next day to watch an episode of Frieren: Beyond Journey's End with my daughter. She's been getting more into Japanese animation as she's gotten older and I'm always looking to sneak in shows that mix deeper storytelling with the high-flying action the genre is known for. This made Frieren a great test for the Heston 120, because it balances quiet moments of dialogue and self-reflection with chaotic magic duels filled with lightning, fire, and explosions a'plenty.
As we watched, I had no trouble with the dialogue at all, even though the protagonist's voice is fairly soft and intentionally a little monotone. She's an immortal elf struggling to understand human emotion and mortality, after all. But at no point was I straining. And at the same time I was able to make out gentle environmental sounds in the background like wind rustling through the trees. This clarity persisted during the aforementioned battles, too. I could hear every word of Frieren calmly instructing her magical apprentice amidst a hail of sizzling and crashing spells.
Tactical stealth action
If you want to check out just how well your equipment handles spatial audio, there's no better place to start than a video game with solid sound design. I'm a huge fan of the Metal Gear series, so having the Heston 120 around was a perfect excuse to pick up Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater. Stealth is the name of the game, and you need more than your eyes to stay hidden. As I crawled on my belly through the dirt, I could clearly make out the light footfalls of a patrolling guard around the corner and the shuffle of their gear. Off to the side, I could also hear the slither of a python rustling in the grass.
I like to get up close and personal, but don't like getting hit in the process, so I tossed a smoke grenade. The sound was crisp and detailed, from the sharp tick of the pin being pulled to the pat-pat of the grenade landing then bouncing at the guard's feet. From around the corner, I could hear the hiss of smoke filling the air, then the guard's coughing. That was my cue. I rushed into the smoke and with a whoosh and a thud, the guard was taking an unexpected nap.
Cassius, it's over (too soon)
At the end of a test ride, I like to take a sound bar and set it up in our break room at work. It's a large space with plenty of noise coming from the call center floor, so it's a good challenge for a bar's output. It also gives other Crutchfield folks a chance to get some hands-on time. I was in the mood for some late 2000s British alternative, so I paired up the Bluetooth, pulled up my Qobuz account, and started up Antidotes — the banging debut album of The Foals.
Few songs get me moving like the popping drumbeat and slow building intensity of "Red Socks Pugie" or the unrelenting upbeat energy and snappy trumpet blows of "Cassius." The Heston 120 captured both perfectly and filled up the break room with ease, pulling in curious Advisors like flowers draw bees. I doubt they expected to find me dancing away in there, but what other response is there to rich, clean audio?
I was having so much fun I almost didn't want to finish up my review. But all good things must come to an end, they say.
Details
- 11 speakers, including side- and up-firing drivers for a wide, tall soundstage
- room correction optimizes the sound for your unique space
- built-in woofers for solid bass — option to add a powered sub via mono RCA out
- dedicated center channel for clear dialogue + optional voice-boosting mode
- music: Bluetooth, Apple AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, TIDAL Connect, and more
- design is inspired by classic Marshall guitar amps
- add bigger bass wirelessly with optional Heston Sub 200
- setup and room calibration requires Marshall mobile app
- keyhole slots for wall-mounting; no bracket included
- warranty: 1 year
Questions? Contact us!
Still have a few lingering questions about the Heston 120? Or want to know how it stacks up to our other sound bars? Don’t hesitate to get in touch with one of our friendly Advisors. They'll make sure to point you in the right direction.
Free lifetime tech support is included with your Crutchfield purchase.
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