The Marshall Emberton III is back for its third generation, arriving with a longer battery life, better Bluetooth connectivity, and improved sound performance. It looks like a tempting upgrade on paper, but at $160 and with so many strong options already on the market, does it have enough in the locker to compete? Let’s find out.
Design & Build Quality
Design is something Marshall knows a thing or two about, and for the most part the Emberton III is almost identical to the Emberton II in appearance. It keeps all the hallmarks of Marshall’s iconic design that help it stand out from the competition, while still bringing through that classic Marshall heritage. It’s also nice and compact, which makes it a great choice for chucking in your rucksack and taking on the go.
Available in either classic black or cream, the Emberton III still has that tough rubber outside and a sturdy metal grille. The metal grille is a bit more sunken in now, which looks pretty cool, though the logo on the front feels a touch less premium. It’s not something you’d notice on its own, but comparing the new and old models side by side makes the difference clear.
There’s also a new slot for a carry strap, which is a nice addition, although Marshall doesn’t actually include a strap in the box. It’s a bit of an odd choice, but it does leave room to get creative if you want one. The only other changes from the previous generation are a new dedicated power button and a mic indicator light on the control panel. Everything else stays familiar, including the Bluetooth button, battery life LED indicator, and the brass control knob that handles play, pause, skip track, rewind, and volume. That new power button just adds a bit of extra usability and makes things less fiddly overall.
The Emberton III also carries an IP67 rating, meaning it’s waterproof and safe to take to the beach or the pool without a second thought.
Durability Test
As always, we don’t just take our own word for it when it comes to durability. We put the Emberton III through a proper test, starting with a drop test on concrete pavement. The result: no damage whatsoever. Aside from a little dirt and debris that brushed straight off the rubber, there wasn’t a single mark on the unit.
It wouldn’t be a true durability test without a dunk in water, and once again there were no surprises. The Emberton III held up perfectly well and powered straight back on afterward, working exactly as it should. It’s the kind of result that gives you complete confidence taking this speaker out and about.
Battery Life & Charging
The Emberton II already excelled when it came to long lasting battery performance, offering 30 hours of playback on a single charge. The Emberton III takes things a step further, offering an even bigger 32 hours from just two hours of charging. It’s not a huge leap, but even a small improvement on an already impressive battery life is welcome. During testing, after a fair few hours of use, battery drain was only around 20 percent, in line with Marshall’s expected figures. Naturally, volume levels will affect these numbers, but compared to competitors like the JBL Charge 5 and its 30 hour battery life, the Emberton III still comes out on top.
There’s also a fast charge feature, with 20 minutes of charging giving roughly six hours of playback if you’re ever running low. On top of that, the Marshall Bluetooth app includes a handy feature to help preserve battery health over time. Since lithium ion batteries naturally degrade, you can choose to stop charging at 95 percent, avoid charging in extreme temperatures, or slow down the charging speed altogether.
Features & Connectivity
New for this generation, Marshall has added a built in microphone, allowing the Emberton III to double as a speakerphone. It’s a feature a lot of people will look for in a portable speaker, and it performs surprisingly well, picking up voices from around a meter away. It’s not quite on the level of a smartphone microphone and does pick up a bit more background noise, but it’s a solid bit of added functionality, especially for anyone using it in a home office setup.
On the connectivity side, the Emberton III runs Bluetooth 5.3, with Marshall stating a range of around 100 meters, which lines up closely with what we experienced during testing. Bluetooth Low Energy is also on board, offering a more stable connection while helping reduce power usage, which contributes to that improved battery life.
Marshall is also replacing its old Stack Mode with Auracast for simultaneous device linking. This feature won’t be available at launch, but it’s expected to arrive through an over the air update to the Marshall Bluetooth app soon. Once live, it will also enable a share audio feature, letting you broadcast music to other Marshall speakers that support Auracast for an even bigger combined sound.
Right now, the Willen II and the Emberton III are the only Marshall speakers that support this, though that list should grow as new models arrive. Pairing the Emberton III with an Emberton II currently isn’t possible, and based on how other Auracast enabled speakers behave, that kind of cross generation pairing likely won’t be supported going forward.
Sound Performance
Just like its predecessor, the Emberton III is a stereo speaker with the same dual 2 inch, 10 watt full range drivers and a pair of passive radiators. What’s changed is the amplification, now powered by two 38 watt class D amplifiers, a solid step up from the 10 watt amps used previously. The result should be more bass and a fuller overall sound profile.
True stereophonic sound also makes a return, Marshall’s own take on multidirectional audio, designed to create a more immersive 360 degree listening experience. There’s a new addition too, called Dynamic Loudness, which automatically adjusts the tonal balance as you change the volume, aiming to keep sound quality consistent no matter how loud you’re listening.
In practice, the first thing that stands out is just how loud this speaker can get. Marshall speakers are known for a warm, balanced sound signature, and while that’s still true here, the Emberton III really shines once the volume is pushed up. Most testing was done around 50 to 60 percent volume, which is likely where most people will do their day to day listening, but for those who like it loud, the amount of power packed into such a small unit is genuinely impressive.
Vocals stay crisp and clear even at higher volumes, cutting through the instrumentals with ease, and the bass is a noticeable step up from the Emberton II. It’s punchier, tighter, and adds a welcome sense of depth. It doesn’t quite have the rumble you’d get from something like the JBL Flip 6, but the bass feels cleaner and tighter overall, and it keeps improving as you turn the volume up without any signs of clipping. The true stereophonic sound stage also adds to the immersive feel, offering more impressive directionality than most mono speakers in this category, particularly on tracks with a wide stereo mix.
App Functionality
The one real gripe with the Emberton III comes down to sound personalization through the Marshall Bluetooth app. The app itself has a responsive, clean interface and covers all the essentials, but there’s no full EQ to adjust. Instead, you get three presets: Push, Voice, and Marshall. Push boosts the bass and treble, Voice enhances vocals and mid range, but each tends to come at the expense of the other. In our experience, this speaker sounds best straight out of the box, and you’re better off sticking with the standard Marshall mode.
Pros and Cons
Final Verdict
The Emberton III follows a similar blueprint to its predecessor, and that’s largely a good thing. It excels in battery life and remains a strong choice for anyone who values both style and sound performance in equal measure. The improvements to battery, usability, and especially sound quality are all welcome, and the jump from the second to third generation actually feels bigger than the jump from the first to second.
If you already own an Emberton II, there’s no urgent need to upgrade, though you’ll likely be happy if you do. If out and out portability at a lower price is the priority, JBL might be a better fit. But if you want a portable speaker that balances design, sound performance, durability, battery life, and useful extra features, the Marshall Emberton III absolutely deserves a spot on your shortlist.
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