Pros:
– Surprisingly highly effective sound for its measurement
– Extremely transportable
– Included strap makes it simpler to lug round
– Sturdy design with water-resistance and dustproof with IP67 score
– Premium, iconic design
– Solid worth for cash
– Easy to make use of, clutter-free app
– Quick cost function
Cons:
– Bass is usually a bit underwhelming
– Does not get very loud
– Limited EQ choices within the Marshall App. No customized possibility
Price: Rs 12,499
Rating: 4.5/5
If you’re eager about diving into Marshall’s speaker ecosystem, the Willen II Bluetooth speaker is a improbable place to begin. It delivers that traditional Marshall sound and iconic design, all wrapped up in a brilliant compact package deal. Depending on the way you take a look at it, the worth might sound a bit steep for what it affords, or it may very well be precisely what you’re searching for.
At Rs 12,499, the Willen II is priced equally to opponents like Bose, Sony, and JBL. When it involves sound high quality, these manufacturers can go head-to-head all day lengthy. But the place the Willen II actually shines is in its sound readability, compact measurement, and a novel strap that allows you to grasp it from a hook or tie it to a pole, making it extremely versatile.
Of course, the Willen II isn’t with out its drawbacks. If you’re somebody who loves deep, thumping bass, this speaker won’t fulfill you. It affords a flatter, extra nuanced sound, which could not be everybody’s cup of tea.
That mentioned, the general package deal is tough to beat — the mix of portability and sound high quality is spectacular. It’s sufficiently small to slide into your bag with out including noticeable weight, and the strap permits for simple attachment to your bag’s deal with or strap.
So, how does the Marshall Willen II stack up? Is it well worth the Rs 12,500 price ticket? Given its mixture of favor, sound, and portability, it’s actually value contemplating, particularly in case you worth readability and design in a compact type.
Marshall Willen II Bluetooth Speaker Review: Design
The Marshall Willen II continues the model’s custom of spectacular design, housed in a rubber enclosure with a leather-like texture and a gold steel grille on the entrance, paying homage to Marshall’s iconic amps from the previous. It’s accessible in two traditional color choices: Black and Brass, or Cream.
When you choose it up, the Willen II feels surprisingly heavy for such a small speaker, nearly to the purpose of being stunning while you first deal with it. For these not acquainted with speaker expertise, the load is usually a good signal, usually indicating increased high quality. A heavier speaker usually means it may produce a broader vary of frequencies, particularly within the decrease finish. So, the second I felt its heft, I had a great feeling that the sound could be spectacular.
The speaker incorporates a properly recessed multidirectional management button on the entrance grille, together with a purple LED on the highest to indicate battery life. With an IP67 score, the Willen II is prepared for out of doors adventures, whether or not on the seashore or on a hike. The helpful strap enables you to simply connect it to a backpack or grasp it up at camp.
Compact, sturdy, and simple to hold, the Willen II won’t rattle home windows, however it’s the sort of speaker you’ll respect having with you wherever you go.
Controlling the Willen II is easy with simply two buttons: a Bluetooth pairing button on high and a multidirectional joystick-like management button on the entrance grille. The joystick management, a signature function of Marshall audio system, is as intuitive and satisfying as ever, far surpassing the everyday ‘double-click’ controls discovered on most Bluetooth audio system.
Although there aren’t any labels across the joystick, it’s intuitive to make use of.
A single push performs or pauses music, pushing it left or proper skips tracks, and holding it left or proper enables you to scrub by means of the monitor. You regulate the quantity by pushing it up or down. For cellphone calls, a single push solutions or ends a name, whereas a double push rejects a name.
The additional weight of the Willen II additionally speaks to its stable construct high quality. The development is powerful and rugged, and with its IP67 waterproofing, the Willen II is well-protected towards unintentional harm, making it a superb selection for out of doors use.
Even although there’s no cowl for the USB-C port, the Willen II’s IP67 score means it may deal with being submerged in as much as half a meter of water for half-hour with out situation.
Marshall can also be making strides in sustainability with the Willen II. The speaker is constructed from 70 per cent recycled plastic, sourced from previous electronics and CDs, and it’s utterly PVC-free, avoiding one of the crucial dangerous plastics. Specifically, 30 per cent of the product’s complete plastic content material is GRS-certified post-consumer recycled plastic.
Marshall Willen II Bluetooth Speaker Review: Functionality & Software
Pairing the Marshall Willen II together with your smartphone or laptop computer is extremely easy, simply as you’d count on from a Bluetooth speaker. If you’re already acquainted with Marshall’s audio units and their app, you’ll respect their no-nonsense method — preserving issues easy with none pointless fluff.
The Willen II comes with a companion app accessible for each iOS and Android, which is sort of frequent for Bluetooth audio system as of late. The app affords just a few primary options like choosing the EQ and making use of firmware updates. Thankfully, the app is user-friendly and doesn’t overwhelm you with a bunch of pointless choices.
Unlike many different audio system that present an in depth vary of customization choices for the sound signature, the Willen II retains issues easy. You get to select from simply three EQ choices: Marshall, which supplies you a balanced and nuanced sound; Push, which boosts the bass and treble a bit extra; and Voice, which emphasizes the treble and mids.
The Willen connects to your machine by way of Bluetooth 5.3 LE, supporting connections with as much as two units directly, and it may bear in mind as much as eight units. A standout function is that the Willen II is the one speaker in Marshall’s present Bluetooth lineup with a built-in microphone, so you may take calls instantly by means of the speaker.
Marshall additionally features a function referred to as Stack, which permits customers to attach a number of Marshall audio system. Unfortunately, we didn’t have one other Marshall speaker readily available to check this out with the Willen II. However, for the reason that Willen II makes use of Bluetooth LE, it’s possible that it might help Auracast broadcast, although we couldn’t affirm this firsthand.
Marshall Willen II Bluetooth Speaker Review: Audio
For this overview, we examined the Willen II by pairing it with an iPhone, primarily utilizing Apple Music and YouTube for tunes, and Netflix for streaming exhibits.
The speaker packs a 2-inch 10W full-range dynamic driver, accompanied by two passive radiators, all powered by a 38W Class D amplifier. Together, they ship sound throughout a frequency vary of 75Hz to 20KHz, which is fairly spectacular.
Given its small measurement, the Willen II doesn’t get overwhelmingly loud at most quantity. But don’t get me unsuitable, it’s nonetheless a lot highly effective for a small room. However, some may word that there are different audio system on this value vary that may push a bit extra bass, making them sound louder. The draw back with these, although, is that they usually muddy up the bass or aren’t as finely tuned for the mid-range, which is one thing many individuals appear to miss.
One of the good issues in regards to the Willen II is that even while you crank it up, the sound stays balanced with out a lot distortion. It dealt with bass-heavy tracks like “Humble” by Kendrick Lamar, Hanumankind’s “Big Dawgs,” and “Taambdi Chaamdi” by Kratex & Shreyas with finesse.
For songs the place the bass isn’t the star, like Passenger’s “Let Her Go” or vocal-heavy tracks by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, the Willen II actually shines. The vocals hit a candy spot between wealthy low-mids and crisp high-mids, coming by means of clear and robust, with no noticeable gaps or muddiness.
Instrument separation is one other plus — every instrument stands out clearly with out mixing into one another, giving the general sound glorious readability. When listening to rock, you’ll really feel the thump of the bass drum and bass guitar, hear clear vocals, and the guitar solo will pop proper when it ought to. That mentioned, some parts just like the rhythm guitar, keys, and hi-hats may mix a bit into the background.
Interestingly, once we turned the quantity down, the bass didn’t disappear, which is one thing even bigger and pricier audio system usually battle with. At regular listening ranges, there was no distortion in any respect. Plus, throughout an off-the-cuff listening session, we by no means felt the necessity to push the quantity to the max.
Due to its compact measurement, the Willen II isn’t in a position to replicate the deep sub-bass you’d get from larger audio system. However, its well-balanced sound profile makes it versatile and pleasurable for a variety of music.
Marshall Willen II Bluetooth Speaker Review: Battery life
Marshall claims that the Willen II can final over 17 hours on a single cost, however in our expertise, we managed round 14 hours, which remains to be fairly respectable. Of course, this may fluctuate relying on how you employ it and the settings you select.
As for charging, the speaker powers up fairly shortly with its USB-C port. However, a full cost does take about 2 hours. The excellent news is {that a} fast 20-minute cost gives you round 5 to five.5 hours of playtime, which is nice in case you’re in a rush.
Marshall Willen II Bluetooth Speaker Review: Verdict
Priced at Rs 12,499, the Marshall Willen II does are available a bit pricier than a few of its opponents. However, it affords a cleaner and extra refined audio expertise in comparison with most. The trade-off, although, is that it sacrifices a few of its loudness at peak quantity for that readability.
Despite this, the speaker’s sound high quality and general construct are glorious for the worth. What you need to bear in mind is that good audio merchandise that final should not low cost by any means. Look at any providing from Sonos, B&O or Klipsch and you’ll know what we’re on about. So what you’re getting here’s a price range speaker, that delivers excellent worth for cash.
The Marshall Willen II is ideal for individuals who need a strong, transportable speaker that sounds nice on the go. Its rugged development and delightful design are standout options, guaranteeing you’ll get years of dependable use. Whether you’re an out of doors fanatic, a celebration lover, or somebody who enjoys simply sitting again to chill out on a lazy Sunday night with some gradual tunes within the background, the Willen II offers constant high quality throughout quantity.
All in all, the Marshall Willen II strikes a positive steadiness between options and spectacular sound high quality, making it a superb selection for anybody searching for a top-notch audio expertise however doesn’t want to spend a lot. The speaker exudes high quality and justifies its value, because of its stable efficiency throughout a wide range of music genres.
