Pros:
– Surprisingly highly effective sound for its measurement
– Extremely moveable
– Included strap makes it simpler to lug round
– Sturdy design with water-resistance and dustproof with IP67 ranking
– Premium, iconic design
– Solid worth for cash
– Easy to make use of, clutter-free app
– Quick cost function
Cons:
– Bass could be 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 unbelievable place to begin. It delivers that basic Marshall sound and iconic design, all wrapped up in an excellent compact package deal. Depending on the way you have a look at it, the worth might sound a bit steep for what it presents, or it may very well be precisely what you’re searching for.
At Rs 12,499, the Willen II is priced equally to rivals 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 really shines is in its sound readability, compact measurement, and a novel strap that permits 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 may not fulfill you. It presents a flatter, extra nuanced sound, which could not be everybody’s cup of tea.
That mentioned, the general package deal is difficult 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 straightforward 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 fashion, sound, and portability, it’s actually price contemplating, particularly in case you worth readability and design in a compact kind.
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, harking back to Marshall’s iconic amps from the previous. It’s out there in two basic 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 surprising if you first deal with it. For these not acquainted with speaker expertise, the burden could be a good signal, usually indicating increased high quality. A heavier speaker usually means it might 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 encompasses a properly recessed multidirectional management button on the entrance grille, together with a crimson LED on the highest to point out battery life. With an IP67 ranking, the Willen II is prepared for outside adventures, whether or not on the seaside or on a hike. The helpful strap allows you to simply connect it to a backpack or grasp it up at camp.
Compact, sturdy, and straightforward to hold, the Willen II may not rattle home windows, but it surely’s the form of speaker you’ll admire having with you wherever you go.
Controlling the Willen II is simple with simply two buttons: a Bluetooth pairing button on prime 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 standard ‘double-click’ controls discovered on most Bluetooth audio system.
Although there are not 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 allows you to scrub by way of the monitor. You regulate the quantity by pushing it up or down. For telephone calls, a single push solutions or ends a name, whereas a double push rejects a name.
The further 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 alternative for outside use.
Even although there’s no cowl for the USB-C port, the Willen II’s IP67 ranking means it might deal with being submerged in as much as half a meter of water for half-hour with out challenge.
Marshall can also be making strides in sustainability with the Willen II. The speaker is comprised of 70 per cent recycled plastic, sourced from outdated electronics and CDs, and it’s utterly PVC-free, avoiding one of the vital 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 simple, 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 admire their no-nonsense strategy — holding issues easy with none pointless fluff.
The Willen II comes with a companion app out there for each iOS and Android, which is sort of widespread for Bluetooth audio system as of late. The app presents just a few primary options like deciding on 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 simple. You get to select from simply three EQ choices: Marshall, which provides 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 through Bluetooth 5.3 LE, supporting connections with as much as two units without delay, and it might keep 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’ll be able to take calls instantly by way of the speaker.
Marshall additionally features a function known as Stack, which permits customers to attach a number of Marshall audio system. Unfortunately, we didn’t have one other Marshall speaker available to check this out with the Willen II. However, for the reason that Willen II makes use of Bluetooth LE, it’s probably that it may assist Auracast broadcast, although we couldn’t verify 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 reveals.
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 loads highly effective for a small room. However, some may observe 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 nice issues concerning the Willen II is that even if 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 way of clear and powerful, 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 components just like the rhythm guitar, keys, and hi-hats may mix a bit into the background.
Interestingly, after 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 informal 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 continues to be fairly respectable. Of course, this will range relying on how you utilize 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 offers 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 in a bit pricier than a few of its rivals. However, it presents 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 total construct are glorious for the worth. What it’s important to keep in mind is that good audio merchandise that final will not be 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 many who need a strong, moveable speaker that sounds nice on the go. Its rugged development and exquisite design are standout options, making certain 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 calm down on a lazy Sunday night with some sluggish tunes within the background, the Willen II gives constant high quality throughout quantity.
All in all, the Marshall Willen II strikes a wonderful steadiness between options and spectacular sound high quality, making it a superb alternative for anybody in search of 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 quite a lot of music genres.
