Marshall Stanmore III Review: Wireless Bluetooth Speaker

Among the wireless speakers launched by Marshall this summer, the Stanmore III finds its place between the Acton III and the Woburn III. The three speakers are so similar that we recommend you read the Acton III review carefully to understand the Stanmore III review. The latter was released in June 2022 for £369. It was tested in its version 5.0.36 with the app in version 2.0.7.Apart from its larger size (35 x 20.3 x 18.8 cm for 4.25 kg), the Stanmore III is very similar to the Acton III. Thus, we find the vintage look of Marshall, combining mesh fabric, copper parts and tolex-like plastic on its contour. There are also 4 rubber feet on the bottom. The finish is particularly well done, with only a few visible assembly traces.The Stanmore III has a slightly more extensive range of connections than the Acton III. In addition to Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity (with multipoint support) and a mini-jack input, the Stanmore III also has an RCA line input on the rear. The Stanmore III has no connected features (no multiroom, AirPlay 2, Chromecast, Spotify Connect, or voice assistants...).The physical controls on the speaker are the same as those in Acton III. The Stanmore III is therefore just as pleasant and easy to use as its little sister. It can also be managed through Marshall's Bluetooth app. There are various controls as well as options for placement compensation.
Like the Acton III, Bluetooth communication with the Stanmore III involves a latency of 290ms. That's enough to notice a lag between the sound and image of a video, but fortunately, the speaker can compensate for this delay automatically on a video streaming application. But there needs to be more help for gaming applications.In terms of sound performance, the Stanmore III is close to what the Acton III offers, with a few exceptions. The first is obviously the power. The Stanmore III is indeed much more equipped than its little sister, with a loudspeaker powered by a 50 W amplifier and two tweeters with 15 W amplifiers. It is therefore much higher in the towers. It also descends a little more in the extreme bass. It is also necessary to control the bass to get the best out of this Stanmore III, notably with the help of the placement compensations.Its larger size also offers a much wider soundstage than the Acton III. Like Acton III, the inclination of the two tweeters does not affect the speaker's directivity, which requires you to be positioned in front of it to enjoy the best possible sound reproduction. In all other respects, the listening experience delivered by Stanmore III is perfectly identical to that of Acton III.

More powerful and better equipped than the Acton III, the Stanmore III proves to be a good wireless speaker, thanks to its rich sound and childlike handling. Compared to the previous version, the addition of placement compensation functions is welcome. However, we regret the lack of interest in the inclination of the tweeters, as well as the absence of connected functions.