Marshall's new Stockwell III speaker might show where the future lies
Repairability, people!
Marshall's in the middle of quite a big summer from what is objectively one of the more boutique-sized audio brands out there. It's already released the Milton ANC, a really interesting new thrust in the world of headphones, and now it's also refreshing one of its most popular speakers.
The Stockwell III is a welcome upgrade on its predecessor in a few key ways, but it looks very similar, which is no bad thing. Like the Stockwell II, it's a sort of portrait-orientation Bluetooth-only speaker, standing on a relatively narrow base with a carrying handle for convenience.
Atop the speaker, there are control knobs that give it a really tactile feeling, something that has been Marshall's speciality for quite some time. Its main face is one big grille with that famous logo, too. The new version has some beefier internals, though, including a battery life of 40 hours, doubled from last time out.
The Stockwell III also now features 360-degree sound, which should make it easier to position wherever you are, since there's no longer a clear sweet spot to be found for the best audio. Its durability should be reliable, too, since it's IP55-rated for dust and water resistance.
The Stockwell II launched all the way back in 2019, which makes this an impressively long gap between speaker generations, and that also means that even a small upgrade like moving to USB-C for charging is quite consequential. That USB-C port can also charge your gadgets when needed.
Crucially, this speaker also demonstrates how Marshall is getting its ducks in a row ahead of the EU's incoming rules about user repairs. It promises real repairability, including user-replaceable batteries, which makes it part of the vanguard of new devices bringing that feature to the market.
The speaker won't be available until 18 August, though, so it's a couple of months off at this stage. When it does launch, it'll cost £199.99 in the UK, €229 in the EU, and $249.99 in the US. That makes it a little more expensive than the Stockwell II at launch, but given the pretty much 7 years between the two, that's no real scandal.
We'll be reviewing the Stockwell III closer to its launch, so keep your eyes on T3 for more information about this fairly gorgeous-looking speaker launch.
