4 days ago
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Can you pack big sound in the smallest package possible? That’s what Marshall, the renowned audio hardware company, is trying to do with its Willen wireless speaker. Now that the Marshall Willen II was lent to us for some testing, our question is:
Is it any good?
Aesthetic
The first thing you’ll notice about the Marshall Willen II is just how compact it is. Sure, it’s not going to fit in your pocket (as easily) as JBL’s Go lineup or similar ones in its class, but making it any smaller would be a waste of the signature Marshall design philosophy.
The Willen II does feature the iconic grille with “Marshall” gold lettering at the center – a design we’ve come to know and love with the brand.
At the upper right is a small golden knob, which doesn’t come with any instructional etchings. Thankfully, our previous experience with the Emberton III taught us that up/down is volume, while left/right is for skipping tracks.
On the left of its leatherlike-finish frame is a USB Type C port for charging, while the top shelters the power and Bluetooth buttons, as well as the microphone and battery indicator. The last two are welcome additions that aren’t usually present in their competitors.
Lastly, a subwoofer grille can be located at the rear of the speaker, next to some text and the fastening strap.
While it is quite hefty at 360g, the solid construction is a tradeoff we’d be willing to make every day of the week.
What they were going for with the Marshall Willen II is quite obvious when you play around with it – a portable rugged speaker you can bring just about anywhere, without compromising on sound. That’s why it comes with both dust and waterproofing, as well as 17+ hours of advertised battery life.
One comment though – in the time we had it, the leather wrapping started coming off the frame, but all we had to do was insert it back into the clips.
Sound, Usage, and Battery Life
Now.. Does the audio quality live up to its lofty aspirations?
We first had to manage our expectations. Despite being a product of a legendary audio brand, its relatively-miniscule size only allows it to fit one 10W driver and two passive radiators. Even comparing it to the Marshall Emberton III we recently reviewed would definitely be a David-versus-Goliath affair.
Playing some jams let out the Willen’s straightforward sound signature. Much like its siblings, there is a noticeable warmth present. The bass is definitely there, with impressive, audible thumps coming out of that tiny frame. It won’t shake the room but it does all it can to keep the music from sounding tinny. Despite this, there is no bass distortion – but increasing the volume to 100% does introduce a bit of muddiness.
Thanks to the aforementioned straightforward sound, it serves a lot of genres quite well. Switching from our “Saxophone Jazz” daylist to a radically different “Not Like Us” soundtrack by Kendrick Lamar didn’t pull the Willen II out of its element.
The term we would use to describe it is a “mainstream jack-of-all-trades.” A sound signature that caters to a wide audience is preferable, given the fact that this doesn’t have EQ customization.
Like the other portable Marshall speakers we’ve tested, mids and lows are its strongest points, while the highs do well enough to not be considered a weakness. It isn’t a fatiguing listen whatsoever.
Something you should be willing to compromise on with this kind of form factor is soundstage. The music is direct and straight-to-the-point, but you aren’t going to get superb instrument separation, spacing, or stereophonic sound here.
The Marshall Willen II will keep going for an advertised 17+ hours thanks to efficient Bluetooth 5.3 technology installed.
This modern wireless tech also ensured that the latency is kept low, so there were no noticeable delays when watching movies.
Marshall Willen II Review Conclusion
The Marshall Willen II is a testament to the brand staying true to itself, whichever market it decides to enter. Even within this “ultracompact” segment, its chosen to maintain its signature design and form factor over trimming down size at the expense of design and audio quality.
This is a gamble we’d say Marshall won. The sound is very impactful for its size, and we wouldn’t mind using this in our actual living spaces. That’s more we can say for smaller, more rugged competitors that we would never use outside of their intended purpose.
This speaker retails for PHP 7,290 which can be pricey for its segment, matching larger rivals. However, we do not believe the Willen II should be faulted for packing huge sound into its petite frame. It is a remarkable achievement and we’d recommend this to anyone looking for this specific type of speaker.
