Marshall Releases a Soundbar, Because Apparently Your TV Wasn't Rock ‘n’ Roll Enough
Marshall has launched a new soundbar called the Heston 120, proving once and for all that even your TV audio can pretend it's opening for Metallica.
In its latest act of brand extension performance art, Marshall—the company best known for guitar amps and giving suburban teens the illusion of being in a band—has announced its first-ever TV soundbar: the Heston 120. Because nothing says “cinematic audio” like a product named after a 1950s action figure or an artisanal sausage brand.
According to the press release, the Heston 120 is “built for music lovers and movie fanatics alike,” which is PR code for: we’re hedging our bets and hoping someone—anyone—buys this thing. With 120 watts of power, a dedicated subwoofer, and the promise of "widescreen sound," it’s ready to turn your living room into a stadium tour, whether you’re watching Dune: Part II or reruns of Friends.
Naturally, it also comes dressed in Marshall’s signature leather-textured vinyl and gold accents, so it’ll look just like your uncle’s old amp that’s been collecting dust in the garage—if that amp also supported HDMI eARC and Bluetooth 5.0.
Of course, Marshall wants you to know this isn’t just a cash grab into the home audio space (it is). This is “a new chapter” and a “meticulously tuned” speaker “engineered by the same minds behind Marshall’s legendary amps.” Which begs the question: did anyone ask for a soundbar tuned like a guitar amp? Does your Netflix stream of Emily in Paris need crunchy distortion?
The Heston 120 drops in mid-summer, giving you just enough time to mentally prepare to explain to your houseguests why your TV now sounds like a garage band covering Bohemian Rhapsody.
