pros and cons
- Gorgeous, timeless design
- Excellent sound
- Bigger soundstage
more buying choices
Marshall’s Stanmore line of speakers has been my reliable music partner for six years now. I like playing songs on my mains-powered Stanmore II more than any other speaker. It runs in the background when I’m working, chilling, or just existing at home. So, I was more than excited to see if the latest model, the new Stanmore IV, was worth the upgrade.
Also: Marshall Stanmore IV vs. Sonos Era 300: I tested both to find the ultimate home speaker
The fourth-gen speaker promised a more immersive experience with deeper bass and a wider soundstage, along with a more repairable design. I have now been testing it for a month, and am glad to report that it stands true to most of those promises.
The Marshall Stanmore IV is still a Bluetooth-only speaker, lacking Wi-Fi or voice assistant support, unlike other smart speakers in its price range. However, it is the signature Marshall design, sound, and overall experience that’ll sway you away from the smart options and toward an analog-first approach. But is it really worth the $430 price tag? Allow me to answer.
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A luxurious, timeless design
The Stanmore IV features Marshall’s signature look, packed in a more repairable wooden cabinet measuring 13.78 x 7.99 x 7.28 inches and weighing 8.81lbs. As a mains-powered speaker, it is meant to be kept in a single place, plugged into an outlet. It is big, but unlike other home speakers, the Stanmore blends into your room’s interior. It doesn’t look like an odd gadget sitting on a shelf.
Like its predecessor, the Stanmore IV has a faux-leather-clad exterior, a brass speaker grille, and golden accents, along with a large Marshall logo at the front. These design elements give it a classy, timeless look, which would complement any living space.
Marshall’s physical controls offer satisfying, analog feedback that I miss on the Sonos Era 300.
Prakhar Khanna/ZDNET
On top, you get three physical knobs to adjust the volume, treble, and bass. They are paired with a power switch, Source button (to toggle between RCA, Bluetooth, and Aux), a playback control button (to play/pause or go to previous/next track), and an all-new M button. The multifunction M button can be customized through the Marshall app, where you’ll find options to switch between your saved EQ presets or open a Spotify playlist with Spotify Tap. Plus, the red LED indicators are now brighter and more legible than before.
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This control system feels like the perfect mix of analog and digital. There’s something more satisfying about the physical feedback of knobs, buttons, and switches, which can’t be replicated by vibrations on digital buttons. Marshall’s use of buttons and knobs means you don’t have to take out your phone to change the EQ, volume, and source settings. It is simply a more joyful experience.
My Marshall Stanmore II (left) has its ports located on the back, whereas the Stanmore IV (right) has a cleaner look and has shifted its controls to the bottom.
Prakhar Khanna/ZDNET
Marshall has also worked on tidying up the design. All ports, except the 3.5mm Aux port on top, have been moved to the speaker’s underside, whereas on the Stanmore II, they were on the back.
This shift in port locations allows you to place the Stanmore IV flush against a wall, or if it is on an open shelf, it’ll look tidier from the back. It is also more repairable than before. You can swap out the front grille, knobs, feet, and the iconic logo, should they get damaged.
An even better sound
I compared the latest-generation Stanmore IV to my Stanmore II, and it sounded better than ever. It is clearer, louder, and has a bigger soundstage. The new Marshall speaker uses two 0.75-inch tweeters with 25W of amplification and a 5-inch sub with 60W of amplification to deliver big, booming bass.
Also: Marshall’s first soundbar rocks as a mainstream alternative – Here’s my take
I listened to all kinds of genres, and the Marshall Stanmore IV delivers an all-around pleasing experience. It offers deep bass without fatiguing your ears. The lower frequencies have a thumping impact while remaining clear, without sacrificing mids.
Rock songs have excellent instrument separation, where you can hear the drumbeat alongside the energy of electric guitars. The treble sounds controlled and vibrant at all volumes, with minimal distortion even when you crank it up. And none of it affects the vocal clarity. I enjoyed listening to acoustic music as much as I enjoyed rock.
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For the better part of my testing, I had my Marshall Stanmore IV connected to the Vivo X300 Ultra (for higher-res LDAC) and iPhone 17 Pro Max. For the most part, I couldn’t tell the difference between the two sources. However, I did notice vocals on the LDAC codec sounded slightly more detailed and had more space.
Overall, the Stanmore IV sounds as energetic as before, but with better tonal accuracy, deeper bass, and a broader soundstage.
The app, new features, and one missing bit
The Stanmore IV can be paired with your phone via the new Marshall app. It enables over-the-air updates and customization options, and offers nifty features to deliver a better experience.
The app allows you to adjust the brightness of the LED indicators, use placement compensation to optimize the speaker’s audio output based on its position, and save up to three EQ presets with a five-band equalizer. You can also customize the M button to your preference here.
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Marshall has also added Aurcast support to its new Stanmore IV and Action IV speakers. This means you can finally connect a Stanmore speaker to an Acton, Woburn, or other supported Marshall speaker for a multi-room experience. Earlier, you could only stack a Stanmore with a Stanmore or a Woburn with a Woburn. I’m glad this is now an option.
However, I’m disappointed that you’ll need a $300 Marshall Heddon streaming hub to connect the Stanmore IV to its predecessor or to the Marshall Heston soundbars. Additionally, the lack of Auracast support for connecting to speakers from other manufacturers is a major drawback. Unfortunately, if you have a Stanmore II like me, you can’t connect it to Marshall’s latest home speakers.
I also wish Marshall had included Wi-Fi support in its new generation of home speakers. I’d like to connect my speaker to the home network and cast songs via AirPlay — not for quality but for a no-interruption experience. On Bluetooth, my music pauses when I’m scrolling through social media, and a video starts playing. If there were Wi-Fi support, this disruption wouldn’t have happened, and I could have continued using my phone without worrying about a random noise interrupting my music.
ZDNET’s buying advice
At $430, the Marshall Stanmore IV is not the most affordable speaker on the market. It directly competes with a smarter $479 Sonos Era 300, which has Wi-Fi support and voice assistant capabilities. However, it doesn’t have the same timeless, classy look as the new Marshall speaker.
Despite the price tag, the Stanmore IV remains an easy recommendation because of its timeless design and excellent sound combination.
The Stanmore IV’s faux-leather exterior with golden accents would easily fit into any living space, and its strong bass, paired with vibrant highs and clear vocals on a wide, room-filling soundstage, would please every listener. If my experience with the Stanmore II is any indication, this speaker is built to last, and a more repairable design only instills more confidence. If you don’t need smart features, the Marshall Stanmore IV is the best home speaker you can buy in its price range.