Marshall Stanmore II
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High power smart speaker from one of the leading manufacturers of high quality professional and home acoustics. It differs from popular proprietary solutions from Google and Amazon by focus on musical capabilities and sound quality. The manufacturer is positioned as a product of the upper price category, intended for users who prefer the classic Marshall design, which takes its origins from the brand's famous guitar amplifiers, and an impeccably clear/detailed sound.
The Marshall Stanmore II Voice smart speaker received full support for the Amazon Alexa voice assistant. Can be used to control a smart home system based on the Amazon platform. It has a stylish front panel with a corporate logo, a spectacular leather texture of the case, aluminium switches and regulators. Equipped with two broadband dynamic (2x15 W) radiators and a subwoofer (50 W), which, according to the manufacturer, allows you to fully reproduce the frequency range from 50 to 20,000 Hz. For network communications, there are bluetooth and WI-Fi adapters. This makes it possible to fully interact with gadgets (smartphones, tablets), get quick access to music streaming services and support Multiroom technology (a network of audio systems located in different rooms and working synchronously).
Smart speaker from Marshall
Marshall is rapidly establishing a reputation for high-end home speakers, having broken away from the live music and professional studio market over the past few years.
In terms of design, wireless speakers from this brand are difficult to distinguish from each other. The company makes everything look like classic Marshall guitar amps: a heavy box with a leather-look design, a large mesh that covers the speaker, and the famous company logo in the very centre. Only the set of volume and equalization toggle switches on the control panel varies. Thanks to this, the speakers of the company cannot be confused with anything else. Yes, and fans of retro are always delighted.
Powerful high quality sound
Inside, it is equipped with two full-range dynamic (2x15 W) radiators and a subwoofer (50 W) and plays loud, powerful, bass, with an excellent stereo effect and decent detail. However the mids seem to be somewhat recessed in the bass, which is rather strange for acoustics with such a close relationship with rock music. In dance music, hip-hop and other genres with an emphasis on lower frequencies, it sounds great. If you don’t like the factory tone, then everything can be adjusted for yourself with the equalizer placed on the panel. In terms of sound quality, Stanmore II Voice looks like a full-fledged contender for replacing a music centre or other set of home acoustics. Moreover, in addition to wireless connection, there are inputs for a minijack and RCA. But the price is appropriate, almost $400.
Alexa will hear you anywhere
Unlike Google speakers, the Stanmore II Voice comes with Amazon's Alexa voice assistant. Interestingly, thanks to its precise microphone, Alexa picks up your voice no matter where you are in the room. Moreover, the speaker works so clearly that it picks up commands even through the playing music. She doesn't have to shout "Alexa, stop" three times to pause.
English, please
However, in our reality, the Google Assistant now looks more preferable, as it fully works with the Russian language and is not tied to Amazon services. Alexa, however, does not know how to do this yet and it is not a fact that it will learn in the near future. According to unofficial information, support for the Russian language was originally planned to be added in 2018, but subsequently the date was shifted "for later" since Amazon is not officially represented in post-Soviet countries.
