Marshall Willen II Brings Classic Audio Style And Design To More People
Marshall speakers are highly popular but most people find it out of their budget. The brand is finally changing that view with products like the Willen II which is a compact wireless speaker at an accessible price of Rs 12,499. Marshall is known for two things, premium design and quality audio, and the Willen II needs a lot for these two aspects to become a hit in this form factor.
So, does Marshall live up to its reputation and give us a compelling audio product that more people can consider buying? We used the device over the last few weeks to find out.
The Marshall Style
Yes, Marshall continues to keep the design language flowing through its products. The Willen II gets a black and gold or white and gold dual tone finish over a rugged body.
The speaker comes in a square-shaped design with minimal ports and controls which helps it keep light at around 360 grams. The Willen II has been constructed with portability and comfort in mind, so it easily fits into your bag.
The speaker has an IP68 rating which makes it usable in tough conditions near the water or even sand. It is hard to ignore the Marshall branding embossed in the front in its classic font style.
Does It Sound Marshall?
There is no short answer to this million dollar question, so bear with us. People often say looks can be deceiving and the Willen II goes quite far to prove this logic. Do not be fooled by its compact stature and dimensions when you see it in person. Because when you turn it on, the actual Marshall effect takes shape and boy it does it get loud. The sound is clear, the notes are crisp and the quality is almost Marshall-like which is a big feat for the brand to make it possible in this frame.
The number of drivers go out of the equation when the real-like audio experience gets you grooving. Having said that, Marshall is quite clear about its focus with the Willen II speaker and where it wants people to use this palm-sized unit.
We tested the speaker in a closed space with a small group of people and tried all genres of music to see its versatility, including podcasts. The audio is clear and defined, and you easily hear the notes without feeling the strain of the music.
The vocals are also detailed, and you don’t feel like their voice is getting muffled. The bass impact might feel underwhelming but this unit was never going to blow you with the thump. However, the bass heavy songs don’t feel let down by the lack of the classic Marshall effect and that’s fine.
The speaker gets simple controls to turn on/off the Willen II, or start Bluetooth pairing. The battery indicator is visible with the red marks and you get a mic that assists with calls but not the ideal way to use this speaker.
The biggest improvement with the Willen II is the battery life which now gives you a few more hours on the previous model. You can easily get the speaker to last for over 14 hours and after that use the USB C port to charge it back which takes a bit longer than we’d like.
The Marshall Willen II is a small unit that delivers punchy audio that the brand is known for and now makes it accessible with its price tag. If you want a hard-core audio product that can move along and be a rugged companion, this is definitely worth looking at.