The Marshall Willen is suitable for use outside. Its small, portable size makes it easy to transport, and there’s even a built-in strap on the back of the speaker. It’s dust and water resistant, so don’t worry about getting dirt and sand into the speaker, and you can submerge it in water for up to thirty minutes without issue. Given its small size, it’s not surprising that it’s not as loud as larger speakers on the market, but it’s still appropriate for smaller gatherings.
The Marshall Willen is currently available in black-and-brass and will be available in cream later this year. It features a faux grain-leather exterior (with a rubbery, weatherproof feel) and a front-facing, crosshatched grille reminiscent of a classic guitar amp. It is only 4.0 x 4.0 x 1.6 inches (HWD) and weighs 10.9 ounces. The Marshall Emberton II (2.7 by 6.3 by 3.0 inches, 1.5 pounds) and the JBL Flip 6 (7.0 by 2.6 by 2.8 inches, 1.0 pound) are significantly larger.
[content-egg-block template=offers_logo hide=price]A 10W Class-D amplifier powers the full-range, 2-inch driver behind the grille, while dual passive radiators add bass depth. The Willen is Bluetooth 5.1 compatible and supports the SBC Bluetooth codec; AptX and AAC support are missing, but this isn’t a big deal because the Willen only outputs mono audio. However, you can connect multiple Willen speakers by pressing the Bluetooth button several times.
The front has a brass Marshall script logo, and the upper right corner has a brass multifunction button. The uncovered USB-C port on the left side is for the included USB-C-to-USB-A charging cable. The speaker also has a strap on the back panel that can be used to attach it to various surfaces, such as a bicycle handlebar.
The Push EQ mode does appear to provide slightly more bass depth, but a speaker of this size is incapable of truly deep bass, and this mode sacrifices some midrange. That being said, whether you use the Marshall or Push mode is really a matter of personal preference; both have advantages. We primarily tested the speaker in its default Marshall configuration.
On tracks with a lot of sub-bass content, like The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” the Willen delivers a decent amount of deep bass at moderate-to-high volumes. It’s a different story at full volume: To avoid distortion, the digital signal processing (DSP) desperately tries to thin out the bass thump. This effort is mostly successful, but the enclosure can rattle a little, causing the sound quality to suffer. Given the speaker’s size, this behavior is unsurprising, and it just reinforces the importance of using moderate volumes.