Marshall’s first try at a Dolby Atmos soundbar, the Heston 120, is an ambitious effort. Marshall’s consumer arm (once a separate entity) became a success by leveraging the amplifier brand’s musical legacy for an expansive line of headphones and Bluetooth speakers that sound nearly as powerful, raucous, and downright fun as they look. Moving into soundbars might seem like a natural succession, but creating an all-in-one distributor of surround sound and spatial audio formats that sits neatly beneath your TV is not without its challenges.

The Heston 120 is a beautiful reflection of Marshall’s design heritage, and there’s a lot this 5.1.2-channel system gets right, but it’s a surprisingly mercurial performer. It's capable of a premium touch and immersive overhead and side-firing e

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