Marshall Acton IV and Marshall Stanmore IV – Fourth generation of home speakers with a wider soundstage, more powerful bass and Auracast

With the Marshall Acton IV and Marshall Stanmore IV, Marshall Group AB is introducing the next generation of its mains-powered Marshall Home Speaker Series. These are not portable Bluetooth speakers designed to follow their owners from room to room, but compact, permanently positioned Desktop Audio Devices for the living room, study, kitchen or bedroom. The fourth generation develops the qualities that have shaped the range since 2012: unmistakable Marshall styling, physical controls, forceful sound and an absence of operational fuss. New features include revised tweeters with waveguides, a redesigned bass port, Dynamic Loudness, Bluetooth 5.3 with Auracast and a programmable M button. Marshall Group AB is therefore placing the Marshall Acton IV and Marshall Stanmore IV firmly in the modern home-audio category, while preserving their deliberately analogue character.

Key Facts Marshall Acton IV and Marshall Stanmore IV

• New fourth generation of Marshall Home Speakers
• Mains-powered Bluetooth speakers for domestic use
• Bluetooth 5.3 with Auracast, Multipoint, SBC, AAC, LDAC and LC3
• Dynamic Loudness for volume-dependent tonal balancing
• Revised tweeters with waveguides and a redesigned bass-reflex port
• Marshall App with EQ presets and room adjustment
• Tactile controls, programmable M button, media jog control and traditional power switch
• Marshall Acton IV with 3,5 mm AUX input; Marshall Stanmore IV with 3,5 mm AUX and RCA inputs
• Enclosures made from FSC-certified MDF, with a repairable construction and replaceable components
• Finishes: Black and Cream
• Price: Marshall Acton IV € 299,-; Marshall Stanmore IV € 399,-

Marshall Acton IV and Marshall Stanmore IV – The fourth generation of the Home Speaker Series

Marshall Group AB describes the Marshall Acton IV and Marshall Stanmore IV as the latest stage in the development of a product line first introduced in 2012. Both speakers retain the familiar visual language of the company’s guitar amplifiers, complete with the characteristic woven grille, PU covering, brass-coloured top panel and substantial rotary controls for volume, bass and treble.

Simona Berbec, Product Manager at Marshall Group AB, summarises the thinking behind the fourth generation quite clearly: the intention was not to reinvent the concept, but to reinforce the characteristics for which the Marshall Acton and Marshall Stanmore have become known – iconic design, high-quality construction, powerful sound and intuitive tactile operation.

A wider soundstage and more precisely controlled bass

The principal acoustic revision concerns the tweeters, which are now partnered with waveguides on both models. Their purpose is to distribute high frequencies more broadly and evenly throughout the room, creating a noticeably larger listening area rather than concentrating the best balance within one narrowly defined position.

That matters more than it might initially appear. Compact home speakers are rarely used under the carefully controlled conditions associated with a conventional stereo system. Listeners move around, sit off-axis, work at a desk or play music while preparing dinner. A broader and more consistent dispersion pattern is therefore central to making this type of speaker genuinely useful rather than merely impressive from a single chair.

Marshall Group AB has also redesigned the bass port. The revised arrangement is intended to improve airflow, producing bass that is both cleaner and more substantial. Cable routing has also been reconsidered so that the Marshall Acton IV and Marshall Stanmore IV can sit flush against a wall without, according to the manufacturer, compromising their bass performance.

The latter is a sensible practical detail. Speakers of this size will often be placed on sideboards, shelves or worktops where generous clearance behind the enclosure is simply unavailable. Designing the connection layout and port behaviour around real domestic placement is more valuable than insisting upon an idealised position few owners will actually provide.

Dynamic Loudness – Maintaining balance at every listening level

Both models are equipped with Dynamic Loudness, an automatic tonal-management system that adjusts bass and treble in relation to the selected volume. Its purpose is to preserve a convincing tonal balance when music is played quietly late in the evening or used as unobtrusive background listening during the day.

At higher levels, revised limiters are intended to keep the presentation cleaner and prevent the speakers from sounding strained too early. Rather than simply chasing maximum output, Marshall Group AB is attempting to make the usable volume range broader and more consistent.

Dynamic Loudness is not an exercise in audiophile extravagance, nor does it need to be. With compact active speakers, the quality of the tuning at low and moderate levels often has a greater influence on everyday satisfaction than a headline maximum-power figure. A speaker that remains tonally coherent at conversational volume will usually prove more useful than one that saves its best performance for occasions when the neighbours are elsewhere.

Auracast and Marshall Heddon – Multi-speaker audio within the Marshall ecosystem

Integrated Auracast support is one of the most significant additions to the fourth-generation models. It allows several compatible speakers to operate in synchronisation, making it possible to extend music across a larger living space or into multiple rooms.

Marshall Group AB also links this functionality to the Marshall Heddon music-streaming hub. Through Marshall Heddon, earlier products including the Marshall Acton III and Marshall Stanmore III can be incorporated into an expanded multi-speaker arrangement.

This marks a gradual broadening of the Marshall home-audio portfolio towards more extensively connected systems. Importantly, the company is attempting to do so without discarding the directness that has made these speakers appealing in the first place. They remain straightforward Bluetooth products at heart; the wider ecosystem is an additional possibility rather than a prerequisite for basic operation.

Tactile operation, the programmable M button and the Marshall App

Physical control remains an essential part of the design. The top panel continues to provide separate rotary controls for volume, bass and treble, supplemented by an improved media jog control, the traditional toggle-style power switch, a source selector and the new M button.

The M button can be assigned to a preferred function. It may, for example, provide immediate access to a favourite EQ setting or activate Spotify Tap. This gives the user a direct shortcut without requiring repeated navigation through a phone application.

The Marshall App remains available for more detailed adjustment. It provides access to EQ presets, tonal settings and room adjustment, extending the control options without making the app mandatory for routine use.

That distinction is worth preserving. Applications can be useful for setup and deeper configuration, but they are a poor substitute for basic controls that remain available at all times. Marshall Group AB has sensibly retained direct access to the functions most owners will use every day.

Marshall Acton IV – A compact home speaker with a stereo configuration

The Marshall Acton IV is the smaller of the two new models. Its driver complement consists of one 4-inch woofer and two 0,75-inch tweeters with waveguides, each section powered by dedicated Class D amplification.

Marshall Group AB specifies a frequency range of 37 Hz to 38 kHz and a maximum sound-pressure level of 95 dB SPL at a distance of one metre. The amplifier configuration comprises one 60 Watt Class D module for the woofer and two 25 Watt Class D modules for the tweeters.

Measuring 260 x 171 x 150 mm and weighing 2,65 kg, the Marshall Acton IV is compact enough for locations where a larger loudspeaker would be intrusive. It is suited to smaller rooms, desks, shelves and secondary listening spaces, while still retaining a genuine stereo driver arrangement within a single enclosure.

A 3,5 mm AUX input is provided for wired sources. Wireless connectivity is handled by Bluetooth 5.3 with Auracast and Bluetooth Multipoint, allowing more than one source device to remain connected.

Marshall Stanmore IV – Greater scale, higher output and additional RCA inputs

The Marshall Stanmore IV is the larger model and is consequently designed to provide greater output capability and a more authoritative bass presentation. It uses one 5-inch woofer and two 0,75-inch tweeters with waveguides, driven by the same arrangement of one 60 Watt Class D amplifier and two 25 Watt Class D amplifiers.

Its specified frequency range extends from 36 Hz to 38 kHz, while maximum sound pressure is quoted at 97 dB SPL at a distance of one metre. The numerical differences may appear modest, but the larger cabinet and woofer give the Marshall Stanmore IV more physical scope when greater scale and room-filling ability are required.

At 350 x 203 x 185 mm and 3,99 kg, the Marshall Stanmore IV is clearly intended as the more substantial home speaker of the pair. It remains compact by conventional HiFi standards, but has enough presence to serve as the principal music system in a living room rather than merely as an auxiliary speaker.

Alongside its 3,5 mm AUX input, the Marshall Stanmore IV provides a pair of RCA inputs. These make it possible to connect a turntable equipped with a suitable phono preamplifier, a CD player or another conventional line-level source directly to the speaker. Within this two-model range, the Marshall Stanmore IV is therefore the more flexible choice for users who still rely on traditional analogue HiFi sources.

Sustainability and repairability

Marshall Group AB specifies FSC-certified MDF for the enclosures of both models and places particular emphasis on repairability. Replaceable parts include the rotary controls, feet and front grille, all of which are intended to extend the useful life of the product.

Replacement parts are to be made available through Marshall, while authorised repair services are also referenced by the company. This approach does not make the products immortal, but it at least acknowledges that a damaged switch or worn external component should not automatically condemn an otherwise functional loudspeaker.

That is an increasingly relevant consideration in this part of the market. Repairable construction remains far from universal among compact Bluetooth and home-audio products, even though these are precisely the devices most likely to remain in daily use for years.

The key benefits at a glance

• A larger listening area in everyday rooms: The revised tweeters and waveguides are designed to spread sound more evenly, allowing the Marshall Acton IV and Marshall Stanmore IV to remain convincing even when the listener is not seated directly in front of them.
• Stronger bass without demanding awkward placement: The redesigned bass port aims to improve low-frequency precision and weight, while the revised cable arrangement permits positioning close to a wall.
• Straightforward expansion through Auracast: Compatible speakers can operate in synchronisation, making it easier to distribute music across larger living areas or several rooms.
• Physical control without dependence on an app: Volume, bass, treble and playback functions remain accessible directly from the speaker, while the Marshall App is reserved for EQ presets, room adjustment and more detailed configuration.
• Greater source flexibility from the Marshall Stanmore IV: Additional RCA inputs make the larger model better suited to turntables with a phono preamplifier, CD players and other conventional analogue sources.

Price and availability

The Marshall Acton IV is offered in Black and Cream and is priced at € 299,-. The Marshall Stanmore IV is likewise available in Black and Cream, with a recommended price of € 399,-.

For Austria, Marshall Group AB states a delivery time of two working days through its own online store. Each package includes the respective speaker, a mains cable, a quick-start guide, legal information and safety instructions.

Conclusion

Marshall remains faithful to the established idea behind the Marshall Acton IV and Marshall Stanmore IV. These products are not intended to disappear into a rack as anonymous HiFi components; they are deliberately styled home speakers whose visual identity forms part of their appeal.

The fourth generation is interesting precisely because the familiar appearance has not been used as an excuse for technical complacency. Marshall Group AB has made targeted revisions to dispersion, bass behaviour, connectivity and day-to-day operation without turning the range into something needlessly complicated.

Auracast, Dynamic Loudness, the programmable M button and app-based room adjustment bring the series convincingly up to date. The Marshall Acton IV is the natural choice for smaller rooms, workspaces and secondary listening areas, while the Marshall Stanmore IV offers greater scale and more useful connectivity for the living room.

Neither model pretends to be a conventional pair of separate HiFi loudspeakers. That is not a weakness, but a clear statement of purpose: these are characterful, self-contained home speakers built for people who value simple operation, physical controls and an unmistakable design as much as wireless convenience.

Technical Specifications