With its gold accents, prominent control knobs, and guitar amp styling, Marshall’s hefty Heston 120 looks like no other soundbar on the planet. But what fascinates me about the company’s first TV speaker isn’t the styling (it looks exactly like I’d expect from a Marshall product), it’s how it’s been engineered to work with the company’s equally iconic portable Bluetooth speakers: It uses Bluetooth. Wait, I know that sounds obvious, but bear with me because this is actually a new and intriguing change to the way soundbars work. Recommended Videos Marshall Heston 120 Marshall First, a quick 101 on the Heston 120. It’s priced at $1,000, which should tell you right away that Marshall isn’t messing around. That’s the same price as the Sonos Arc Ultra and Bowers & Wilkins Panorama 3, and only $100 more than the Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar. It packs 11 drivers, including two dedicated subwoofers, and can process both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X in a 5.1.2-channel configuration. It has onboard mics that are used for room calibration, and it supports a wide array of protocols, including Apple AirPlay, Google Cast, Spotify Connect, and Tidal Connect. On the back panel, you get an Ethernet jack, an HDMI passthrough input with 4K/120Hz/Dolby Vision support, stereo RCA analog jacks (for a turntable or other gear), and a dedicated subwoofer output — something you rarely find on soundbars.  Marshall has redesigned its mobile app to give people deep controls over the Heston as well as the company’s full range of existing headphones, earbuds, and speakers. Expansion via Bluetooth Marshall Where things get interesting is on the wireless side of the equation. The Heston 120 supports Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3. That’s not unusual — all three of its competitors I mentioned above have the same or similar specs. What *is* unusual is how it uses these connections, specifically Bluetooth. Marshall considers the Heston 120 an all-in-one speaker that’s designed to work equally well for movies and music. However, the company also recognizes that some people want even more immersion from their TV sound systems, so it offers expansion via wireless speakers. Normally, when a soundbar is expandable with additional speakers, those connections are made via Wi-Fi (Sonos, Bluesound, Denon) or dedicated onboard transmitter/receivers (Bose, Sony, Klipsch). Bluetooth has never been considered a viable option because of issues around latency and limitations on transmitting multiple audio channels (e.g. low frequency, surround left, surround right) simultaneously. However, the Heston 120 is Bluetooth Auracast compatible — as far as I know, that’s a first for a soundbar — a technology that overcomes traditional Bluetooth limitations. Unlike earlier Bluetooth standards, which could create audio lag of 100-300 milliseconds, Auracast can achieve a latency of as little as 30 milliseconds. That should be almost imperceptible for dialogue synchronization, and even less noticeable for low-frequency bass or surround sound effects. Moreover, an Auracast device, like a TV or soundbar, can transmit multiple discrete broadcasts. In theory, it could handle multiple wireless subwoofers, two or four surround speakers, plus one or more wireless headphones or hearing aids — each with a dedicated sound stream. More choice, more flexibility Marshall Emberton III Marshall So what does this mean? Marshall’s ultimate goal is to let you use any pair of Auracast-capable Bluetooth speakers as your Heston 120 left/right surrounds, and an additional Auracast subwoofer for low-frequency effects. Initially, however, the plan is more conservative. At launch, the Heston 120 will support a single Marshall-built wireless subwoofer and later in the year you’ll be able to add two Marshall Bluetooth speakers as left/right surrounds. You’ll have a lot of choice — all of Marshall’s third-gen Homeline Bluetooth speakers are Auracast-ready — from the small but mighty Emberton III to the 120-watt Woburn III. Once they receive a planned firmware update, you can expect them all to work with the Heston as satellite speakers via Bluetooth. Typically, wireless surround speakers and subwoofers need to be plugged into a wall at all times. That provides power to the built-in amplifiers and their Wi-Fi network connections. Bluetooth, as a wireless technology, requires way less power than Wi-Fi, so if your Marshall portable Bluetooth speaker has a 20-hour battery, that’s 20 hours of completely wire-free home theater listening. And if, for some reason, you don’t have a Wi-Fi network, you can still assemble a multi-speaker system. Marshall points out that while Auracast is an open standard, each company can implement it as it sees fit, and that could mean that some Auracast speakers won’t work with the Heston 120. JBL Auracast speakers like the Charge 6 — for example — can only share and access audio from other JBL Auracast speakers. Still, Auracast-enabled soundbars like the Heston are opening up a new era in home theater technology; one where we’ll have a lot more freedom to choose the kind, number, and placement of speakers. It will also reduce the number of gadgets we buy. When your portable Bluetooth speaker can double as a surround speaker, that’s one less device in our ever-expanding world of tech. More options coming soon Auracast-enabled soundbars are the first step toward greater flexibility and choice in home theater. Soon, there will be more alternatives. Dolby has promised it will launch a soundbar alternative technology called Dolby Atmos FlexConnect, which will let a compatible TV send multichannel audio to a variety of wireless speakers that you’ll be able to place almost anywhere in your room. Fraunhofer IIS, the entity that gave us the MP3 file format, has its own version of FlexConnect — the somewhat awkwardly named UpHear Flexible Rendering. We haven’t seen any commercially available systems based on either Dolby’s or Fraunhofer’s tech so far, but I expect that to change in 2025.

This home and gallery in Clapham, south London, reflects the owners’ vision for a versatile environment. We reworked the previously disconnected layout into an adaptable hybrid working/living condition, where everyday duties are easily integrated into the family’s lives, exploring the boundaries and flow between private and public spaces. We worked with what existed, developed an understanding of the potential to both reinvent and protect the building envelope, extending its lifespan. We provided a cost-effective and lower-carbon alternative that included the integration of the garden. The spaces were designed to allow family members to find their moments of peace and joy, whether in the gallery, the kitchen or the children’s bedrooms. The project aims to exemplify how well-planned, purpose-led design decisions can result in dynamic spaces, reflecting the young, creative family’s unique ‘living with art’ ethos and aspirations. Advertisement In the evening, the family gathers in the kitchen to cook, eat, play and unwind. Located in the basement, the open-plan area is illuminated by two bookended triangular oriel openings, bringing natural light into the lower-ground space. One is a triangular skylight, a corner for contemplation and play; the other is a door opening up to the garden outside. Amalia Skoufoglou, director, O’Sullivan Skoufoglou Architects   Project data Start on site April 2022 Completion Gross internal floor area 140m2 Construction cost £392,000 Construction cost per m2 £2,800 Architect O’Sullivan Skoufoglou Architects Client Tanya Grigoroglou and Rupert Worrall Structural engineer Entuitive Principal designer O’Sullivan Skoufoglou Architects Approved building inspector London Building Control Landscape consultant GRDN Main contractor TAT Building CAD software used Vectorworks Predicted design life 30 years   Architect’s choices  We knew from the outset that, to achieve the budgetary constraints, a lot of our usual exposing of ceiling beams or dressing of walls would not be possible. There are lots of flat plasterboard surfaces in the project and, knowing that the client wanted a lot of expression, we decided to experiment with colour and textures in the joinery. For example, a lot of experimentation and care went into the bespoke kitchen cabinetry, imported from Denmark by Brouns and Co, which was stained with linseed oil. There was no wastage in the new marble countertop, which determined the height of the splashback and the length of the units. Amalia Skoufoglou, director, O’Sullivan Skoufoglou Architects   Specification The client’s brief called for a resilient, yet playful, rich materiality that could combine with a restrained, pared-down aesthetic suited to displays of art. This meant that materials were considered at a very early point in the project. In a quest to find connections with the existing typical London stock brick, different textures and details were tested, some of which were a direct response, some of which were not. The lower ground floor, the most materially rich space, opening out onto a new garden patio, is paved in flamed granite sourced from Portugal, the most economically viable, geographically closest, natural stone that could be sourced. To provide a seamless transition, the same granite tile in a honed finish continues internally. There is an EPD-accredited green terrazzo tile in the two bookended triangles, emphasising the linearity of the space.Advertisement One of the bigger material statements on the ground floor is the fire surround, which is clad in made-to-order slabs from Granby Rock, a durable recycled terrazzo manufactured using 70 per cent recycled aggregates. Amalia Skoufoglou, director, O’Sullivan Skoufoglou Architects   Selected products Bathroom washbasin Kast Lux A1 on stand Master shower room DiscontinuedBathroom washbasin Kast Nilo Children’s bathroom kastconcretebasins.comBathroom tiles Topcer Tiles 96 × 96 × 8mm All bathrooms towerceramics.comBathroom faucets Crosswater MPro All bathrooms crosswater.co.ukLinseed oil (on birch plywood) Brouns and Co Kitchen cabinetry linseedpaint.comKitchen tap Vola 590H Kitchen vola.comTerrazzo tiles InOpera Group Pastine Verde Acido Kitchen floor inoperagroup.com Granite tile Marshalls paving Neso Kitchen and exterior patio marshalls.co.ukOak flooring Chaunceys Bristol Tectonic Throughout chauncey.co.ukIronmongery d line Arne Jacobsen Throughout dline.comFire surround Granby Rock Red Ground floor granbyworkshop.co.uk