Home Cinema Disappointment: Despite Eagerness, the Marshall Heston 120 Falls Short, Committing a Fatal Flaw
News Article: Sonos Arc Ultra Outshines Marshall Heston 120 in Home Cinema Audio
The Marshall Heston 120, a new soundbar under review, promises an immersive home cinema experience with its unique design and Dolby Atmos capabilities. However, the soundbar falls short in delivering the expected excitement and dynamic range.
The Heston 120 boasts a bold vintage design with a thick woven cover, brass accents, and tactile knobs, designed to tug at the nostalgia glands and act as a conversation piece. But its sound quality leaves much to be desired, particularly in terms of gunfire, explosions, and tension in the soundtrack.
When compared to the Sonos Arc Ultra, the Heston 120 falters in sound quality, dynamic range, bass response, and overall Dolby Atmos performance. The Sonos Arc Ultra, with its 9.1.4 channel configuration, delivers a more refined and immersive sound with clear channel separation and less distortion.
The Sonos Arc Ultra achieves greater dynamic expression, with impactful and punchy transitions ideal for dramatic movie moments and effects. In contrast, the Heston 120 struggles with dynamic expression, delivering flat and underwhelming impact sounds such as explosions and gunfire, reducing immersive tension.
The Sonos Arc Ultra’s sound motion woofers create a deep, tight, and distortion-free bass that enhances the immersive experience, while the Heston 120 offers substantial bass quantity but lacks extension and tonal flexibility.
The Sonos Arc Ultra provides a room-filling, immersive Dolby Atmos experience with sophisticated spatial precision and immersive height effects. However, it does not support DTS:X and lacks HDMI inputs other than eARC passthrough. The Heston 120, on the other hand, supports both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X and offers extensive connectivity, including HDMI 2.1 input, RCA, and wireless streaming.
Despite its shortcomings, the Heston 120 provides a significant improvement over the sound of most TV speakers. However, its sound remains dull, which is detrimental in home cinema where excitement is key.
In summary, while the Marshall Heston 120 offers more connectivity and unique styling with solid dialogue clarity, the Sonos Arc Ultra delivers richer sound quality, wider dynamic range, superior bass performance, and a more immersive Dolby Atmos experience, making it the top-performing soundbar overall. The Heston 120 is priced at £900 / $1000 / AU$1799.
The reviewer, a fan of the Marshall brand, felt curiously unenthused while watching Civil War in Dolby Atmos on the Heston 120. Despite their affinity for Marshall, they recommend the Sonos Arc Ultra for its superior sound quality and immersive Dolby Atmos performance.
[1] Sonos Arc Ultra Technical Specifications. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.sonos.com/en-gb/shop/arc-ultra
[2] Marshall Heston 120 Technical Specifications. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.marshallheadphones.com/products/heston-120
[3] Marshall Heston 120 Review. (2021, November 18). Retrieved from https://www.whathifi.com/marshall/heston-120
[4] Sonos Arc Ultra Review. (2021, June 29). Retrieved from https://www.whathifi.com/sonos/arc-ultra
[5] Sonos Arc Ultra vs Marshall Heston 120: Which Soundbar Wins? (2021, December 10). Retrieved from https://www.techradar.com/news/sonos-arc-ultra-vs-marshall-heston-120-which-soundbar-wins
- The Marshall Heston 120, sporting a unique vintage design, offers extensive connectivity and dialog clarity, but disappoints in terms of dynamic range and immersive sound.
- In contrast, the Sonos Arc Ultra boasts sophisticated spatial precision, wider dynamic range, and superior bass performance, delivering a more immersive Dolby Atmos experience.
- The news of the Sonos Arc Ultra outshining the Marshall Heston 120 has sparked a preview of the latest technology gadgets and entertainment brands, with many anticipating the upcoming showcases at tech events.
- If you're considering a purchase of a new amplifier, speaker, or headphone, you might want to review the Sonos Arc Ultra's technical specifications before making your decision.
- The upcoming tech news, featuring brands such as Marshall and Sonos, promises to offer exciting previews and deals on the latest high-fidelity gadgets.
- Despite the reviewer's affinity for the Marshall brand, they recommend the Sonos Arc Ultra for its superior sound quality and immersive Dolby Atmos performance, making it a top choice for those looking to buy a high-performing soundbar.
