WOW 😲 Marshall Acton IV and Stanmore IV review

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Marshall’s sticking to their guns! These are the 4th generation Acton and Stanmore speakers, yet they’re still exclusively Bluetooth speakers, so no WiFi streaming over AirPlay or Google Cast, no multiroom by themselves, and no stereo pairing, so you cannot take two Actons and make them a left and right channel setup- that part hasn’t changed.

That being said, some things have changed for the better, and we’re going to get into that, as well as talk about their sound quality - which is the most important thing! There’s no point to having a ton of features if the sound quality sucks.

Audio Codec

What has changed are two things. They now support LDAC codec which allows you to stream higher-bitrate audio, and they can now receive Auracast connections from the Marshall Heddon, a WiFi music streaming hub that connects to Marshall speakers via Auracast. And as we know, Auracast allows you to connect an unlimited number of wireless speakers.

But keep in mind that the Acton IV and Stanmore IV don't support WiFi streaming, for that you’ll need to connect your AirPlay 2 and Google Cast audio to the Heddon.

Controls

Button controls have also been streamlined. Aside from the dials for volume, bass and treble, now we have the customizable M button which can assigned either to call up spotify or play your last playlist, and a brass rocker for playback controls. The Acton IV and Stanmore IV supports both 3.5mm Aux input, and RCA input located at the bottom of the speaker.

What’s also different now is that the bass ports have been redesigned, now the port opens up at the bottom. The rationale is that they can be placed flush against the wall if you want to. Marshall didn’t say how they upgraded the tweeters but they’re saying the stereo separation is better than previous versions.

And on that front, I agree. I remember listening to the 3rd-gen Acton and Stanmore, and there wasn’t much, or any, stereo separation. These ones create more of a stereo image, the left and right channels floating about 15cm from the sides of the speakers which sounds more high-fidelity.

Sound Quality

On paper, the main differences between the fourth generation Acton and Stanmore is basically the woofer size. The Acton’s got a 4-inch woofer and the Stanmore’s 5-inch. The number of tweeter’s the same, so is their size. However, the Stanmore’s larger cabinet does allow for wider separation and possibly longer waveguides which means more bass presence can be felt.

The Acton IV does sound pretty good, its emphasis is more on midrange clarity, so bass is a bit more controlled but even on default bass settings, I was able to feel the gravity and impact of bass drops. I do prefer a bit more bass so I just turn the dial up a little bit to add a bit more oomph. The Acton also project very well. When I’m across the hall, even at low volume levels I could feel every beat. Sound-wise, there’s not much I can criticize about the Acton IV, really.

The Stanmore IV on the other hand, on its default settings it leans a bit too bright for my liking, but I can somewhat fix it by turning down the 6.25khz and 2.5khz dial in the Marshall app’s graphic EQ. Apart from that, it’s a fuller and bigger sound than the Acton. Its woofer is just one inch bigger but there’s more bass presence and gravity, and because of the wider spacing of its tweeters I can feel its stereo separation a bit more.

It also projects a little more than the Acton, the Stanmore can definitely fill my entire house with BGM even at lower volumes. What it doesn’t seem to do as well is dynamic range. Somehow, the softer, subtler on the Acton are a bit more amplified than the Stanmore’s. Anyway, here’s what it sounds like compared to the Acton IV.

👉🏻 Listen to the sound samples

You can also optimize its sound even more with this Placement Compensation setting that lets you define where you’re placing the Stanmore. Because placement matters and it will sound more boomy if it’s placed next to walls or corners. This setting compensates for that so it will sound more neutral.

Conclusion

Overall, they don’t suck. With the improved stereo separation, these are now some of the best sounding stereo boxes. Provided that you don’t need any sort of WiFi streaming, and it’s just a one and done speaker for background music, not critical listening, the Acton IV and Stanmore IV are great choices. Also, it doesn’t have a built-in microphone. So for people who are more concerned with privacy, this could be a plus.

So those are my thoughts on the Acton IV and Stanmore IV. Are these something you would buy for your home, your office or your room? Let us know in the comments, I try to read as many as I can,

Check latest price:
Marshall Stanmore IV - https://amzn.to/4gShOL8
Marshall Acton IV - https://amzn.to/46nCJj0

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