You guys have been asking about the speaker refresh and here is why this matters — Marshall just dropped Acton IV ($300) and Stanmore IV ($400), both in cream and black with all-wood cabinets wrapped in PU leather that actually feels premium instead of plastic pretending to be vintage. This isn't just a cosmetic facelift; they redesigned the tweeters AND added waveguides (the funnel devices around the driver) so sound disperses evenly across larger rooms, which is a real acoustic win for anyone who actually listens at volume rather than background. Both models got an upgraded media jog dial and power switch that respond instantly instead of turning into sluggish touch controls over time, plus M-buttons you can map to your Spotify Tap profile or quick preset EQ settings so one button jumpstarts whatever soundstage you prefer. I love the tactile approach here because Marshall's whole brand is about those physical knobs actually doing something useful rather than being an interface gimmick disguised as retro styling.
The audio engineering story gets even cooler with Auracast support letting you sync multiple speakers to play the same track across a room, and they didn't forget the analog crowd — both have RCA inputs for record players plus a 3.5mm AUX on top so your old hi-fi kit still connects seamlessly. But here is the real kicker: if you buy two or more new Acton IV/Stanmore IV units from their site you get Heddon — their $300 streaming hub that links multiple older Marshall speakers into one ecosystem — for free, which is a brilliant retention move and means your vintage gear doesn't become obsolete with the upgrade. The company launched Heddon separately in January but bundling it this way effectively makes upgrading an existing setup worth it rather than just buying new hardware to replace old units you already love. So yeah Stanmore still has bigger coverage for living rooms while Acton is the bedroom powerhouse, both now on a much stronger platform than their predecessors and at prices that actually make sense for what they deliver.
Source: https://www.engadget.com/2209353/marshall-acton-iv-stanmore-iv-speakers/
The audio engineering story gets even cooler with Auracast support letting you sync multiple speakers to play the same track across a room, and they didn't forget the analog crowd — both have RCA inputs for record players plus a 3.5mm AUX on top so your old hi-fi kit still connects seamlessly. But here is the real kicker: if you buy two or more new Acton IV/Stanmore IV units from their site you get Heddon — their $300 streaming hub that links multiple older Marshall speakers into one ecosystem — for free, which is a brilliant retention move and means your vintage gear doesn't become obsolete with the upgrade. The company launched Heddon separately in January but bundling it this way effectively makes upgrading an existing setup worth it rather than just buying new hardware to replace old units you already love. So yeah Stanmore still has bigger coverage for living rooms while Acton is the bedroom powerhouse, both now on a much stronger platform than their predecessors and at prices that actually make sense for what they deliver.
Source: https://www.engadget.com/2209353/marshall-acton-iv-stanmore-iv-speakers/