Marshall Acton IV Review

Design

• Classic Marshall amp look
• Reconfigured controls
• New RCA input

The look of the Acton IV is not all that different from the Action III – at least from a distance – but Marshall’s taken a look at the controls and made a few tweaks.

Controlling the Acton IV is a lovely experience. From the brass top panel that features a switch, dials and media jobs, it has a very tactile feel and sound – the power switch ‘clicks’ as if it were a guitar amp: the media jog you nudge to and fro while the dials turn smoothly for control over volume, bass and treble EQ. It’s as if Marshall wants you to ignore the app altogether. There’s also a customisable ‘M’ button, but more on that later.

The speaker itself is built from a combination of recycled ABS plastic and MDF wood that’s FSC 100% certified as coming from sustainable sources – give it a knock and it certainly feels tough. Pick it up, and there’s heft to the speaker as well.

Repairability and replaceability have been a focus of Marshall’s recent speakers, and it’s no different here. The knobs, grille and feet are replaceable through the Marshall website.

Underneath the speaker is where you’ll find the power input (a detachable figure-of-8 cable) and the RCA input (for a turntable or other RCA-toting device), while up top is the 3.5mm AUX input to plug in an audio device through that. If you’re connecting to a turntable, make sure it has a built-in phono stage or, if it doesn’t, have a dedicated phono amp act as the middleman between the Acton IV and the turntable.

Your choice of colour is black (with grey grille and golden trims) or the fetching cream version. Either one looks distinctive in the now established Marshall aesthetic, making the Acton IV a stylish effort that’s meant to stand out.

Features

• LDAC Bluetooth
• Marshall app
• Spotify Tap

I’ve mentioned the wired connectivity, but this is first and foremost a wireless speaker, and it comes with Bluetooth but no Wi-Fi.

I find that slightly disappointing, especially for a speaker designed for the home. It would make sense to tap into the Wi-Fi network and unleash all the spoils that level of connectivity would bring, but that’s not the case. Like the Bose SoundLink Home, this comes sans Wi-Fi support.

In any case, there’s Bluetooth 5.3, and you can stream in SBC, AAC, LC3 and, surprisingly, LDAC, which brings (lossy) hi-res wireless audio into the equation. Bluetooth multipoint allows for streaming to two devices at once, while Auracast Bluetooth support means you can stream from and to other compatible Bluetooth sources by locating them in the Marshall app (which is different from the Marshall Bluetooth app).

Going back to the lack of Wi-Fi, Marshall would counter this by mentioning that it’s a Heddon streaming hub. That would open the Acton IV to the likes of Spotify Tap (which it already supports via Bluetooth) and brings into play Tidal Connect, Google Cast and AirPlay 2. If you’ve got older Marshall speakers, you can cable them to the Heddon and create a multi-room set-up of sorts through that.

What else can the Acton IV do? The Dynamic Loudness feature is envisaged to make subtle adjustments to the highs and lows depending on the volume you play music at, so you’re still getting – at least Marshall says you are – a clear, warm and rich sound whether you like to play it loud or are trying not to disturb anyone.

The customisable ‘M’ button is a little limited in use, as it can only be used to store EQ settings or enable Spotify Tap – great if you’ve got a preferred EQ for certain music or subscribe to Spotify, but not so much anything else. There’s a choice of three EQ options you can program into this feature.

The Placement Compensation (close to an edge? Close to a wall?) offers a simple way to optimise the speaker’s performance. With the EQ, you’ve got a range of options from the default Marshall sound to mid/treble boost, mid reduction and Bass Boost. You’ve got three slots to play with, all of which are pre-assigned out of the box. The Custom option provides a five-band EQ, and you can adjust the EQ on Bluetooth, AUX and RCA sources.

Going through these features also explains much of what the app does too. Other titbits include volume control, source selection, firmware updates, and adjusting the brightness of the LED. It’s a simple, uncomplicated app and there’s little wrong with that.

Sound Quality

• Warmth, smooth approach
• Big sound
• Powerful but balanced bass

I had suspected the Marshall Acton IV would sound like many a Bluetooth speaker for the home, good but with the feel that with Wi-Fi it could have sounded better – that’s not the case here. The Acton IV sounds really good for a Bluetooth speaker.

There’s a power and depth to the bass (thanks to the redesigned port on its underside), and in terms of the sound signature Marshall is going for, I think it ticks it off. A warm performance with a smooth midrange and clear highs – for me, it’s a sound that’s solidly balanced and fluent. It sounds really good across a range of tracks I fling at it.

The width of the sound is not much bigger than the speaker but it does sound big, likely the result of the revamped waveguides filtering sound out and away from the speaker. The bass carries heft and power without intruding on midrange, which is smooth in description.

Because of its warmth, I wouldn’t describe the midrange as the most insightful. Neither does it sound the most energetic, like a Bose SoundLink Max, but it is able to carry a decent sense of energy and rhythm with The Comet is Coming’s Pyramids.

A play of GoGo Penguins Ascent and the treble notes come across clear and varied, as well as bright but measured without overstepping into harshness. The bass is balanced and assertive but doesn’t dominate proceedings either. The clarity and variation of the low end also stand out. And as well as that, the soundstage isn’t bunched up to the point where you struggle to hear what’s playing. It could be more detailed, sure, but from the highs to the lows, the Acton IV sounds well-tuned.

I feed it some rock n roll tracks – Marshall’s bread and butter – and there’s a good sense of momentum and energy to Queens of the Stone Age’s Go With the Flow, with a good pocket in the middle of the speaker’s soundstage for vocals, vocals that come across naturally whether it’s Chris Cornell’s in Black Hole Sun or Abigail Morris’s in the Last Dinner Party’s Nothing Matters.

That sense of momentum and energy carries Marc Rebillet’s Reach Out from beginning to end; the sense of stereo separation makes a mark too with this track. The tone of the speaker I’ve enjoyed – the hits on the snare drum in Black Hole sound right, and the naturalism provided to vocals.

Does it maintain the same balance at high and lower volumes? It certainly makes a din when it gets loud, but with Slipknot’s Duality, the louder it gets, the more the energy and power flow, but clarity and detail levels fall, along with a soundstage that begins to sound cramped.

At lower volumes, it lacks energy and power, and might sound a little less natural too. Level 5 in terms of volume is where it starts to sound good; level 7 is where it hits its stride.

Connecting the Acton IV to a Sharp TT100 with Phoebe Bridgers’ Punisher album playing, the warmth of the record is faithfully transferred to the speaker, along with all the cracks and hisses (I really should give the vinyl a proper clean). I do find the volume needs to be cranked up, as it does sound quiet compared to Bluetooth, and pumping the volume up does give bass more presence – but it seems fitting for this vinyl record at least, giving it a sizeable, weighty low-end without impinging on the vocals.

The Acton IV surprised me. It might not sound as clear as a Wi-Fi speaker, but tonally I like what it’s going for, and in terms of tuning it’s fluent: clear and detailed, smooth sounding and warm, powerful but with control too. It’s an easy listen, and it makes the lack of Wi-Fi almost forgivable.

Should you buy it?