Ah, party speakers. The giant behemoths of 'portable' speakers – well, speakers on wheels, typically – that certainly have their place in the market, but ultimately for a niche section of performers more than your everyday folk.
But beyond the flashing multi-coloured lights of Sony's and JBL's efforts, I was previewed a forthcoming party speaker from iconic British brand, Marshall. Yes, really. And while I never knew we needed one, what I was shown absolutely makes me more excited than I thought possible.
It's called the Marshall Bromley 750. And, before we dig deeper into it, I'll get the elephant in the room out of the way first: while Marshall will be including integrated lighting in this product, it's "inspired by stage lights" and absolutely does not feature multi-coloured output.
As you can see in the image in the gallery below, it's more like a warm off-white stage spotlight. Just lots of them. Which I think is an altogether classier offering that – for Marshall's brand identity, in particular – is the perfect choice. There will be three preset options for how those lights function, too.
I've not seen the real speaker in action just yet, however, only the press photos in the gallery above. And while I'll still reserve some judgement until I get to see it, I think it's possibly the best-looking party speaker ever.
While Bromley 750 specification was thin on the ground when I first got an intro to the product, it's clear Marshall has done its research. This party speaker is IP54 water-resistant, while the top-mounted speakers feature a drain feature to ensure water runs out of them in the event of being caught in a downpour.
The speaker will be designed for 360-degree sound output, to avoid the excessively directional audio that such stacks often present, which is spot on for an outdoorsy product such as this.
I love that Marshall has doubled down on its classic amplifier style, too, with classic power switch to handle source and media controls. There are adjustment knobs, too, for controlling 'character' – effectively the bass balance adjustment – in an arrangement that looks like a stage amp, really.
The Marshall Bromley 750 will go on pre-sale from 23 September, with a price of £899.99 / $1,299.99 / AU$1999.99, and availability at 'select retailers' from 30 September.
In a market that I didn't know needed any more additions, it's great to see a classier offering bring greater variety. Marshall is king of the stage amps. And now it looks like it's king of the party speakers too.
