If you want better Home theater integration
Choose Samsung Q800F. It scores 5.0 vs 2.5 for Home theater integration, with a 4.2 overall score.
Marshall Heston 60 Soundbar Review
Bottom Line
Choose the Heston 60 if you want bold sound, excellent bass, distinctive styling and flexible connectivity in a compact bar. Skip it if you prioritize the cheapest value, rear-speaker expansion, a physical remote or consistently enveloping Atmos.
Best for
Best for smaller or medium rooms where compact size, distinctive styling, strong music playback, punchy bass, and flexible wired or wireless connectivity matter more than full rear-speaker surround.
Not for
Skip it if you want the lowest price, dedicated rear-speaker expansion, HDMI passthrough, a physical remote, or consistently enveloping Atmos from a single bar.
Verdict
The Heston 60 makes a strong case for premium compact soundbars by combining unusually punchy bass, clear dialogue, engaging music performance and distinctive Marshall styling in a chassis that fits smaller TVs and rooms. Its wired and wireless connectivity is unusually flexible, and repairable parts add long-term appeal. The tradeoffs are meaningful, though: Dolby Atmos height and wraparound immersion vary substantially by room and source, the app can be buggy or slow, rear-speaker expansion is absent, and there is no HDMI passthrough or dedicated remote. Most importantly, the price puts it against cheaper compact rivals and even some soundbar-plus-subwoofer packages. It is easiest to justify when space, design, music performance and connection flexibility matter as much as maximum home-theater immersion.
Feature Scorecards
Summary
55 reviewed features-
Very positive 4.5-5.036 (65%)
-
Positive 3.5-4.48 (15%)
-
Neutral 2.5-3.48 (15%)
-
Negative 1.5-2.43 (5%)
Pros
-
Design is a major selling point. The amp-inspired grille, gold accents, cream option and magnetic details make this one of the most distinctive compact soundbars around.
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The Heston 60 earns strong overall praise as a stylish, compact and capable soundbar. Its premium price, software quirks and limited expansion keep it from being an automatic choice for everyone.
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This is particularly well suited to small and medium rooms, where its compact footprint still produces surprisingly full, powerful sound.
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Overall sound quality is consistently strong, especially for a compact bar, with punchy bass, clear mids and convincing scale for movies and music.
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Bass is one of the Heston 60’s biggest surprises, with unusually strong punch and weight for such a small bar. Deep sub-bass still benefits from an added subwoofer.
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Basic setup is one of the easiest parts of ownership: HDMI hookup is quick, and most testers were up and running with little effort.
Cons
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Rear-speaker expansion is a clear weakness: there are no matching rear channels, so owners cannot build the same kind of wraparound system available from Sonos and some other rivals.
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The lack of HDMI passthrough is a recurring practical limitation for owners who want to connect source devices through the soundbar.
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There is no HDMI passthrough for consoles or other HDMI-reliant devices, so gaming setups may lose a convenient connection path.
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The Heston 60 works well as a compact one-box TV solution, but its home-theater ecosystem is less expandable than rivals because rear channels are not supported.
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The USB-C port is of limited appeal in this compact setup; one tester was unsure what practical use it offered.
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A/V sync is adjustable in the app, but one tester had to correct the delay manually at the start of a movie.
Compared With Category Average
Compared with other Soundbars, this product is above average in Bluetooth codec support, Size and TV fit, Wired input, near average in Bass performance, Overall product quality, below average in Rear speaker versatility, Home theater integration, USB-C charging.
Comparison summary
53 compared features-
Above average 0.4+ pts higher25 (47%)
-
Same as average within 0.3 pts16 (30%)
-
Below average 0.4+ pts lower12 (23%)
Largest category differences
| Attribute | This product | Category average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth codec support | 5.0 | 3.3 | +1.8 |
| Rear speaker versatility | 2.3 | 3.9 | -1.6 |
| Home theater integration | 2.5 | 4.0 | -1.5 |
| USB-C charging | 2.5 | 4.0 | -1.5 |
| Latency with TV (lip sync) | 3.0 | 4.3 | -1.3 |
| Size and TV fit | 4.7 | 3.6 | +1.1 |
| Wired input | 5.0 | 3.8 | +1.2 |
| Sound Elevation | 4.8 | 3.7 | +1.1 |
Consider This Instead
If you want better Rear speaker versatility
Choose Klipsch Flexus Core 100. It scores 5.0 vs 2.3 for Rear speaker versatility, with a 3.9 overall score.
If you want better USB-C charging
Choose JBL Bar 1300MK2. It scores 5.0 vs 2.5 for USB-C charging, with a 4.4 overall score.
If you want better Surround sound simulation
Choose KEF XIO. It scores 4.6 vs 3.6 for Surround sound simulation, with a 4.4 overall score.
Compared in Reviews
Products reviewers directly compared with this model, grouped into quick takeaways.
- Cheaper: price The Heston 60 is priced above its main Sonos rival.
- Better: dialogue clarity The Sonos Beam Gen 2 has an edge in dialogue clarity.
- Worse: bass performance The Heston 60 delivers stronger bass than the Sonos Beam (Gen 2).
Beam Gen 2
- Compared: Dolby Atmos consistency The Heston 60 has more consistent Atmos, while the Beam has slightly better dynamics.
Heston 120
- Better: bass performance The Heston 60 cannot match the Heston 120's room-filling bass.
FAQ
Is the Heston 60 powerful enough without a subwoofer?
Yes. Its built-in bass is repeatedly praised as unusually punchy for a compact bar, and several testers felt it works well on its own. The optional Heston Sub 200 adds deeper, more cinematic low-end impact.
How good is Dolby Atmos on the Heston 60?
It depends on the room and content. Some testers heard convincing overhead movement and strong height, while others found the presentation wide but not truly enveloping because there are no rear speakers and height performance is inconsistent.
Is the Heston 60 a good fit for small TVs and rooms?
Yes. Its compact 73cm-wide form was repeatedly praised for smaller TVs, narrow stands, bedrooms, and small-to-medium living rooms while still producing surprisingly large sound.
Is the Marshall app reliable?
The app is feature-rich and generally intuitive, but reliability is mixed. Some testers found it stable, while others reported pairing problems, slow reconnects, loading delays, freezes, and minor bugs.
Can you add a subwoofer or rear speakers?
You can add Marshall’s Heston Sub 200 wirelessly or use a third-party powered sub through the RCA output. Rear-speaker expansion is not supported, which limits full surround-system growth.
Is the Heston 60 worth its premium price?
It is easiest to justify if you value compact size, standout design, strong music performance, flexible connectivity, and repairability. Value is less convincing if you prioritize lower cost, rear-speaker expansion, or maximum Atmos immersion.
Sample Expert Reviews We Analyzed
These are a few of the reviews included in our analysis.
Video Reviews
YouTube - Sound Advice: hi-fi, TV and home cinema reviews
- Review score
- 4.7
Article Reviews
bgr.com
The Marshall Heston 60 soundbar offers both a stunning design and great audio, but the device's limitations bring the value proposition into...
- Review score
- 4.2
mashable.com
The Marshall Heston 60 is a stylish, compact soundbar that's not just for small spaces, especially when paired with the Heston Sub 200.
- Review score
- 3.9
trustedreviews.com
Great for music and movies alike; the only downside is the Heston 60 doesn't really deliver the full surround sound experience
- Review score
- 4.4
architeg-prints.com
Explore how the Marshall Heston 60 redefines compact soundbars with powerful audio and stylish design that challenges Sonos and Bose.
- Review score
- 4.8
tomsguide.com
The Sonos Beam Gen 2 is a great soundbar, but the Marshall Heston 60 is better in a few ways, making it excellent for small spaces.
- Review score
- 5.0
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