Compact Soundbars: Small Frames, Big Sound
A compact soundbar is a slim, space-saving speaker system that sits beneath or beside a TV, using tightly packed drivers, smart processing, and wireless connectivity to create room-filling audio that rivals much larger, traditional home-theatre setups. For space-conscious homes, the appeal is clear: less clutter, fewer cables, and performance that no TV’s built-in speakers can match. Modern compact soundbars go beyond basic dialogue enhancement, offering multi-driver arrays, virtual surround modes, and support for streaming platforms. This is where models like the Marshall Heston 60 come in. It is designed as a small-footprint soundbar that can handle TV, movies, and music, while adding character to a room through its amp-inspired styling. As this compact soundbar review shows, size alone no longer predicts how immersive or powerful your living-room audio can be.
Design That Fits Anywhere Yet Stands Out
The Marshall Heston 60 is a case study in how compact soundbars can double as decor. At just over 2.5 inches tall and weighing about six pounds, it slides neatly under most stand-mounted TVs and is light enough to move between rooms. Marshall wraps the cabinet in black or cream faux leather, adds a salt’n’pepper fabric grille and its iconic script logo, and swaps the bigger Heston 120’s top knobs for nearly flush brass-toned buttons that make more sense on a smaller frame. Wall-mounting is well thought out: you get grommets in the box, a removable back compartment cover to guide cables, and magnetic controls and logo that can be repositioned so the bar always looks "right side up." For anyone who wants a stylish system without a bulky soundbar dominating the room, this design approach is a strong draw.
Engineering the Room-Filling Audio Surprise
What sets the Marshall Heston 60 apart is how much sound it can push from such a compact enclosure. Under the hood are seven discrete drivers (five full-range units plus two woofers) with dedicated amplification, outgunning many rivals in this size class that rely on five powered drivers. The bar can process low-frequency effects in a 5.1-channel arrangement, so explosions and soundtracks arrive with more weight than you might expect from a small soundbar. According to Mashable, there were times when the reviewer "would forget that the Sub 200 was unplugged from the wall — such is the Heston 60’s low-end punch." Dialog remains clear in quieter scenes, and the Heston 60 excels at big, cinematic sound, even if very busy soundtracks can cause effects and voices to overlap a little. Overall small soundbar performance here shows how modern engineering narrows the gap with full-size setups.
Smart Features, Flexible Connections, Minimal Fuss
Despite its small footprint, the Heston 60 behaves like a full media hub. Setup for TV is straightforward: connect an HDMI-ARC/eARC cable, plug in power, and let your TV remote manage volume. To unlock its capabilities, the Marshall Wi-Fi app adds Wi-Fi setup, room correction that takes under two minutes, EQ control, and mode selection for music, movies, night, or voice. The bar supports Wi-Fi 6 plus Apple AirPlay, Google Cast, Tidal Connect, Spotify Connect, and Bluetooth 5.3 for streaming. On the rear, an HDMI-ARC/eARC port is joined by a 3.5mm analog input for gear like turntables and a wired subwoofer output. This last detail is key: you can pair Marshall’s wireless Heston Sub 200 or connect almost any powered sub with an RCA input, giving more ways to build a system around a compact core.
Value in a Small Soundbar Package
The Marshall Heston 60 sits at a premium level for compact soundbars, with a list price of USD 699 (approx. RM3,230), above rivals such as the Sonos Beam Gen 2 at USD 499 (approx. RM2,310) and the Bose Smart Soundbar at USD 549 (approx. RM2,540). In return, it offers a distinctive mix of styling, multi-driver power, flexible connectivity, and thoughtful wall-mounting features that many compact options skip. It may not be the first choice if you want the most advanced small-footprint Dolby Atmos experience, but as a compact soundbar review example, it shows how modern models can fill medium to large rooms without the visual bulk of a traditional home-theatre stack. For anyone who cares as much about design as room-filling audio, the Heston 60 proves that a small soundbar can be the centerpiece of a living space rather than an afterthought.