Marshall Willen II

Inside the box

The Marshall Willen II is available in Black & Brass or Cream and comes in a darkly designed box with a USB cable and quick-start guide. Once unboxed, the 10.5 x 10.5 x 4.3 cm unit feels small enough to wrap in one hand. The snakeskin-style tolex covering stretches across its frame and can be peeled away if needed.

Weighing 360 g, the Marshall Willen II feels surprisingly solid thanks to its metal grille adorned with the iconic Marshall logo. Rated IP67, it shrugs off dust, dirt and rain and can even survive being submerged in one metre of water for 30 minutes. On the rear, a detachable elastic strap makes it easy to attach the speaker to a backpack, bike handlebar or rigging bar.

Controls are on top: a main power button, Bluetooth key, five-LED battery indicator and a small microphone inlet for hands-free calling. The familiar golden multi-directional control knob sits at the top right of the front grille.

Behind the grille, a 2-inch full-range driver powered by a 38-watt Class-D amplifier and two passive radiators provide up to 17 hours of playtime at moderate volume.

Functions and controls

The Marshall Willen II runs Bluetooth 5.3 LE and supports Auracast, though no actual features are implemented for it yet. Codec details aren’t specified. Pairing is quick and straightforward, and multipoint is supported, allowing multiple devices to connect on the fly. With line of sight, the wireless range can extend up to 100 metres.

All playback and call handling is done via the multi-directional knob, which is responsive and intuitive.

The Marshall app (iOS/Android) offers three EQ presets, battery health management tools, and firmware update support. The feature set is minimal, and a sleep timer is notably absent – the speaker is essentially “always on.”

Sound of the Marshall Willen II

Whenever I test a Marshall speaker, I instinctively reach for rock – though not necessarily Def Leppard or Bonfire, but something like Pink Floyd’s 2018 remix of Animals. And the Marshall Willen II surprises: it doesn’t sound thin or weak, as its size might suggest.

Instead, in near-field listening it delivers a bass-driven, full-bodied sound with lively mids and highs. Worn close to the body, for example clipped to a rucksack strap, the little Brit produces a rich, energetic output that feels satisfyingly weighty.

That said, expectations should be realistic. This is still a mono box with limited depth and resolution, and its sound projection sweet spot isn’t particularly wide. Placed directly in front of you, however, it can fill your headspace with surprising force and even send out a few bass waves.

The Marshall Willen II handles other genres—pop, electronic, even jazz—competently too. It maintains tonal stability almost up to maximum volume, only starting to sound strained and a little harsh at its limits.

Verdict

The Marshall Willen II impresses with how much sound it squeezes out of its tiny frame. Kept within reasonable volume, it delivers an enjoyable, bassy, and characterful performance. Its rugged build, featherweight portability and strap system mean you can take it anywhere and have solid sound close by.

Feature-wise it’s on the sparse side—just three EQ presets and no timer—but for many users, what matters most is that it looks, feels and sounds like a true Marshall. Small in size, big in attitude: rock small, rock hard – the Marshall Willen II.