Marshall, the brand famous for its guitar amps and rock ’n’ roll heritage, is stepping into the home theater world with its very first soundbar: the Heston 120. It’s a bold move into a crowded space filled with heavy-hitters like Sonos and Sony, but Marshall is aiming to stand out by combining home theater sound with something most soundbars struggle with—great music performance.

Let’s face it, most soundbars are built with movies in mind, and music tends to come as an afterthought. Marshall says the Heston 120 was designed to handle both equally well. That makes sense, given the brand’s roots in music. If you stream playlists through your TV as often as you watch Netflix, this could be worth a look.

Inside the bar, there’s a 5.1.2-channel setup powered by 11 drivers: five full-range drivers, two tweeters, two mid-woofers, and two subwoofers. Each one gets its own Class D amp, with a total power output that peaks at 150 watts. The drivers are angled in different directions to spread sound throughout your room, which should help with that sense of immersion whether you’re watching an action scene or listening to an album.

The Heston 120 also supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, so if you’ve got the right content and a decent room setup, you can expect a pretty spacious audio experience. And with built-in room calibration—accessible through the Marshall app—it’ll tweak its sound to suit your space.

There are dedicated sound modes too, including Movie, Music, Night, and Voice, so you can quickly adjust things depending on what you’re doing.

“We spent hundreds of hours fine tuning Heston 120. It was important to us that we spent equal time and effort on both TV and music, not one over the other," says Marshall's Audio Technology and Tuning Lead Ed Camphor.

Looks-wise, the Heston 120 doesn’t try to blend in—it’s got that familiar Marshall aesthetic from top to bottom. Think black fabric grille, gold script logo, and knurled metal knobs that resemble the controls on its iconic amps. Those knobs aren’t just for show either; you can use them to adjust volume, bass, treble, and input source.

Prefer to use an app? Marshall has you covered there, too. The companion app lets you fine-tune EQ settings, save presets, and stream music from services like Spotify and Tidal. It also gives access to internet radio and offers multi-device control.

In terms of connections, the Heston 120 is pretty flexible. HDMI eARC makes it easy to hook up to your TV, while HDMI passthrough means you can run devices like Blu-ray players or gaming consoles through the soundbar itself. That passthrough supports up to 4K/120Hz with Dolby Vision HDR, which is handy if your TV is short on HDMI 2.1 ports.

Wireless streaming is well-supported, too. There’s Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.3 with support for LE Audio and Auracast. You’ll also find Google Cast, Apple AirPlay, and even an Ethernet port for a more stable connection. And if you’ve got some older gear, the Heston 120 includes an RCA input—a nice nod to vinyl and vintage audio fans.

One of the more interesting things about the Heston 120 is its repairability. Marshall says nearly all the internal parts can be replaced, and you’ll be able to order those directly from their site. That’s a major plus in a world where many soundbars (including some premium ones) require full replacements or factory repairs for even minor issues.

The Heston 120 isn’t just a one-off—it’s the first in a new line of home theater products from Marshall. There’s a smaller Heston 60 soundbar on the way, plus a standalone subwoofer called the Heston Sub 200. No word yet on pricing or release dates for those, but it sounds like Marshall is building a whole home audio ecosystem.

The Marshall Heston 120 is priced at $999 in the U.S. and £899 in the U.K., which puts it in direct competition with soundbars like the Sonos Arc Ultra and Sony’s Theatre Bar 9. Both of those models are highly rated, so the Heston 120 has some serious competition right out of the gate.

It’s available to pre-order now on Marshall’s website and will begin shipping on June 3. Wider retail availability is expected by mid-September.