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Marshall’s flagship Heston 120 Dolby Atmos soundbar now comes in Cream, and so does its wireless partner, the Heston Sub 200. It’s a finish change rather than a new product, but it’s a good moment to look at what the matching sub actually adds, what it costs, and whether a different subwoofer might serve you better.
- The Heston 120 is now available in Cream (£899.99 in the UK), alongside a Cream Heston Sub 200.
- In the US, Marshall sells the Cream Heston 120 and Sub 200 as a bundle for $1,899.98; the Sub 200 alone is $599.99.
- The Sub 200 uses two 5.25-inch drivers and two 120 W Class D amps, with a quoted range of 30–150 Hz.
- The Heston 120 also has a wired subwoofer output, so you can use a third-party sub instead.
Heston 120 and Sub 200 at a glance
| Heston 120 | Heston Sub 200 | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | 5.1.2 Dolby Atmos and DTS:X soundbar | Wireless subwoofer |
| Bass drivers | Two subwoofers plus four passive radiators | Two 5.25-inch drivers |
| Amplification | Eleven Class D amplifiers | 2 × 120 W Class D |
| Quoted range | 40 Hz – 20 kHz | 30 – 150 Hz |
| Connections | HDMI eARC and HDMI input, RCA in, mono sub output | Wireless to Heston soundbars |
| Weight | 7.04 kg (15.5 lb) | 7.62 kg (16.8 lb) |
Does the Heston 120 need the sub?
On paper, the Heston 120 is unusually well equipped for bass, with its own woofers and passive radiators and a quoted low end of 40 Hz. The Sub 200 takes that down to a quoted 30 Hz and, just as importantly, moves the deepest bass out of the bar, which lets the bar play cleaner at higher volume. If you watch a lot of action films in a medium or large room, a sub is worth having; for music and TV in a small room, the bar alone may be enough.
The Sub 200’s two 5.25-inch drivers are compact, so it suits living rooms more than big home theaters. Because it’s wireless, you can move it around to find the best spot; our guide to placing a sub with a soundbar shows where to start.
The alternative: a wired sub
Unusually for a lifestyle soundbar, the Heston 120 has a mono subwoofer output. That means you can connect a conventional powered sub with an RCA cable instead of the Sub 200. For the same $599.99, a larger sealed or ported 10- or 12-inch sub will usually dig deeper and play louder, at the cost of a matching Cream finish and the convenience of wireless. Our best subwoofers under $500 list is a good place to start, and our crossover finder helps with the settings.
Where to buy
Amazon US lists the Heston Sub 200 in Cream and a Heston 120 and Sub 200 bundle in black. Marshall’s own US store has the Cream bundle.
Our take
The Cream finish will matter to anyone matching Marshall’s other speakers, and the Heston 120 remains one of the more capable lifestyle soundbars on paper. The Sub 200 is a convenient match rather than a bass monster; if deep output matters more than looks, the Heston’s wired sub output gives you a better-value route.