It’s extremely rare for me to hand out a five-star review to any product, but the Marshall Heston 120 managed to break the mold. I was astonished by its awesome Dolby Atmos performance, stunning looks, and above all mesmerizing musicality. That’s not to mention its room-filling bass output, which helps it to stand among the very best Dolby Atmos soundbars money can buy.
But I was curious. Sure, the Heston 120’s bass output was fantastic given its stature as a standalone, one-box soundbar. But, interestingly, it comes with an RCA port, which enables you to hook up an external wired subwoofer from any brand, and really take low-frequency output to another level.
I decided there was only one thing I could do… bring in a giant sub and hear how it sounds for myself.
I went for the Q Acoustics Q Sub120 – a 600W, 50lbs (22.7kg), 12-inch (30.5cm) beast of a subwoofer that promises to deliver an “infra-bass low frequency effect you can feel as well as hear”. But is that a true reflection of what I experienced? Oh, you betcha.
An earth-shaking combination
So, after connecting the Q Sub120 to the Heston 120 via an included RCA cable, I was ready to go. I threw on Studio Ghibli’s The Boy and the Heron – one of my absolute go-to movies when soundbar testing. And to say I was blown away would be an understatement.
During one scene, the protagonist, Mahito, is conversing with the heron, before a horde of frogs enter the fray exclaiming “JOIN US” in Japanese. A truly thunderous bass rumble accompanies the frogs collectively roaring this phrase over and over again, and with the Q Sub120 in use, I was shaking in my seat. No, I wasn’t (that) scared; it was just a result of the woofer’s huge power.
As the frogs continued their chants, I felt the room start to tremble, with the sub’s boom consuming all around me. Some colleagues downstairs feared the floor may give in… I apologized profusely. Others were drawn in by the boom of the Q Sub120, with one claiming she could still feel the bass shake after leaving the room – that’s the level of impact we’re talking.
You can adjust the Q Sub120’s level between 0 and 10 – and at 10, it truly is cinematic. I watched The Boy and the Heron in theaters, and with this tech, I almost felt transported back in time to my reclining seat. With a frequency response that dips down to 28Hz and a max SPL at one meter of 114dB, you’re going to hear bass notes swallow your room whole.
An awesome experience that still won’t suit all
I have to admit, as breathtaking as this experience was, I don’t think I’ll be able to experience the Q Sub120’s raw power back at home. You see, my living room is in the small-to-medium-sized region, meaning that Q Acoustics’ woofer would just be overkill. Similarly, if you have a living space that’s on the smaller side of things, I’m not sure this would be the best fit for you.
There are smaller options in the Q Sub line that might fit your setup – namely the 8-inch Q Sub80 and 10-inch Q Sub100. These will also set you back a lot less, coming in at $899 / £599 (around AU$1,200) and $1,049 / £699 (about AU$1,400) respectively. The Q Sub120, for reference, is priced at $1,199 / £799 (around AU$1,600).
And yes, I considered a 16-inch sub for writing this feature, but we’re getting beyond anything that’s a reasonable fit for a soundbar at that size. At least 12 inches gives me something bigger than the you get from basically any soundbar’s included sub.
If you do have the space, the Q Sub120 can take your Marshall Heston 120, or any compatible sound system, to new heights. Even when listening to music, the increased low-end immersion was enchanting.
I tried tuning into HOME MEETING by Sadao Watanabe via Tidal Connect, and the funky bassline had phenomenal clarity, almost creating a live music feel. At the same time, the soundbar’s sensational handling of leading sax, high-pitched percussion and jazzy keys maintained its place in the limelight, never sounding overshadowed by the sub (well, unless its power level was set too high).
As I say, my apartment’s limited space means that the Q Sub120 probably won’t be gracing my living room anytime soon. But that’s fine. The Heston 120 is a top-class soundbar in its own right, and it can produce pumping, almost daunting bass all on its own. But if you’ve got space aplenty and indeed enough cash, the Q Acoustics Q Sub120 will enable you to really feel the rumble, and it’s great that the Marshall Heston 120 is one of the few soundbars that allows it.
Before I disappear, it’s worth noting for the true Marshall lovers that you won’t have to wait too long before the rockin’ and rollin’ audio manufacturer brings its own sub to market.
The Heston Sub 200 is set to launch later this year – and you can expect it to really ramp up the Heston’s already imposing low-end output… but with a rating of 200 watts, it probably won’t match what I tried here. We’ll keep you updated with all the details there as they come.
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harry.padoan@futurenet.com (Harry Padoan)
