Marshall's Uxbridge Voice Brings in Alexa and AirPlay 2

Marshall‘s latest offering transforms its conventional Bluetooth speakers into a modern voice assistant.

Aptly named the Uxbridge Voice, the new speakers also provide traditional Bluetooth connectivity as well as Spotify Connect but has now been upgraded to support Amazon’s voice assistant Alexa and Apple’s streaming technology AirPlay 2. The two new features also mean that the new device can be paired with other voice assistant speakers creating a network for a multi-room setup. In addition, Zound Industries has promised that support for Google Assistant, although it will come as a fully separate version of the Uxbridge Voice arriving on June 11 instead of an additional function through a software update.

As to its physical aspects, the new speaker stands at 168cm tall and weighs only 1.39kg. Unlike Marshall’s more traditional models, which use guitar amp-like knobs for its controls, the model here has opted for a more tech-savvy rocker button layout, with three long stripes running across the top surface allowing you to adjust its volume, bass, and treble. Two extra round buttons on either side give you the option to pause and play as well as toggle the voice assistant’s microphone.

For those interested, the Marshall Uxbridge Voice will be available April 8 at select retailers, going for $199 USD.

In other tech releases, Saint Laurent has teamed up with Happy Plugs for a pair of patterned wireless earbuds.