The Dark and Uncomfortable Truth About Marshall Bluetooth Speakers feat. Chinese Capital

Marshall (or Marshall, whatever), a British brand with 63 years of tradition, famous for making guitar amps. And Marshall's Bluetooth speakers, featuring the same cool logo as their amps. But not many people know that Marshall Bluetooth speakers aren't actually made by Marshall. Does anyone know of a speaker brand called Urbanears? Probably not. Zound Industries, which appeared like a comet in 2008. Companies that appear like comets in this industry usually come with special technology, but Zound came with nothing like that. They pushed the low-cost speaker brand Urbanears with minimalist design and colors, made in China, and released it into the budget speaker market. This is what it looks like. (It's the photo's doing. In reality, the plastic color is dull).

It was a common Bluetooth speaker with a built-in battery that was dumped for the lowest price of around 50,000 won, with no special audio tech. Doesn't it look familiar?

AI Translated Image

About two years after launching Urbanears, in 2010, Zound Industries bought Marshall's brand and design for their cheap Urbanears speakers, dressed them up in Marshall's clothes, and manufactured Marshall Bluetooth speakers in China. When you slap Marshall's history and brand, bought with money, onto them, the price naturally goes up. A lot. And things like this

Dressed in Marshall's clothes

are born like this. This is the essence of Marshall Bluetooth speakers and headphones. Therefore, they are born destined to struggle with issues like QC, inconsistent sound quality, frequent breakdowns and durability, and counterfeit problems. Thanks to the power of 'Chai-Fi' (Chinese Hi-Fi), speaker quality has generally improved, so they at least sound listenable, but nowadays, there are no speakers at that price that can't produce that level of sound. After that Zound Industries, which made and sold Marshall Bluetooth speakers, made a big bet in 2023 by acquiring Marshall. Zound Industries, known as a Swedish company, was actually a company listed in Hong Kong, so the source of its capital is obvious. And they changed their company name from Zound Industries to Marshall Group. Zound Industries proudly writes 'We are Marshall' on their website, and in an instant, speakers that have been around for about 15 years are rebranded as a 63-year-old brand. Another Twist In 2025, China's HongShan Capital Group (HSG) will acquire Marshall Group, making it a complete Chinese company. Furthermore, Qualcomm's parts, which at least justified the high price, will be replaced with obscure Chinese parts. The End.