Marshall’s Bromley 450 is a party speaker, guitar amp, and karaoke machine in one

Is the Marshall Bromley 450 a guitar amp or a Bluetooth speaker? How about both? The roughly 25-pound speaker has instrument and microphone inputs, so it can be your portable gig machine. But it also features up to 40 hours of battery life and drivers on both sides for 360-degree sound. All in all, it’s a rocking party speaker.

While the audio quality and features of the Bromley 450 are impressive, the speaker is still expensive and bulky. Whether you need all it offers will largely hinge on your social life. 

I’ve been using it around the backyard, at the park, and in other places to get a sense of what it can do, and it hasn’t let me down. If you are a musician who wants a speaker and amp combo, this could be the one.

360-degree sound and built-in light show

Marshall’s iconic style spans its entire audio line from headphones and earbuds to home audio and portable speakers. The Bromley 450 is no different. Its volume and media knobs are across the front and give the impression of rock 'n roll. The inputs are on the back, hidden under a protective cover.

There are a few differences with this speaker, however. Unlike some of the other smaller portable speakers from the company, this one features lights across the front and 360-degree sound.

To achieve the sound from both sides, you do get some drivers on the back and sides of the cabinet. While I like the idea of the omnidirectional sound, I never found myself needing it. It almost seemed wasted to blast my neighbors when I placed the speaker in the corner of my backyard.

If you’re skeptical about the Bromley 450 being a party speaker, then you only need to press the “M” button on the front, which, by default, will strobe the front lights. Heads up, it’s bright. Otherwise, the lights have three different patterns or can be turned off.

Not only does the Bromley 450 have two instrument or microphone inputs on the back, but it also has an aux input and RCA connectors. With the help of an iPad, this is an instant karaoke speaker. To try the instrument portion, I plugged in my acoustic Taylor bass guitar, and it worked just fine. You can even add basic effects right from the front of the speaker. This isn't an amp replacement, but it should handle light "gigging" and casual living room amplification.

The downside of a 25-pound “portable” speaker

Most of the features of the Bromley 450 are great. That includes the battery. Not only does the speaker have 40 hours of battery life, but the battery is removable. That means that instead of lugging the 25-pound speaker to an outlet, you can pop the battery out and recharge it wherever it is convenient. You can also use it as a phone charger in a pinch.

Theoretically, you could buy a spare battery and swap them out, but I don’t see anyone needing more than 40 hours of runtime without having access to an outlet or charger.

It’s not all roses. I’m not crazy about the only handle being on the side, instead of having one on top. It’s a very minor complaint, but it never felt right trying to grab the handle from the side and tipping the speaker over as I pick it up. It works, but something about it feels off.

Of course, if you get Marshall’s bigger version, the Marshall Bromley 750, it has wheels and a telescoping pull handle. No handle debate at all.

Is the Marshall Bromley 450 worth buying?

The Marshall Bromley 450 is a stunning Bluetooth speaker. It’s packed with power and features, including the ability to plug in a guitar and microphone. Despite the annoying handle orientation, it’s the $800 retail price that’s the only real hurdle to fully recommending the Marshall Bromley 450.

As a big speaker, it’s a little overpriced. You probably want to look at a different option for just playing tunes. However, if you can justify the use of the speaker for multiple purposes, like karaoke, Little League games, backyard barbeques, light gigging, and general music listening, then it should be a much better value.