Marshall Acton II won't turn on: fixes in order

Quick answer: The Acton II runs only on mains power and has no battery. Check the power cable at both ends and the wall socket, then pull and hold the power lever towards the front until the lights come on. If nothing lights from a working socket, it needs a repair.

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The fixes, in order

The Acton II Bluetooth plugs into the wall and has no built-in battery. Marshall's troubleshooting for a speaker that won't turn on starts and ends with power, so check that properly before anything else.

1Check the mains cable at both ends

Push the cable firmly into the back of the speaker and into the wall socket. If you have a spare cable of the same type, try it.

2Prove the socket works

Plug a lamp or phone charger into the same socket. If you're using a power strip, check its switch, or plug the speaker straight into the wall.

3Pull and hold the power lever

The power control on top is a lever. Pull it towards the front of the speaker and hold it until the indicator lights come on. A quick flick may not be enough.

4Unplug it for a minute

Unplug at the wall, wait about a minute, plug back in and try the lever again. This clears a speaker that locked up after a power cut.

5Factory reset if it powers on but won't play

If the lights come on but the speaker won't pair or play, hold Source and Play/Pause together for 7 to 10 seconds, until the source lights flash quickly. Then remove Acton II from your phone's Bluetooth list and pair again. The reset clears your settings but keeps the firmware.

When it needs a repair

No lights at all from a socket you've tested, with the cable fully in, points to a failed internal power supply. Contact Marshall support or a qualified repairer. Don't open it: the supply inside runs at mains voltage.

Same problem on a Stanmore II?

The Stanmore II uses the same power lever and reset. See our Stanmore II guide.

What to tell support

Keep a short record of your exact device model, software or app version, the symptom or error text, and which steps you tried. Note what changed after each step. You can print this page for reference.

Do not include passwords, recovery codes or private account details in public comments.

Sources

Video by FixIt Mobile on YouTube. See the linked sources for current manufacturer guidance. Menu names and available features can vary by model and software version. How we check fixes.