Marshall Middleton review

Bluetooth audio system, notably the moveable, battery-powered form, are top-of-the-line equipment you should purchase to your telephone. You’ll be able to hearken to music wherever you go, whether or not it’s shifting from room to room at house, out within the backyard or in your travels.

Marshall’s Middleton sits fairly excessive up within the vary of what most individuals are ready to pay for a Bluetooth speaker, however it justifies its value with frankly excellent sound high quality, 20 hours of battery life and IP67 mud and water resistance amongst different issues.

Options & design

• Rugged rubber casing
• Bass and treble controls
• USB-C and aux enter

The Middleton carries over the design of Marshall’s Emberton speaker however is bigger and heavier. It’s paying homage to Marshall’s guitar amplifier heads, though it’s value figuring out that the Middleton is definitely made by Swedish firm Zound and never Marshall Amplification. However this distinction is just about moot now that the 2 firms have joined forces to create the Marshall Group.

Firm information apart, the oblong kind issue and hefty weight means the Middleton could be very unlikely to get knocked over and even when it does, it feels powerful sufficient to shrug it off.

Jim Martin / Foundry

Controls are all on high, with a brass-coloured multi-directional button within the centre. Up and down alter quantity (amazingly exactly) and left and proper skip tracks. It’s additionally the facility and play/pause button.

There are bass and treble controls so you’ll be able to alter EQ with out resorting to the app, and there are additionally two buttons with hard-to-see labels for Bluetooth pairing (or Stack mode) and battery standing.

Jim Martin / Foundry

Regardless of the absence of a canopy for the USB-C and three.5mm minijack connectors, the Middleton has an IP67 ranking. Which means it may possibly survive being totally submerged in half a metre of water for half-hour.

But when that occurs, it’s in all probability a good suggestion to blow any water out of these ports and anticipate them to completely dry earlier than utilizing them.

Within the field you get a USB-C cable for charging, however no precise charger, and a sturdy rubber carry strap.

Charging is surprisingly gradual, taking 4.5 hours if the battery is totally flat. Even Marshall’s larger, dearer Tufton (which additionally claims 20 hours of playback) costs in virtually half this time.

You should utilize the USB-C port to cost your telephone or pill: fantastic in case your machine additionally makes use of USB-C, however trickier in the event you don’t have, say, a USB-C to Lightning cable for an iPhone.

Marshall has thought-about the setting, and says the Middleton is constituted of 55% post-consumer recycled plastic from used electronics, water bottles and automotive mild covers.

Sound high quality

• 2x 20W amplifiers for 3in 15W woofers
• 2x 10W amplifiers for 3.5in 10W tweeters
• Passive bass radiators

The Middleton is the best-sounding Bluetooth speaker I’ve ever heard. I imply, it ought to be good contemplating the value, however it’s astounding.

As you would possibly count on from the specs above it’s loads loud, however probably the most spectacular factor about it’s the bass. Usually, you settle for {that a} smallish moveable speaker will fail to provide the bottom frequencies and so that you gained’t hear sure elements (or any) of the bass traces within the tracks you realize effectively.

And but the Middleton can. For its measurement, the bass it produces is significantly spectacular, no matter the kind of music you prefer to hearken to. From pop and rock by way of to jazz and soul – even classical – it packs a punch that belies its measurement.

Jim Martin / Foundry

Even if you decrease the amount, that bass doesn’t disappear, which is refreshing. The passive radiators are situated at both finish, with grilles protecting them and the woofers and tweeters face forwards.

Though sound must be produced with none mid-range drivers, vocals are clear and highly effective and there are not any apparent lacking frequencies, no muddiness or overlapping of devices.

Total, readability is superb and also you’ll hear all of the element within the music you stream to the Middleton –regardless of the very fact it helps solely the fundamental SBC codec. You actually wouldn’t know this with out wanting on the specs.

There’s completely no distortion at regular listening ranges and I by no means felt the necessity to flip it as much as the max.

Jim Martin / Foundry

If you would like extra quantity – and have deep pockets – you’ll be able to pair a number of Middletons in ‘Stack’ mode. You don’t should bodily put them on high of one another, so you’ll be able to place them on reverse sides of a room, or as much as 10m aside open air.

Within the week or so I’ve been testing the Middleton it hasn’t wanted recharging. I’ve used it lots, and don’t have any considerations that the declare of 20 hours is overblown.

Value & availability

At £269.99 direct from Marshall Headphones, the Middleton is costly.

It’s $299.99 within the US, once more direct from the Marshall Headphones web site.

It’s also possible to purchase it from Amazon UK and Amazon US for a similar costs.

It’s cheaper than the Sonos Transfer, which additionally helps multi-room, however in the event you’re searching for a good-sounding Bluetooth speaker on a tighter funds, then learn our Emberton II overview or check out our roundup of the very best Bluetooth audio system.

Verdict

A few of the Middleton’s closest rivals come from JBL together with the Excessive 3 and Cost 5. However neither of those has the traditional appears to be like (or the model) that the Marshall Middleton does.

If the value doesn’t put you off, otherwise you discover it on sale for nearer to £220 / $250, then you should not have any hesitation in shopping for a Middleton as we speak.