I don't just share a name with Marshall, the legendary speaker brand. I share founder Jim Marshall's love of extremely loud music too. I've played through plenty of Marshall amps in my time, so I'm always excited to see new wireless speakers from the firm – especially ones that won't do your back in if you have to carry them up a stairwell. Marshall's best Bluetooth speakers deliver powerful sound from impressively small designs, and the new Middleton is no exception.
The Marshall Middleton is a mid-range model, sat between the firm's popular Stockwell and Emberton speakers. It's a four-speaker device with Marshall's True Stereophonic system for 360-degree audio, and it has a Dynamic Loudness setting to keep things sounding clear as well as punchy. And of course, it has that iconic logo on the front.
Could this be the perfect portable speaker for you?
The specifications here are impressive. There's 20+ hours from a single charge, and the Middleton doubles as a power bank so you can charge your phone or other devices when you're out and about. It's rated IP67 for water and dust resistance so it's pretty much festival-proof, and Marshall's Stack Mode means you can create your own mini Marshall Stack by combining multiple speakers together for a wall of sound – although with its 2 x 20W and 2 x 10W Class D amplifiers the Middleton is capable of filling any room on its own.
Hefty sound doesn't mean a hefty device, though. The Middleton is a lot smaller than its sound suggests, coming in at just 230 x 109 x 95mm and weighing 1.8kg. That's a lot less than any Marshall I've ever had to shift.
The Middleton is available from all the usual retailers and has a recommended price of £269 / $299.
