Marshall Middleton II review: A speaker that knows what it's doing

It's part and parcel of being a prestige audio brand that you're never really allowed to stand still. Increasingly, leaving a product without any updates for more than a couple of years has started to stand out as a rarity from speaker-makers, and there's always a little more battery life or sound quality to be eked from a given design.

That's partly why some of those updates don't look or feel all that substantial, with a great example being supplied by the Marshall Middleton II. It takes what was a decent go at making one of the best Bluetooth speakers out there, and improves it in ways that you have to check a spec sheet to really notice. I've used it for a couple of weeks to see how it fares on its own two feet.

Price and Availability

The original Middleton came out in mid-2024, so it's been on the block for over a year now, which makes this quite a swift follow-up.

The newer speaker is slightly cheaper here in the UK, at £260 instead of the original's £270 asking price. In the US, it's $329.99, though, which is a $30 rise, so that varies by region.

Either way, the key bit of information is that you can easily find the original Middleton at quite steep discounts right now, especially during sales events, which is something that should be borne in mind when considering the new version.

Design and Features

The life of a tech reviewer means that I write this more often than you might think – if you put this device next to its older version, you'd struggle to tell the difference without some tips.

In the case of the Middleton II, it's as true as ever. When I reviewed the first-generation Middleton back in 2024, I had it in its white colourway, but this time around, I've been using the classic black finish.

So what's changed in the new-gen model? Well, the biggest thing I've noticed is that the control buttons on top of the speaker are now conspicuously ridged, standing out more from the body of the speaker to make them easier to feel and press. It's a subtle change, that's for sure, and the only other eye-catching one is a new and redesigned carrying loop.

It's now a little more elaborate, and in the black design has a contrasting red inside, which looks nice and classy. It's fairly easy to remove, and therefore entirely optional, but handy for moving around what is a heavy speaker. In fact, the Middleton II hasn't shed any weight at all – it's 1.8kg just like its older sibling, which remains very heavy for its size.

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It's also very much the same as how it looked and felt in 2024, for better or worse. If you're a fan of Marshall's 'rock' styling, then I think this speaker will be well up your street. For one thing, it's big enough to have a proper grille on the front, as well as that iconic Marshall logo. It also has the terrific control rocker on its top for skipping tracks and controlling the volume, which I've always liked.

The leatherette finish on everything that isn't a grille is nice to the touch, while the whole speaker sits on two slightly raised rails of rubber to give it stability and stop any vibrations. There's now a small microphone hole on the top, meanwhile, to allow for speakerphone use.

Connection-wise, I'm a little disappointed to find that the speaker is still entirely Bluetooth-reliant, with no Wi-Fi connectivity having been added. That means it's dead simple to use, of course, but a little less flexible than some (Sonos, I'm looking at you).

Battery life has been upped, though, from 20 hours to 30 on a single charge, although I never quite managed that in my testing, as I'll get to later.

There's no pretending this is a particularly novel bit of design from Marshall, given that it's basically the same as what came before, but that means anyone who liked the look of the older Middleton will be just as enthused this time around.

Sound and Performance

If the design of the Middleton II is extremely familiar, and the set of features on offer isn't radically different, then quite a lot comes down to how it performs in actual use. I found it pretty hard to tell the difference compared to last year's model, to be frank, but that's no terrible thing.

Turning first to sound, the Middleton II is a fairly powerful speaker, as befits its size and weight. If you crank it up to its maximum potential it can get really, really loud, but Marshall has done a good enough job with its tuning that I think you're unlikely to need to in most situations.

Marshall is known for an expressive, warm sound, and that's present and correct here – this speaker excels when you stick rock on it (like Bruce Springsteen's evergreen Born to Run). I've found it's perfectly well-suited to other genres, too, from Rosalia's newest album to older and less trendy material.

Still, the difference between models is really subtle, and the main addition that I can really report is Auracast, which makes the newer generation more future-proof for grouping speaker playback.

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Away from sound, you will indeed get a decent chunk more battery life from the Middleton II, although I never managed the advertised 30 hours (which is likely to require real moderation on the volume front).

I also maintain the thought that, at this price, throwing Wi-Fi into the mix would make for a much more flexible and adaptable speaker and create a more useful one for at-home use. This is ideal for portable use, of course, but misses out on a range of connection options by sticking to Bluetooth.

The addition of a microphone won't exactly sell units, but it does mean that if you get a call while connected to the speaker, you don't have to fiddle to change your outputs as promptly – it's functional even if your voice won't be the clearest to whoever is calling.

In terms of durability, finally, the same IP67 rating returns, making this a safe speaker to use outdoors, even in bad weather. One interesting and niche change means that this second-generation speaker will actually float on water, despite being pretty heavy – so that's some peace of mind for your next pool party.

Marshall Middleton II review: Verdict

The Middleton II is about as incremental a speaker version as I've tested in a while – there's really not all that much to make it stand out from the last-gen Middleton at all. While that speaker's price continues to slide, in fact, it looks like the Middleton II's biggest competition.

Fans of Marshall's brand and design will find a lot to love here, as always, and the sound it offers is really solid. I'm not the biggest fan of how heavy it is, but those wanting something substantial-feeling might disagree, and there's no arguing with its improved battery life.

Also consider

As I've mentioned, the first-gen Middleton is still widely available, and you can get it for £/$100 less than the Middleton II pretty easily. That's a no-brainer right now, for my money, and looks like the better buy as it stands.

If you're looking for a better-sounding speaker that has a lot more flexibility built into its design, consider the Sonos Move 2, which works amazingly as both a portable option and a part of your home setup on its charging dock.