The middle child is often the one that feels compelled to compete for attention, but let’s hope that’s a positive where Marshall’s latest wireless speaker is concerned.
The Middleton sits between the Stockwell and Emberton in size, with Marshall describing its performance as its ‘heaviest portable sound’, with a quad-speaker set-up to provide the “ultimate immersive experience” when you’re out and about.
It’s similar in appearance to the Emberton but features a strap for carry, and should be able to resist whatever the great outdoors can throw at it with its IP67 rating. It’s also constructed from 55% post-consumer recycled plastic and is completely PVC-free for those looking for tech that promotes sustainable values.
Battery life isn’t as much as the Emberton with only 20+ hours compared to the Emberton II’s 30+. Nevertheless, the Middleton has a power bank so you if your mobile device is low on charge, you can plug it into the speaker to give it a boost.
Like Marshall’s other portable speakers, playback can be operated via multi-function dial on the top surface, with the ability to adjust bass and treble too. The Middleton also features what Marshall refers to as built-in Dynamic Loudness that adjusts the tonal balance of the speaker’s sound to deliver “brilliant” sound at every volume.
Marshall’s True Stereophonic technology also gets an outing, producing multi-directional sound for a consistent performance wherever you stand (or sit) in relation to the speaker.
There’s support for the Marshall app where you can also control audio and customise the sound. Buy another Middleton and you can enable Stack mode to amplify the sound.
The Marshall Middleton is out now for £269 / $299 / €299. We’ve put a widget for its sister Emberton II speaker but we’ll update once the product is more widely available. We’ll also be looking to give it a test spin once we get out hands on it.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.