Everyone knows the Marshall logo by sight. Even if you’ve never touched a musical instrument, there’s no mistaking that iconic alabaster cursive – an unmistakeable symbol of righteous noise to come. With Marshall’s pioneering guitar and bass amps having been a conduit for rock and metal trailblazers since day dot, it makes sense that Marshall’s forays into consumer hi-fi should seek to do the same.
Marshall amps and speakers are no longer reserved for the making of music; now there’s a whole host of Marshall-branded consumer audio artifacts, including a broad variety of speakers for at-home hi-fi listening or air-guitaring on the go. There’s a Marshall speaker for every occasion, and I’m determined to find out which are the best Marshall speakers for your needs.
The result of such determination is this very list – a comprehensive round-up of the best Marshall speakers on the market today, built on a foundation of rigorous product testing and consumer-audio expertise. Below, you’ll find a broad spectrum of speakers from Marshall’s roster, and hence the best option for your own unique and highly specific individual needs.
If you’re not sure quite what those needs are – or if you’d like a little more context on what makes Marshall’s speaker range so fun – feel free to drop in on our buying advice section below. To find out more about the best Marshall speakers on the market, read on.
The quick list
The Marshall Stanmore II is a neat option if you're looking for an indoor Bluetooth speaker that covers all the bases when it comes to audio delivery, size and looks. The music fairly rocks out of this unit thanks to a 50W woofer and double 15W tweeters. A punchy speaker that comes highly recommended.
The Marshall Emberton III is the platonic ideal Bluetooth speaker, with enough size and heft to command some serious presence and a small enough form factor to go with you just about anywhere. With more than 32 hours of battery and some future-proofed Bluetooth connectivity, this meaty number outweighs its price.
The Marshall Acton III might not have the techiest bells and whistles of Marshall’s speaker range, but it’s nonetheless an excellent shout of a home speaker unit – particularly for first-timers. It has a powerful sound, some fun tone controls and a classic design that makes it well worth a closer look.
The Marshall Willen II is a teensy portable speaker with a not-so-teensy sound – and which marries quintessential Marshall design with exceedingly practical portability. A short charge gets you more than 5 hours listening, and a handy strap means you can situate this thing practically anywhere.
If an outdoor Bluetooth speaker is on your shopping list, let me introduce you to the Marshall Kilburn II. A full charge will provide 20-hours of beats and they'll sound awesome out on the patio. Not as powerful as some Marshalls on the list but the Kilburn II still delivers a raucous performance.
Marshall's Uxbridge Voice incorporates either Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant so you can stack up your tunes using the power of your voice. It's a powerful speaker too with a 30W amp and treble, bass and volume can also be tweaked on top of the unit itself. It's completely wireless, so bear that in mind too.
The Marshall Woburn III is Marshall's third generation speaker in this range - and it's a beast of a thing. It's a desktop device that's mains powered, so no outdoor fun. However, it delivers amazing, balanced audio and it's a hefty chunk of beautiful tech. We love it and think you will too.
While the Marshall Tufton is classed as a portable speaker, it's not the lightest thing around and you'd be hard-pressed to really use this on the move. It's a sleek performer though, and I love the premium look - and more importantly, the audio is delivers has everything you'd expect from Marshall.
There's no shortage of portable Marshall speakers in our list, but we're giving a shout out to the Middleton because it's possible to connect multiple Middletons together for massive sound. It's dust and water resistant too and you'll get 20-hours of playback from a full charge.
Best overall
✅ Buy if you want a great all-round performer: The Marshall Stanmore II is Louder's top choice thanks to its room-filling power and stellar build quality.
❌ Avoid if you're looking for smart functionality: This is a solid, no-nonsense speaker that'll pump your music out with no issues, but if smart functionality is a need, then look elsewhere.
The Stanmore II sits in the middle of Marshall’s home speaker range, and is an almost the perfect mix of attitude and power.
Physically more imposing than the Acton II, weighing in at 4.6kg, it offers up all the classic Marshall design traits like textured vinyl wrap, grille fascia and classic logo. Up top are knobs for Volume, Bass and Treble.
It’s also the first Marshall in-door to offer Bluetooth aptX for higher quality playback. There’s also analogue connectivity if you want to hardwire a player. In addition to app control, there’s Multi-Host functionality for dual Bluetooth pairing.
The larger cabinet opens the doors to a more robust performance. 50W goes straight to the woofer, with 2x15W servicing the tweeters. The result is a suitably room-filling performance.
Louder tip: If you really want to get seismic, buy two Stanmore II’s and pair them in a stereo configuration. They won’t compete with the loudest Bluetooth speakers, but they’ll have a good go.
Best budget
✅ Buy if you want a small Marshall that still packs a punch: Sure, the portable Emberton III can be slung in a backpack for music out and about, but it's also a top option for the home - and it won't take up too much space.
❌ Avoid if you're looking for a top of the range indoor performer: This is a neat speaker for the kitchen or bedroom, but if you want a more robust option for the living room, you might want something a bit bigger.
The Marshall Emberton III is a small-format portable speaker that packs a massive punch in spite of its demure size and weight, and inspires a good few grins as it stomps through your proto-punk playlists.
This is the third iteration in the series, and one which brings another bundle of small improvements that serve to tighten up its already-impressive performance. A revitalised battery ups the Emberton III’s life to more than 32 hours, and ensures it can charge back up to full in just two. The Emberton III’s Bluetooth has been beefed too, with 5.3 LE connectivity.
Much remains the same here, too, though. For instance, the Emberton III retains the IP67 waterproof rating of its predecessor, as well as the well-proportioned chassis.
Best for beginners
✅ Buy if you want an easy to use speaker: Like the Stanmore II, there's no smart functions here, but it's a great size speaker that delivers top notch audio - and it's ready to rock as soon as it's out of the box.
❌ Avoid if you're looking for a bigger unit for your home: The Acton III serves smaller rooms better than larger ones, so bear that in mind before purchasing.
Marshall’s Acton III is the smallest of Marshall’s all-in-one home speakers. There’s no smart functionality here, but if you’re just after something to serve up some tasty sounds in your kitchen or the Marshall look is spot on, completed by a trio of knobs up top for volume, bass and treble.
The Acton III is an extremely beginner-friendly at-home speaker, and is essentially plug-and-play. Being the third in line, this particular model has enjoyed two successive generations of improvement – this time round, benefitting from a wider soundstage and reach thanks to some upgraded speakers and acoustic design.
Couple this increased reach with the Acton III’s 3.5mm aux input (on top of improved Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity), this mains-powered Marshall speaker is more equipped than ever to fill your room with the heavy stuff.
Best portable
✅ Buy if you want the ultimate portable performer: While the Emberton III is another portable option, I love the Willen II's size which packs away easily, no matter how cluttered your backpack.
❌ Avoid if you're looking for battery longevity: The Willen II does suffer when it comes to long battery life, so that might be an issue on your travels.
The Marshall Willen II is the smallest speaker in my round-up by some degree, but certainly shouldn’t be overlooked for its size. Indeed, it’s one of the more capable portable Bluetooth speakers on the market today. It’s a 10W pocket-sized hand grenade of a speaker, and with some nifty features that make it especially handy.
It’s a Bluetooth speaker, and LE audio-ready to boot; if you’d rather rock out wired, there’s an aux input too (which is nice to see, when so many smaller speakers are eschewing such connectivity). On the battery front, the Willen II is straight to business – with an impressive fast-charge that gives you more than five hours of playtime for just 20 minutes of your time and patience.
The Willen II’s ace in the hole isn’t technological, though. This little number has a well-designed fastening strap on its rear, which you can use to hang, fasten or dangle the speaker wherever you damn well please. Singing in the shower? Want your bike ride soundtracking? All possible in a trice!
Best outdoor
✅ Buy if you want a speaker for the patio: This is the Marshall to get if you're looking for some outdoor entertainment. It's got a carry handle, excellent audio and IPX2 water resistant rating for nights outside.
❌ Avoid if outdoor performance isn't on the wishlist: There are better Marshall options for indoor use in this guide.
The Marshall Kilburn 2 is a high powered portable designed to rock your patio BBQ. The rugged design, with flush-mounted shoulder bumpers and a carry handle fashioned after a guitar strap, inspires confidence.
There’s more than 20 hours of wireless listening to be had on a full charge, and you can get up to three hours playtime with just 20 minutes on the wall. The speaker is big enough (243 x 162 x 140 mm) to offer a decent stereo spread. Driving it along is 36W of amplification, with 20W for the woofer, and 2x8W for the tweeters.
Bluetooth is v5.0 with aptX, for the best possible wireless performance. Conveniently, if you want to hardwire a portable device, there’s a 3.5mm input too.
The Kilburn II has an IPX2 water resistant rating, so an inclement shower or two won’t phase it. It weighs a manageable 2.5kg.
Best desktop
✅ Buy if you want a compact speaker for your desk: The Uxbridge Voice looks great on a table, counter or desk and it sounds excellent. There's also smart functionality built-in so it's a nice kitchen option too.
❌ Avoid if you want more oomph: I found the bass a little on the light side, and doesn't perform at its peak when placed in a large room.
The Uxbridge is the definitive modern Marshall Bluetooth speaker. Available for either Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant, it’s compact enough for desk and den use, and offers decent smart connectivity.
The speaker employs a 30W digital amp, but the presentation is unapologetically mono. While bass is limited, the midrange is rich enough for easy listening.
Hands-on controls are up top, with individual controls for bass, treble and volume. There’s no physical input connection option, so you’ll be restricted to wireless all the way.
In addition to Bluetooth 4.2 you can stream over Wi-Fi and there’s also support for Airplay 2 and Spotify Connect.
Best for volume
✅ Buy if you want rip-roaring volume: The Woburn III truly delivers exceptional volume without sacrificing clarity. When I put it through its paces, the sheer power almost lifted up the floorboards in my living room!
❌ Avoid if you want an indoor speaker with portability: This is a big unit and not for those who like to move their speaker from room to room
The Woburn III is the latest in Marshall's much-loved home speaker series and this piece of powerful tech is well worth closer inspection if you're after a desktop speaker that really delivers punchy, face-melting audio.
It’s big and heavy - heavier even that the previous mode, weighing in at 9.18 kg (up from the Woburn II's 8.55kg ) and it takes no prisoners when the volume is cranked: Even when I had the volume at 4 out of a possible 10, the music filled the room with awesome clear and balanced audio.
The Woburn III has also received a Bluetooth upgrade - up from 5.0 to 5.2LE, while the plastic parts of the speaker are made from recycled materials and it's all wrapped in tactile vegan artificial leather.
Available in either black or cream, it rocks the classic Marshall amp look, and while the price tag is high, the room-filling balanced audio is amazing. The Woburn III is a Bluetooth speaker well worth your hard-earned cash.
"Marshall’s third generation of Woburn Bluetooth speaker is an excellent piece of kit, combining beautifully sharp, detailed and balanced audio with room-filling sound - even with the volume down a notch or two. A serious speaker that comes with Louder’s seal of approval."
Read more: Marshall Woburn III review
Best premium
✅ Buy if you're in the market for a premium portable speaker: In some ways, the Tufton has been slightly lost in the Marshall product shuffle, but it's an excellent, high quality portable speaker that's perfect for indoor use.
❌ Avoid if you want lightweight portability: Weighing in at 4.9kg, the Tufton might be in the "portable" bracket, but it's still a beast to move around.
The Tufton is the headliner of Marshall’s portable line. Long and hefty at 4.9kg, with a guitar-strap carry handle, it’s not something you might easily tout about town, but with 20 hour battery life and IPX2 water resistance, it’s perfectly suited to a picnic on Hergest Ridge.
There’s some serious amplification onboard too, with 2x 15W going to a pair of full range drivers, and 10W for the tweeter. In addition to Bluetooth v5.0, there’s a 35mm line input.
Like its stablemates, the Tufton is rugged and well-built. It charges fast too. 20 minutes on the wall will give you four hours of playtime, and just 2.5 hours will fully replenish its Li-Ion battery. But the price is pretty off-putting.
Best for stacking
✅ Buy if you want to pair up with other Marshalls: Stack Mode means you can connect multiple Middletons together for an impressive wall of noise. A nice option to have if there's a party being planned.
❌ Avoid if you want something less chunky: The Emberton III and the Willen II are, for me, better sizes to carry around.
While the portable Emberton has become Marshall’s biggest-selling Bluetooth speaker, there’s a new kid in town vying for your attention. The Marshall Middleton hit the market in early February 2023 and is a chunkier alternative to the Emberton.
You’ll still get 20 hours of playtime from a full charge, with the Middleton also offering Marshall’s True Stereophonic sound which will pump out your favourite tunes multi-directionally. The Middleton also carries a IP67 rating meaning it’s dust and water-resistant and a full charge will take four and a half hours.
But what we like most about the Marshall Middleton is its Stack Mode, which allows you to connect multiple Middletons together to create a fabulous wall of sound.
FAQ
Why should I buy a Marshall speaker?
Marshall is a brand world-renowned for its contributions to music. The company's guitar and bass amps have had their own instrumental parts in revolutionising rock, and continue to fill out artist backlines today for that very reason. But why buy a guitar amp manufacturer’s hi-fi cousins?
Well, if you’re buying a Marshall speaker, no matter the size, it’s in large part to revel in the signature feel of the Marshall marque. While their hi-fi speakers can’t fully truck in the gutsy tonality of the Marshall stack, there’s chutzpah aplenty in these consumer-audio speakers.
Given Marshall’s reputation for well-built and solid-sounding instrument amps, there’s an expectation of quality on the hi-fi products that bear its name – one readily met by the material and build quality of these righteous speakers. Besides which, there’s just something about that Marshall look, isn’t there?
What should I think about when choosing a Marshall speaker?
There are a few variables to bear in mind when picking an all-in-one speaker system of any kind. Given the wide range of speakers on offer in Marshall’s stable, the same questions apply even if you’re set on something with that Marshall logo affixed. Start with your needs; are you after something small, light and portable, or a hefty at-home hi-fi all-in-one?
If you want something wireless and portable, you’ll naturally be looking for a speaker with a rechargeable battery and Bluetooth connectivity. Longer playtime is better, but also consider how fast it charges - you don’t want to be waiting around forever to start cranking the tunes. Many modern speakers offer fast charging, whereby you can tease a few hours out of your speaker with just 20 minutes plugged into the wall; the Marshall Willen II gets more than five hours from such a brief jolt.
In addition to basic wireless connectivity, consider what physical inputs are on offer. A 3.5mm aux input is a great start, so you can make a more stable physical connection to your device – be it an ancient iPod or one of the best phones for music. Larger mains-powered speakers like the Marshall Woburn III might even offer HDMI input, so you can pump your TV through them too.
Which Marshall speaker is the loudest?
For the loudest Marshall speaker, I’d suggest the Marshall Woburn III. It's got bags of power, with a a three-way driver system pumping a shedload of volume at stunning range; a 90W Class D amplifier supplies the woofer, two 15W amps feed the mids and two further 15W amps feed the tweeters.
Which Marshall speaker is good for home use?
Pretty much any Marshall speaker will be good for home use. There are models designed for outdoors, like the Marshall Kilburn II, but any of the speakers on this list will do the job. The Woburn III is a great choice for if you want to integrate your TV, but the Acton III might be the better choice for a smaller room.
What it really comes down to is whether you want something on a budget, something you can take outdoors, a desktop specific speaker, or something incredibly loud. I've formatted this guide by use case to make it super simple for you to pick the right speaker for your home.
Do you need a smart Marshall speaker?
If smart functionality appeals, you can opt for a Marshall with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant built in (admittedly the choice is currently quite limited). This would enable you to control your music using your voice, as well as ask your speaker for things such as news headlines, the weather and upcoming appointments. Whether you need one is another thing entirely. If all you want is a belter of a speaker for music, then the answer’s a fairly comfortable ‘no’, but if hands-freeing in the kitchen is a must then ‘yes’ may be the answer for you.
How we test
When testing a Marshall speaker - or any Bluetooth speaker for that matter - there are several steps that myself and the wider Louder team always take to ensure it makes the cut for one of our guides. We're all music lovers first and foremost here at Louder, so we've got loads of experience playing music through a variety of different systems, leaving us in an excellent position to be the judge of truly great sound.
Of course, the first port of call is to test the sound of the speaker itself. To do that, we'll run a series of our favourite reference tunes through it to see how it reacts. These are songs we know incredibly well, professionally mixed and mastered for the best sound quality possible. Whether it's pumping bass from a hip-hop track or jangly guitars from an indie anthem, these mixes will be personal to the reviewer and used to test a multitude of sound systems.
We'll then look at the features the speaker has beyond the sound itself. Does the Bluetooth connectivity operate quickly and efficiently? Are there enough methods to control it on the unit itself? Does feature connectivity to smart speakers? We'll test each of these to ensure they work properly.
Next, we'll look at the durability of the unit. We want to know that it's capable of putting up with a bit of rough and tumble, as inevitably a Bluetooth speaker will find itself to be the heart of the party, and wireless ones might well be taken on holidays too. We'll examine the speaker to see that it's well put together, with no blemishes on the finish or out-of-place components.
Finally, we have to think of the battery life of any Bluetooth speaker. We'll test a speaker from full charge to no charge, no matter how many albums it takes. This allows us to get a realistic view of the battery life, which may well be less than the manufacturer specifies.
Why you can trust us
When putting together buyer's guides on speakers or when we're reviewing products, myself and the Louder team always test speakers in various rooms in our homes and, where applicable, in the garden or outdoor space. We feel this gives the best representation of how a speaker actually performs in the real world, rather than blasting out tunes in a comfortable, sound-proofed studio.
Like you, we've spent more years than we can list listening to and enjoying music and we'll always gives pros and cons to each product we put under the spotlight.
For this guide on the best Marshall speakers, we tested speakers using a variety of streaming services and skipped through a number of genres to really see how the units coped. If there's a flaw or wrinkle in the performance, we'll let you know - and you can rest assured that we'll always point you in the direction of reputable online retailers.
At Louder, we live and breathe music and with the support from Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog, along with our sister music sites at Future, you can always trust us to give it to you straight.
Meet the experts
You can trust Louder Our experienced team has worked for some of the biggest brands in music. From testing headphones to reviewing albums, our experts aim to create reviews you can trust. Find out more about how we review.
Steve is a home entertainment technology specialist who contributes to a variety of UK websites and mags, including Louder Sound, Yahoo UK, Trusted Reviews, T3, The Luxe Review and Home Cinema Choice. Steve began his career as a music journo, writing for legendary rock weekly Sounds, under the nom de plume Steve Keaton. His coverage of post punk music was cited in the 2015 British Library exhibition Terror and Wonder: The Gothic Imagination, as a seminal influence on the Goth music scene.
James Grimshaw is a freelance writer and music obsessive with over a decade in music and audio writing. They’ve lent their audio-tech opinions (amongst others) to the likes of Guitar World, MusicRadar and the London Evening Standard – before which, they covered everything music and Leeds through their section-editorship of national e-magazine The State Of The Arts. When they aren’t blasting esoteric noise-rock around the house, they’re playing out with esoteric noise-rock bands in DIY venues across the country; James will evangelise to you about Tera Melos until the sun comes up.
Matt has been recording bands since the mid-noughties, cutting his teeth with an M-Audio M-Track 2 and a copy of Cubase on Windows XP. Since then he's used countless audio interfaces to record music for bands across the UK, covering everything from djent to jazz. As a MusicRadar writer, Matt has reviewed 15 audio interfaces in the past year alone, and over 50 different products including guitars, amps, and pedals. Before becoming a writer, he spent five years in the music retail industry working for Dawsons Music and Northwest Guitars, providing expert advice to musicians. He’s currently studying Music Production at Spirit Studios in Manchester, UK.
Scott has spent 35 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, writes about the best deals for music fans, keeps on top of the latest tech releases and reviews headphones, speakers, earplugs and more for Louder. Over the last 11 years, Scott has written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog.
Latest updates
18/02/25: The guide has been updated with three new products: Emberton III, Acton III and the Willen II. Expert verdict boxes have been added to where applicable and "At a glance" boxouts have also been added highlighting clear pros and cons. A new section detailing why you can trust Louder has been included, as has a "meet our experts" section so you discover the faces behind the names.
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