Short answer: the Marshall Middleton. It ranks #31 of 77 large speakers by sound quality at $224.90; the Dali Katch G2 ranks #58 and costs $750, so there is not much of a tradeoff to weigh.
What the Dali Katch G2 gets right: Pretty neutral The tradeoff: Loses bass quickly after 40% volume. A lot of compression artifacts at high volume. External AC power brick for charging. Horribly overpriced. Nearly identical to the Dali Katch G1. Reverb added to the output screws up the imaging.
What the Marshall Middleton offers: Very deep bass for the size/weight. Set against that: 5db dip at 1.7khz and 6.3khz. 9khz treble peak. Not a very smooth frequency response. A lot of Marshall’s added dsp echo which cannot be turned off, very distracting and annoying. It’s like forcing you to listen to your music in an echo chamber.
Buy the Marshall Middleton. It ranks higher for sound quality than the Dali Katch G2 and costs less, which settles it without a real tradeoff to make.
If sound quality matters at all to you, skip the Dali Katch G2. It ranks near the bottom of the 77 large speakers, so look higher up the list instead.
Battery life favors the Dali Katch G2: rated for 30 hours against 20 hours for the Marshall Middleton.
Specifications Side By Side
| Dali Katch G2 | Marshall Middleton | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $750.00 | $224.90 |
| Ranked | #58 of 77 in Large Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers | #31 of 77 in Large Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers |
| Aux Input | Yes | Yes |
| Battery Life | 30 hours (Manufacturer specified) | 20 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Charging Time | 2 hours | - |
| Weight | 2.4 lbs / 1.1 kg | 4 lbs / 1.8 kg |
| App | No | No |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD | SBC |
| Built in Microphone | Yes | Yes |
| EQ | No | No |
| IP Rating | IPX7 | IPX7 |
| Party Mode | No | Yes (Marshall Stack) |
| Power Bank | Yes (USB) | Yes (USB-C) |
| Power Input | USB-C | USB-C |
| Stereo | Yes | Yes |
| Omnidirectional | No | No |
| TWS | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.0 | 5.1 |
| Drivers | 2x 89mm woofers, 2x 21mm tweeters | 2x 75mm woofers, 2x 0.625" tweeters + 2x passive radiators |
| Dimensions | 10.6" x 5.4" x 1.9" (269 x 138 x 47 mm) | 9.1" x 3.7" x 4.3" (230 x 95 x 109 mm) |
| Frequency Response | 49Hz - 23kHz (Manufacturer specified) | 50Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| Output Power | 50W RMS | 50W |
| Digital Aux Input | No | No |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | - | 39Hz |
| Max Volume | - | 99dB |
Related Speaker Comparisons
A few more comparisons worth a look in the same class:
- JBL Xtreme 5 vs Dali Katch G1
- Sonos Move 2 vs Ultimate Ears Everboom
- JBL Xtreme 5 vs Ultimate Ears Epicboom
- Dali Katch G2 vs Ultimate Ears Epicboom
- Dali Katch G2 vs Sony SRS-XG300
Prices on this page were last checked September 1, 2026 at 2:15 PM UTC. Product prices and availability are accurate as of that date/time and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
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The Two Speakers In Full
Dali Katch G2: $750.00 Amazon eBay
Pros: Pretty neutral
Cons: Loses bass quickly after 40% volume. A lot of compression artifacts at high volume. External AC power brick for charging. Horribly overpriced. Nearly identical to the Dali Katch G1. Reverb added to the output screws up the imaging. Quite a hollow character to the sound.
Full Dali Katch G2 review and specifications →
| App | No |
|---|---|
| Aux Input | Yes |
| Battery Life | 30 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.0 |
| Built in Microphone | Yes |
| Charging Time | 2 hours |
| Digital Aux Input | No |
| Dimensions | 10.6" x 5.4" x 1.9" (269 x 138 x 47 mm) |
| Drivers | 2x 89mm woofers, 2x 21mm tweeters |
| EQ | No |
| Frequency Response | 49Hz - 23kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| IP Rating | IPX7 |
| Omnidirectional | No |
| Output Power | 50W RMS |
| Party Mode | No |
| Power Bank | Yes (USB) |
| Power Input | USB-C |
| Stereo | Yes |
| TWS | Yes |
| Weight | 2.4 lbs / 1.1 kg |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- JOY’s 3D Audio Show: Dali Katch G2 - award winning portable speaker with peerless performance More from Oluv’Sone →
- Oluv Patreon: DALI KATCH G2 - sound demo
- Alan Ross Reviews: Dali Katch G2 high end audio takes on the entire world of bluetooth speakers! 👌👋 More from alanrossreviews →
- Alan Ross Reviews: Dali Katch G2 epic review vs Original Dali Katch audiophile speaker! 🤞
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
Marshall Middleton: $224.90 Amazon eBay
Pros: Very deep bass for the size/weight.
Cons: 5db dip at 1.7khz and 6.3khz. 9khz treble peak. Not a very smooth frequency response. A lot of Marshall’s added dsp echo which cannot be turned off, very distracting and annoying. It’s like forcing you to listen to your music in an echo chamber. Bass is reasonably deep but artificial sounding and flabby, with no attack and no dynamics. Treble is rolled off.
Full Marshall Middleton review and specifications →
| App | No |
|---|---|
| Aux Input | Yes |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 39Hz |
| Battery Life | 20 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.1 |
| Built in Microphone | Yes |
| Digital Aux Input | No |
| Dimensions | 9.1" x 3.7" x 4.3" (230 x 95 x 109 mm) |
| Drivers | 2x 75mm woofers, 2x 0.625" tweeters + 2x passive radiators |
| EQ | No |
| Frequency Response | 50Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| IP Rating | IPX7 |
| Max Volume | 99dB |
| Omnidirectional | No |
| Output Power | 50W |
| Party Mode | Yes (Marshall Stack) |
| Power Bank | Yes (USB-C) |
| Power Input | USB-C |
| Stereo | Yes |
| TWS | Yes |
| Weight | 4 lbs / 1.8 kg |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Alan Ross Reviews: 3 minutes ago….. Marshall Middleton Review, true stereophonic, no honestly 😊 More from alanrossreviews →
- Mateusz Cholewa: BOGASING S8 Pro MAX HiFi ?🆚 MARSHALL🎸MIDDELTON More from Mateusz Cholewa →
- Mateusz Cholewa: Marshall Middleton👌🎶 🆚 JBL Xtreme 4 🎶📢
- Oluv Patreon: Marshall Middleton - first impressions More from Oluv’Sone →
- Danny Pops: Is it Any Good? - Marshall Middleton Review More from DannyPops →
- Smart Home Sounds: Best Premium Bluetooth Speakers: Sonos Move, JBL Xtreme 3, Marshall Middleton & More…
- Storytripper HD: Marshall Middleton vs Klipsch Detroit More from storytripperhd →
- Jay’s Straight Up Reviews & More: Bass Check 💣 Treblab HD-360, Ultimate Ears EpicBoom, Marshall Middleton & JBL Pulse 5. Boom or Bust? More from JaysStraightUpReviews →
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- Marshall Middleton vs Ultimate Ears Everboom
- Marshall Middleton vs LG Xboom Bounce
- Marshall Middleton vs Marshall Middleton II
- Marshall Middleton vs Sonos Move
- Marshall Middleton vs Marshall Kilburn II
- Marshall Middleton vs JBL Xtreme 4
- Marshall Middleton vs Sonos Move 2
- Marshall Middleton vs Soundcore Motion X500
- See all 41 comparisons