These sit in different size classes, so this is not a straight ranking comparison. The Marshall Middleton II ranks #31 of 83 large speakers by sound quality at $330; the Bose Portable Smart Speaker ranks #65 of 145 medium speakers by sound quality at $399.
Why pick the Marshall Middleton II: Very deep bass for the size/weight. The tradeoff: Bass boosted which drowns out the midrange.
What the Bose Portable Smart Speaker does well: Both Alexa and Google Assistant are built in, and RTINGS rates its microphones as excellent at hearing commands from far away or in a noisy room. The tradeoff: RTINGS found the out of the box tuning boomy and says it doesn’t get very loud; the app’s bass and treble sliders help, and SoundGuys recommended cutting bass by 10 to 20 steps to balance it.
Buy the Marshall Middleton II at $330 for a large speaker, or the Bose Portable Smart Speaker at $399 for a medium speaker instead.
Battery life favors the Marshall Middleton II: rated for 30 hours against 12 hours for the Bose Portable Smart Speaker.
If water resistance matters to you, the Marshall Middleton II at IP67 (brief submersion) holds up far better than the Bose Portable Smart Speaker at IPX4 (splashing).
Looking for alternatives? See the complete Portable Bluetooth rankings.
Specifications Side By Side
| Marshall Middleton II | Bose Portable Smart Speaker | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $330 | $399.00 |
| Ranked | #31 of 83 in Large Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers | #65 of 145 in Medium Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers |
| App | Yes | Yes (Bose Music) |
| Aux Input | Yes | No |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 38Hz | - |
| Battery Life | 30 hours (Manufacturer specified) | 12 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes | Yes (far-field mic array, mic mute button) |
| EQ | Yes (5 band) | Yes (Bass/Treble) |
| IP Rating | IP67 | IPX4 |
| Party Mode | Yes (Marshall Stack) | Yes (Bose Music multi-room, SimpleSync, AirPlay 2) |
| Power Bank | Yes (USB-C) | No |
| Power Input | USB-C | USB-C |
| Weight | 4 lbs (1.8 kg) | 2.3 lbs (1.06 kg) |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC | SBC, AAC |
| Stereo | Yes | No |
| Omnidirectional | No | Pointing up |
| TWS | Yes | - |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.3 | 4.2 |
| Dimensions | 9.1” x 3.9” x 4.3” (230 x 98 x 110 mm) | 7.6” x 4.7” x 4.1” (192 x 119 x 104 mm) (H x W x D) |
| Drivers | 2x 75mm woofers, 2x 0.625” tweeters + 2x passive radiators | 1x high-excursion driver with 360-degree deflector + 3x passive radiators |
| Frequency Response | 50Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) | - |
| Amplifier Power | 80W | - |
| Digital Aux Input | No | No |
| Strap | Yes (detachable strap) | No |
| Wi-Fi | - | Yes |
| Voice Assistants | - | Amazon Alexa & Google Assistant |
| Streaming Services | - | AirPlay 2, Chromecast built-in, Spotify Connect, Amazon Music, Pandora, SiriusXM, TuneIn |
Related Speaker Comparisons
More top alternatives to Marshall Middleton II:
- Marshall Middleton II vs Vifa Helsinki
- JBL Xtreme 5 vs Marshall Middleton II
- Tribit Stormbox Lava vs Marshall Middleton II
- Marshall Middleton II vs Brane X
- Marshall Middleton II vs Minirig 4 with subwoofer
Prices on this page were last checked September 26, 2026 at 11:14 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.
As an eBay Partner, we may be compensated if you make a purchase.
The Two Speakers In Full
Marshall Middleton II: $330 Amazon eBay
Older model: the Marshall Middleton (ranked lower, rated 4/5).
Pros: Very deep bass for the size/weight. Measured bass extension of 38Hz (-10dB).
Cons: Bass boosted which drowns out the midrange. Dip around 200Hz, peak at 1kHz, dipped at 1.6kHz. Strange frequency response through the mids.
Full Marshall Middleton II review and specifications →
| Amplifier Power | 80W |
|---|---|
| App | Yes |
| Aux Input | Yes |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 38Hz |
| Battery Life | 30 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.3 |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes |
| Digital Aux Input | No |
| Dimensions | 9.1” x 3.9” x 4.3” (230 x 98 x 110 mm) |
| Drivers | 2x 75mm woofers, 2x 0.625” tweeters + 2x passive radiators |
| EQ | Yes (5 band) |
| Frequency Response | 50Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| IP Rating | IP67 |
| Omnidirectional | No |
| Party Mode | Yes (Marshall Stack) |
| Power Bank | Yes (USB-C) |
| Power Input | USB-C |
| Stereo | Yes |
| Strap | Yes (detachable strap) |
| TWS | Yes |
| Weight | 4 lbs (1.8 kg) |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- Marshall Middleton II vs Sonos Move
- Marshall Middleton II vs Mee audio PartySPKR
- Marshall Middleton II vs LG Xboom Bounce
- Marshall Middleton II vs Sonos Move 2
- Marshall Middleton II vs Marshall Middleton
- Marshall Middleton II vs Ultimate Ears Everboom
- Marshall Middleton II vs Soundcore Motion X500
- Marshall Middleton II vs onn Portable FM Boombox
- See all 73 comparisons
Bose Portable Smart Speaker: $399.00 Bose eBay
Pros: Both Alexa and Google Assistant are built in, and RTINGS rates its microphones as excellent at hearing commands from far away or in a noisy room. It works as a Wi-Fi speaker at home (AirPlay 2, Chromecast built-in, Spotify Connect) and as a Bluetooth speaker away from Wi-Fi, weighs about 1 kg with a carry handle, and is IPX4 splash resistant. SoundGuys measured 13 hours 6 minutes of playback at 75 dB, beating Bose’s 12 hour claim, and found the bass impressive for its size, especially near a wall or corner. Its 360 degree design spreads sound evenly around a room.
Cons: RTINGS found the out of the box tuning boomy and says it doesn’t get very loud; the app’s bass and treble sliders help, and SoundGuys recommended cutting bass by 10 to 20 steps to balance it. Pushed to full volume, Tom’s Guide heard unbalanced sound and Pocket-lint found the bass struggling and turning incoherent. RTINGS measured only about 5 hours of battery in its own test. It is mono, has no aux input (the USB-C port only charges), uses Bluetooth 4.2, and the Bose Music app supports a limited list of streaming services. IPX4 covers splashes only, not submersion or dust.
Full Bose Portable Smart Speaker review and specifications →
| App | Yes (Bose Music) |
|---|---|
| Aux Input | No |
| Battery Life | 12 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC, AAC |
| Bluetooth Version | 4.2 |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes (far-field mic array, mic mute button) |
| Digital Aux Input | No |
| Dimensions | 7.6” x 4.7” x 4.1” (192 x 119 x 104 mm) (H x W x D) |
| Drivers | 1x high-excursion driver with 360-degree deflector + 3x passive radiators |
| EQ | Yes (Bass/Treble) |
| IP Rating | IPX4 |
| Omnidirectional | Pointing up |
| Party Mode | Yes (Bose Music multi-room, SimpleSync, AirPlay 2) |
| Power Bank | No |
| Power Input | USB-C |
| Stereo | No |
| Strap | No |
| Streaming Services | AirPlay 2, Chromecast built-in, Spotify Connect, Amazon Music, Pandora, SiriusXM, TuneIn |
| Voice Assistants | Amazon Alexa & Google Assistant |
| Weight | 2.3 lbs (1.06 kg) |
| Wi-Fi | Yes |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- Bose Portable Smart Speaker vs Beats Pill 2024
- Bose Portable Smart Speaker vs Sony ULT Field 3
- Bose Portable Smart Speaker vs Sonos Roam 2
- Bose Portable Smart Speaker vs Sonos Play
- Bose Portable Smart Speaker vs JBL Grip
- Bose Portable Smart Speaker vs Bose Soundlink Revolve+ II
- Bose Portable Smart Speaker vs Ultimate Ears Boom 4
- Bose Portable Smart Speaker vs Bose Soundlink Flex 2nd gen
- See all 36 comparisons