Short answer: the Vifa Helsinki on measured sound quality, the Marshall Middleton II on price. The Vifa Helsinki ranks #1 of 78 large speakers at $449. The Marshall Middleton II ranks #28 at $330, $119 cheaper.
What the Marshall Middleton II offers: Very deep bass for the size/weight. Watch for: Bass boosted which drowns out the midrange. Dip around 200hz, peak at 1khz, dipped at 1.6khz. Strange frequency response through the mids.
What the Vifa Helsinki offers: Generally regarded as the best midrange and treble sound quality of any battery powered Bluetooth speaker. Watch for: No TWS pairing, looks like a purse, requires a hacked Vifa app (Android only post #48) to enable night mode to sound good. Not sure I can recommend this one generally these days, the Uboom L has 98% of the sound quality with more features and a way cheaper price. There are mentions that the 2022 “new” version of this speaker doesn’t sound as good as Vifa was purchased by a Chinese company and laid off all the great sound engineers in the Austria office.
Buy the Marshall Middleton II when the price outweighs sound quality for you, and the Vifa Helsinki when sound quality outweighs the price instead.
There is a real battery-life gap here: the Marshall Middleton II is rated for 30 hours, the Vifa Helsinki only 8 hours.
There is a real gap in water resistance: the Marshall Middleton II at IP67 (brief submersion) against the Vifa Helsinki, which has no water resistance.
Still deciding? The full Portable Bluetooth rankings cover every ranked option.
Specifications Side By Side
| Marshall Middleton II | Vifa Helsinki | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $330 | $449.00 |
| Ranked | #28 of 78 in Large Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers | #1 of 78 in Large Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers |
| App | Yes | No (official app is broken, 3rd party android app only) |
| Aux Input | Yes | Yes |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 38Hz | 48Hz |
| Battery Life | 30 hours (Manufacturer specified) | 8 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes | Yes |
| EQ | Yes (5 band) | No |
| IP Rating | IP67 | None |
| Party Mode | Yes (Marshall Stack) | No |
| Power Bank | Yes (USB-C) | No |
| Power Input | USB-C | AC Power brick |
| Weight | 4 lbs (1.8 kg) | 3.1 lbs (1.4 kg) |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC | aptX, SBC |
| Stereo | Yes | Partially (shared woofer) |
| Omnidirectional | No | No |
| TWS | Yes | No |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.3 | 4.1 |
| Dimensions | 9.1" x 3.9" x 4.3" (230 x 98 x 110 mm) | 6.1" x 8.3" x 2.8" (156 x 210 x 70 mm) |
| Drivers | 2x 75mm woofers, 2x 0.625" tweeters + 2x passive radiators | 2x 50mm fullrange, 2x 66mm woofers + 2x passive radiators |
| Frequency Response | 50Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) | 58Hz - 18kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| Amplifier Power | 80W | Specs not published by manufacturer |
| Digital Aux Input | No | No |
Related Speaker Comparisons
How Vifa Helsinki compares with other leading options:
- JBL Xtreme 5 vs Vifa Helsinki
- Tribit Stormbox Lava vs Vifa Helsinki
- Brane X vs Vifa Helsinki
- Minirig 4 with subwoofer vs Vifa Helsinki
- Soundcore Boom 2 vs Vifa Helsinki
Prices on this page were last checked September 16, 2026 at 12:41 AM 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
Marshall Middleton II: $330 Amazon eBay
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 |
| TWS | Yes |
| Weight | 4 lbs (1.8 kg) |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
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Vifa Helsinki: $449.00 Amazon eBay
Pros: Generally regarded as the best midrange and treble sound quality of any battery powered Bluetooth speaker. Measured bass extension of 48Hz (-10dB).
Cons: No TWS pairing, looks like a purse, requires a hacked Vifa app (Android only post #48) to enable night mode to sound good. Not sure I can recommend this one generally these days, the Uboom L has 98% of the sound quality with more features and a way cheaper price. There are mentions that the 2022 “new” version of this speaker doesn’t sound as good as Vifa was purchased by a Chinese company and laid off all the great sound engineers in the Austria office.
Full Vifa Helsinki review and specifications →
| Amplifier Power | Specs not published by manufacturer |
|---|---|
| App | No (official app is broken, 3rd party android app only) |
| Aux Input | Yes |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 48Hz |
| Battery Life | 8 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth Codecs | aptX, SBC |
| Bluetooth Version | 4.1 |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes |
| Digital Aux Input | No |
| Dimensions | 6.1" x 8.3" x 2.8" (156 x 210 x 70 mm) |
| Drivers | 2x 50mm fullrange, 2x 66mm woofers + 2x passive radiators |
| EQ | No |
| Frequency Response | 58Hz - 18kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| IP Rating | None |
| Omnidirectional | No |
| Party Mode | No |
| Power Bank | No |
| Power Input | AC Power brick |
| Stereo | Partially (shared woofer) |
| TWS | No |
| Weight | 3.1 lbs (1.4 kg) |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- Vifa Helsinki vs JBL Xtreme 5
- Vifa Helsinki vs Tribit Stormbox Lava
- Vifa Helsinki vs Brane X
- Vifa Helsinki vs Minirig 4 with subwoofer
- Vifa Helsinki vs Soundcore Boom 2
- Vifa Helsinki vs Marshall Stockwell 2
- Vifa Helsinki vs Soundcore Motion Boom
- Vifa Helsinki vs Bose SoundLink Max
- See all 39 comparisons