Short answer: the Marshall Middleton. It ranks #31 of 78 large speakers by sound quality at $225.18; the Marshall Stockwell III ranks #56 and costs $249.99, which makes this an easy call rather than a real tradeoff.
What the Marshall Middleton offers: Very deep bass for the size/weight. Watch for: 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.
What the Marshall Stockwell III offers: 40+ hour battery life with a user-replaceable battery, strap, sleeve and grilles. Doubles as a USB-C power bank. IP55 dust/water resistance. App includes parametric EQ, a Soundstage widening control, and wall/corner placement compensation. Endless-rotation control knobs. Watch for: Highs are recessed by default and need the treble control maxed to compensate, still lacking detail even then. Bass tends to sound resonant and boomy, with reported frequency cancellation and phase issues on complex material that EQ doesn’t fully resolve. Oluv’s A/B testing against the outgoing Stockwell 2 finds the default tuning muffled and muddy enough to prefer the seven-year-old original out of the box, and output loses dynamics and bass while turning harsh well below maximum volume. No aptX support.
Buy the Marshall Middleton. It ranks higher for sound quality than the Marshall Stockwell III and costs less, so the other one has nothing left to offer.
Battery life favors the Marshall Stockwell III: rated for 40 hours against 20 hours for the Marshall Middleton.
Want more options? Browse the full Portable Bluetooth rankings.
Specifications Side By Side
| Marshall Middleton | Marshall Stockwell III | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $225.18 | $249.99 |
| Ranked | #31 of 78 in Large Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers | #56 of 78 in Large Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers |
| Aux Input | Yes | Yes |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 39Hz | - |
| Battery Life | 20 hours (Manufacturer specified) | 40+ hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Maximum SPL | 99dB (measured by Alan Ross Reviews) | - |
| Party Mode | Yes (Marshall Stack) | - |
| Power Bank | Yes (USB-C) | Yes |
| Weight | 4 lbs (1.8 kg) | 2.9 lbs (1.3 kg) |
| App | No | Yes |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC | SBC, AAC, LE Audio with LC3 |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes | - |
| EQ | No | Yes (parametric, via app) |
| IP Rating | IPX7 | IP55 |
| Power Input | USB-C | USB-C |
| Stereo | Yes | Partially |
| Omnidirectional | No | Yes |
| TWS | Yes | - |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.1 | 5.3 |
| Dimensions | 9.1" x 3.7" x 4.3" (230 x 95 x 109 mm) | 7.1" x 6.4" x 2.9" (180 x 162 x 74 mm) |
| Drivers | 2x 75mm woofers, 2x 0.625" tweeters + 2x passive radiators | 1x 3" woofer, 2x 1.75" wide-band drivers |
| Frequency Response | 50Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) | 54Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| Amplifier Power | 50W | 44W |
| Digital Aux Input | No | No |
Related Speaker Comparisons
How Marshall Middleton compares with other leading options:
- Marshall Middleton vs Vifa Helsinki
- JBL Xtreme 5 vs Marshall Middleton
- Tribit Stormbox Lava vs Marshall Middleton
- Marshall Middleton vs Brane X
- Minirig 4 with subwoofer vs Marshall Middleton
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: $225.18 Amazon eBay
Pros: Very deep bass for the size/weight. Measured bass extension of 39Hz (-10dB).
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 →
| Amplifier Power | 50W |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| Maximum SPL | 99dB (measured by Alan Ross Reviews) |
| 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
- 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… More from Smart Home Sounds →
- 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 46 comparisons
Marshall Stockwell III: $249.99 Marshall eBay
Pros: 40+ hour battery life with a user-replaceable battery, strap, sleeve and grilles. Doubles as a USB-C power bank. IP55 dust/water resistance. App includes parametric EQ, a Soundstage widening control, and wall/corner placement compensation. Endless-rotation control knobs.
Cons: Highs are recessed by default and need the treble control maxed to compensate, still lacking detail even then. Bass tends to sound resonant and boomy, with reported frequency cancellation and phase issues on complex material that EQ doesn’t fully resolve. Oluv’s A/B testing against the outgoing Stockwell 2 finds the default tuning muffled and muddy enough to prefer the seven-year-old original out of the box, and output loses dynamics and bass while turning harsh well below maximum volume. No aptX support.
Full Marshall Stockwell III review and specifications →
| Amplifier Power | 44W |
|---|---|
| App | Yes |
| Aux Input | Yes |
| Battery Life | 40+ hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC, AAC, LE Audio with LC3 |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.3 |
| Digital Aux Input | No |
| Dimensions | 7.1" x 6.4" x 2.9" (180 x 162 x 74 mm) |
| Drivers | 1x 3" woofer, 2x 1.75" wide-band drivers |
| EQ | Yes (parametric, via app) |
| Frequency Response | 54Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| IP Rating | IP55 |
| Omnidirectional | Yes |
| Power Bank | Yes |
| Power Input | USB-C |
| Stereo | Partially |
| Weight | 2.9 lbs (1.3 kg) |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- Marshall Stockwell III vs Xdobo X8 Max
- Marshall Stockwell III vs Ultimate Ears Epicboom
- Marshall Stockwell III vs Klipsch Detroit
- Marshall Stockwell III vs Dali Katch G2
- Marshall Stockwell III vs Zealot S97
- Marshall Stockwell III vs W-King D9
- Marshall Stockwell III vs W-King D8
- Marshall Stockwell III vs Sony SRS-XB43
- See all 34 comparisons