Short answer: the Soundcore Motion X600. It ranks #19 of 120 large portable speakers at $159.99, the Middleton II ranks #31 at $279.99, $120 more, so there is little reason to consider the other one.
Neither speaker sounds great out of the box, but the X600 responds better to correction. Its pros note that firmware 4.2.9 brought a real sound quality improvement, and it sounds best with a community EQ profile applied, though its cons are candid that the stock frequency response is wavy, needs spatial mode and a different EQ curve at each volume step, and would rank noticeably lower without that EQ applied. Even corrected, the bass still isn’t very deep and the sound stays a little unnatural. The Middleton II’s cons describe a stranger problem: bass boosted enough to drown out the midrange, with a dip around 200Hz, a peak at 1kHz, and another dip at 1.6kHz, a frequency response shape that’s harder to fix with a simple EQ curve.
The Middleton II does win on bass extension and battery. It measures 38Hz at -10dB against the X600’s 52Hz, and its pros specifically credit very deep bass for its size and weight. Its battery is also rated for 30 hours against the X600’s 12, a real gap for anyone using it away from an outlet all day.
The X600 counters with more raw output and a couple of hardware extras. It’s rated for 104dB max volume and adds an upward-firing driver for spatial effects, along with 0ms aux latency for wired listening. The Middleton II answers with an app and 5-band EQ, which the X600 lacks entirely, along with Marshall’s own Stack pairing mode instead of PartyCast.
Buy the Soundcore Motion X600. It ranks higher for sound quality than the Marshall Middleton II and costs less, so there is no real case for the other one unless the Middleton II’s deeper bass and much longer battery life matter more to you than overall sound quality.
Looking for alternatives? See the complete Portable Bluetooth rankings.
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Specifications Side By Side
| Soundcore Motion X600 | Marshall Middleton II | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $159.99 | $279.99 |
| Ranked | #19 of 120 in Large Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers | #31 of 120 in Large Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers |
| Aux Input | Yes | Yes |
| Aux Latency | 0ms | - |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 52Hz | 38Hz |
| Battery Life | 12 hours (Manufacturer specified) | 30 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| IP Rating | IPX7 | IP67 |
| Bluetooth Latency | 83ms | - |
| Maximum SPL | 104dB (measured by Alan Ross Reviews) | - |
| Power Bank | Yes (USB-C) | Yes (USB-C) |
| Power Input | USB-C | USB-C |
| Stereo | Yes | Yes |
| Omnidirectional | No | No |
| TWS | Yes | Yes |
| Weight | 5.2 lbs (2.35 kg) | 4 lbs (1.8 kg) |
| App | No | Yes |
| Bluetooth | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth Codecs | LDAC, SBC | SBC |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes | Yes |
| EQ | No | Yes (5 band) |
| Party Mode | Yes (PartyCast up to 100 speakers) | Yes (Marshall Stack) |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.3 | 5.3 |
| Dimensions | 11.8” x 4.8” x 3.2” (300 x 121 x 81 mm) | 9.1” x 3.9” x 4.3” (230 x 98 x 110 mm) |
| Drivers | 2x 60mm woofers, 2x 27mm tweeters, 1x 50mm upward-firing driver | 2x 75mm woofers, 2x 0.625” tweeters + 2x passive radiators |
| Frequency Response | 50Hz - 40kHz (Manufacturer specified) | 50Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| Amplifier Power | 50W | 80W |
| Digital Aux Input | No | No |
| Strap | No | Yes (detachable strap) |
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