Marshall - Kilburn III

Look into marshall speakers. I can confirm the kilburn 3 has 0 aux lag, it was a requirement for me too (djing).

I had Xtreme 4 and was between Sony ULT7 or Bose Soundlink Max, the JBL sound was not so good in highs with bass just average. After testing my top options somehow ended up with a review of Marshall Kilburn III and the great low end bass, purchased it and can’t look back, indoors or outdoors for my ears it’s just perfect. When we have guests now they ask me about this speaker, my brother just bought it was well. Every person will have different opinions, Sony felt more alive and party mode for outdoors but not like Marshall that you can feel the music.

Was looking for a Bluetooth speaker to use in the backseat of my vintage car. The Marshall obviously fits with the aesthetic. Have you tested it in a car with the windows down? How does it sound? How does it handle talking, like podcasts or audiobooks?

ha! Thanks dude. I ended up buying it. Used it last week. It's a little bass heavy, but if I tweak the treble up and bass down it sounds good while cruising on the freeway with the windows down going around 70mph. The Porsche only has a single speaker in the dash and it's terrible. I don't listen to anything when driving the car other than the engine. Good time to just relax and think. But when I'm driving an hour plus on the freeway it's nice to have something to keep me company

If you can, go to a local Best Buy and listen to them yourself. I was set on a Bose sound link max but ended up going with the Marshall Klifton 3. Again personal preference but for me the bass and sound out of the Marshall > Bose.

# TL;DR: This speaker made me re-think my life choices with other speaker. The sound quality is THAT good. Battery lasts FOREVER. Music is laid back and warm, soothing to hear. Alright folks, strap in. This is gonna be longer than I planned because I got way too deep into speaker comparisons and my credit card is still recovering ;) **Why I Even Bought This Thing:** I've been rocking the Marshall Kilburn II and Bose SoundLink Revolve II for years, and I simply love the aesthetics of Marshall and tonality of Bose. Was about to grab the Bose Soundlink Max because of the clean sound and form factor, or maybe Sonos Era 300 because, you know, Sonos ecosystem and all that. Then I saw the Kilburn 3 in a store and thought "maybe it's time to get inked again and bulk muscle." Sonos was expensive and Bose looked like a brick. Marshall was the middle ground; that's how I sold myself this thing. **First Impressions - The Design Hits Different:** Look at the pics. This thing looks like it belongs on a vintage amp stack; guitar amp. I'm so tired of speakers that look like they're auditioning for a Gatorade commercial. The Marshall aesthetic is *immaculate*; metal grill, leather-style accents, that iconic logo, and the guitar strap inspired strap. I got the black version, but the cream one is tempting me for a second room (RIP wallet). Weight-wise, it's 6 lbs with a leather strap. Solid enough to feel premium, light enough to grab with one hand. IP54 rated, so it's survived some rain already. **The Battery Life is Legitimately Stupid:** 50 hours. I thought it was a typo when I read the specs. It's been three weeks, I use it daily for music and movies, and I've charged it just ONCE. My MacBook dies faster. My enthusiasm for life dies faster. This thing just keeps going. Quick charge is legit too, plug it in during a shower, get 8+ hours of juice. **Sound Quality - The Main Event:** This is where things got expensive for me. I had the Marshall Kilburn II and Bose SoundLink Revolve II (almost $250) and borrowed a friend's Bose SoundLink Max ($400) to do a proper comparison. Set them all up, same songs, same volume levels. **The Comparison Breakdown:** *Marshall Kilburn 3 vs Marshall Kilburn 2:* * Kilburn 3 has borrowed the design language from Stanmore 3 * Turnable knobs are tactile and the power button click is satisfying * Kilburn 3 has WAY better battery life (50hrs vs 20hrs - this alone is huge) * Kilburn 3 has noticeably deeper, cleaner bass - the improvement is real in mids as well * Kilburn 3 is louder without distortion; not muddy like Kilburn 2 * Kilburn 3 adds USB-C, power bank function, and better Bluetooth (5.3 vs 5.0) * Both look equally vintage and awesome * If you have the Kilburn 2 and it's working fine, maybe wait. But if you're buying new? Get the 3, no question *Marshall Kilburn 3 vs Bose SoundLink Max:* * Similar price ($380 vs $400) * Bose has slightly better highs, I'll admit that * Marshall has noticeably better bass and overall warmth * The Bose feels more "refined," the Marshall feels more "alive" * Bose has better app features and ecosystem * For music, I chose the Marshall. My ears made the decision. **Track: "Comfortably Numb" - Pink Floyd** *Kilburn 2:* David Gilmour's guitar solo is beautiful, but the sustain on those notes doesn't quite linger the way it should. Bass guitar is there but not "felt." *Kilburn 3:* NOW we're talking. The bass guitar rumbles through your chest. Gilmour's guitar solo has that airy, soaring quality with better sustain. The drums during the climax hit with authority without muddying anything. Every instrument has its space. **Winner:** Kilburn 3, no contest. **Track: "Strobe" - Deadmau5 (EDM Test)** *Kilburn 2:* The progressive build is good, bass drops are solid. Gets a bit compressed at higher volumes. *Kilburn 3:* The bass drops are CLEAN and deep without distortion. The synth layers are better separated. At max volume, zero distortion—the dynamic loudness tech actually works. This track punishes speakers, and the Kilburn 3 handles it beautifully. **Winner:** Kilburn 3, easily. **Track: "Hotel California" - Eagles** *Bose SoundLink Max:* The highs are *pristine*. The acoustic guitar intro has beautiful sparkle and airiness. Don Henley's vocals sit perfectly in the mix. The cymbals shimmer. BUT—and this is important—the bass feels polite, refined, almost held back. It's there, but not visceral. *Marshall Kilburn 3:* The bass guitar has PRESENCE. You feel it. The electric guitars have warmth and body. The highs are very good (not quite Bose-level shimmer, I'll admit), but the overall presentation feels more "live" and energetic. Less refined, more exciting. **Winner:** Depends on preference. Bose for analytical listening and that airy top-end. Marshall for emotional impact and full-bodied sound. **Playing the same tracks across all three, the Marshall was the only one that made me FEEL the music.** No distortion at max volume, which is wild. Those physical knobs with LED indicators? Super satisfying, and way faster than app adjustments. **The Features That Actually Matter:** * Huge Battery life * Bluetooth 5.3 LE- connects instantly, stable AF * Multipoint pairing - laptop and phone at the same time, seamless switching * 3.5mm aux - for my one friend still living in 2010 * Marshall app is simple, clean EQ options * The knobs are TACTILE. That power button click is *satisfying* * *Sustainable as the Battery is replaceable* **The Stuff That's Annoying:** * **NO TWS:** This is my biggest gripe. You CANNOT pair two Kilburn 3s together. Why, Marshall? WHY? This would've been perfect for true stereo separation * **AuraCast is glitchy:** Tried connecting it to other AuraCast devices. Total mess. Glitchy, wouldn't connect, gave up * **No speakerphone:** No built-in mic, so can't take calls through it * **Ecosystem basically doesn't exist:** If you want multiple speakers jamming together, JBL or Sonos is your answer # Is it worth it at $380? **For me: YES.** I care about pure sound quality and battery life more than ecosystem features. The Marshall sounds better, lasts longer, and looks way mature and aesthetic to my eyes. **For you: MAYBE.** If you throw parties and want 5 speakers synced up, get JBL. If you're on a budget, get JBL. If you need speakerphone, get literally anything else. But if you want the best-SOUNDING portable speaker in this price range, and you want it to look like an actual piece of your room instead of outdoor gear, this is it. **The Verdict:** 9/10. Nothing is perfect and this isn't as well. The sound quality alone justified the price for me, and that 50-hour battery is genuinely game-changing. I've stopped looking at other speakers. The Bose went back to my friend. This is the one. *AMA about sound comparisons, specific tracks, or why I'm so obsessive about speakers. Happy to help anyone on the fence!*

I know how difficult it is to decide between the Soundlink Max and the Kilburn 3. Actually I also did A/B testing and went ahead with the Kilburn. But being honest, if you value purely sound and shimmery highs, Soundlink Max is something you should go for. However, Kilburn has an aesthetically pleasing look to it and sounds just right. Nothing to brag about. Sounds tad better than Kilburn 2 and has a signature similar to the Tufton. Bose looked like a metal brick. My non-audiophile friends didn’t approve it much. But Marshall has good cult following; I frequently get “arey bc, marshall hai” and gets good attention. The same was the case with my Soundlink Revolve 2 and Kilburn 2. Even though Kilburn 2 sounded muddier, it got attention at the parties.

Dont sleep on that middleton. I got 2 of them to stereo and it sounded rich but compare to its older siblings like tufton, acton or stanmore the middleton is a little digitally processed but besides that since yiu got the money for xtreme then I suggest you get the killburns 2/3.0 and it sounds better than middleton and louder for its size.

i love my marshall kilburn. the aesthetic and sound are a beautiful duo. the kilburn 2 has an even louder sound if you can give it something to bounce off of since it has front and back speakers. in a corner of a room it will resonate and really be loud. i would have used my original kilburn if someone had not stolen it lmao

I have good experience with Lemus 🇩🇰, Marshall 🇬🇧 & Teufel 🇩🇪

Yes! I love their design! My Kilburn speaker is sitting very prominently in my livingroom for that reason.