A sign that sunny days are approaching, Marshall is launching its new portable speaker, the Middleton. Transportable, resistant, offering comfortable autonomy, it is also the most powerful of the manufacturer’s mobile speakers. It seems perfectly cut for our next outings. A few days before winter vacation and a few weeks before spring, 20 minutes was able to test it for a long time.
Jimi Hendrix at home
Unsurprisingly, the Middleton looks like a Marshall speaker. 60 years after its first stage amps, the brand maintains its own legend with a device with an iconic design, here made from 55% recycled plastics (from used electronic devices). Black dress, grille on the front, prominent brass-colored Marshall embossed logo (unfortunately it is plastic here), we have the impression of inviting Jimi Hendrix, The Who or Eric Clapton at home when we go out. device from its box. On the surface of the enclosure, a large joystick allows you to skillfully turn the Middleton on and off (by a long press), to raise/lower the volume (by moving it up or down), but also to change the musical track (by moving it to the left or to the right). Convenient.
Too modest equalizer
In addition to a button to connect the speaker in Bluetooth 5.1, there is also a battery gauge indicator, but also two touch keys to modulate the level of bass and treble. These are functions that can also be found in the Marshall Bluetooth application.
This one claims in its interface the presence of an “equalizer”. Behind this word, a simple possibility of adjusting the level of bass and treble on a scale of 1 to 10. It’s not so bad, but we are far from the real equalizer that Marshall offered until recently on its speakers, even offering musical presets. Why this minimum service?
50 watts on the go
Once paired, the Middleton reveals its true nature: the good big sound. Powerful, it incorporates two woofers 15 watts, two tweeters of 10 watts, supported by two passive radiators. That is a power of 50 watts in total, which is rather comfortable for a device ultimately of modest size: 10.9 x 23 x 9.5 cm (for 1.8 kg).
Helping ambient gloom, we tested the Middleton with albums rather punchyof which the very apropos That’s life(the last Hyphen Hyphen), the compilation Funk Way Bounces vol 2 by DJ Calvin Harris, or even Harry’s House by Harry Styles. Rock DNA obliges, we also took the opportunity to revisit some of our great classics: from Radiohead, to the Stones via Bowie and Led Zep. Nothing like a little stairway to Heaven to get you out of your head the pension reform, the increase in the price of electricity, or tolls…
Almost 360°
Conclusion: the Middleton speaker plays a score that is very dry, raw, sometimes arid on the good old rock sounds, but not devoid of relief for more contemporary registers. A little more brilliance would have been appreciated to venture into more jazzy repertoires. But novelty: by arranging its tweeters on the sides, the Middleton succeeds in broadcasting a simili-360° sound which is not unpleasant. “Simili” yes, because here, not enough to water a space uniformly as with an Apple HomePod speaker!
But tested on a table with eight people around, the Middleton did not harm anyone. Promising for future evenings on the terrace! And for large tables, Marshall also highlights its “Stack” function to combine different Middleton speakers. The idea is not to form a stereo pair but to further amplify a soundstage. Still it is necessary for that that your friends equip themselves accordingly…
Under water and in the sand
Dedicated to the outdoors, the speaker meets the IP67 standard, a clear improvement compared to the one that was Marshall’s first adventurer speaker in its time, the Emberton (still on sale, it is only IPX7). Here, the Middleton can also withstand splashes of water, but makes the difference by being able to be submerged up to 1 meter (for 30 minutes) and by supporting sand and dust. The beach is already reaching out to her…
Its autonomy of around twenty hours ensures the service for a long evening, and even more, everyone can take advantage of its PowerBank function and recharge their smartphone (but only when the speaker is on).
Sold for 299 euros (the same price as the Marshall Kilburn II, a Marshall speaker at the end of its life, less powerful and less resistant), the Middleton finds itself in direct competition with speakers like the Bose SoundLink Revolve+ II (sold for 284 euros) or the JBL Xtreme3 (329 euros), models which are not new and which could see their price drop. Models that are leaders in terms of nomadic sound, but with less autonomy of 15 hours and above all, a much less personal story to tell…