Marshall began life history as a party that produced guitar amps for musicians , with the likes of Jimi Hendrix using the marque for his springy carrying into action . Now they span live music and product such as wireless headphones and speakers , allowing customers to relish the audio of Marshall in their home .
TheMiddletonandEmberton IIareportable radio speakersthat take Marshall ’s distinct esthetic and sound out of the home and into the outside earth .
The range of wireless speakers that Marshall offer is monumental , so we ’ve compared the Middleton and Emberton II against each other from design , lineament , price , and a performance aspect . Which of the two portable speakers is practiced for you ?
Price
The Emberton II is priced at £ 149 / $ 149 / € 169 / AU$259 / CA$249 and went on sales event 2022 .
The Middleton launched in early 2023 but commands a importantly mellow price at £ 269 / $ 299 / € 299 / AU$499 / CA$399 .
That make the Middleton the more expensive leverage of the two , but does it justify the gulf in RRP with its performance ?
Design
While both the Middleton and Emberton II are portable verbaliser , the Middleton is by far the larger of the two . With HWD dimensions of 109 x 230 x 95 mm and tipping the scales at 1.8 kg , it ’s comfortably bigger than the Emberton II ’s dimension of 68 x 160 x 76 mm and double its 700 g weight .
It makes the Emberton II a more desirable option if you need to take a portable speaker abroad on a holiday as it ’d take up less space in a locomotion udder . Otherwise , it should n’t be an way out transporting either speaker to more ‘ local ’ goal like a garden or park . The Middleton number with an attachable carry shoulder strap that makes it palpate lighter to carry around .
Both speakers sport the distinctive Marshall esthetic – in fact the Middleton could be described as the Emberton II ’s bigger sibling such is their similarities . usable in contraband / brass and cream colours , the gold styling of the Marshall logotype relieve oneself these speakers put up out from others .
The natural enclosure is rate toIP67for both speakers , which means they ’re waterproof and dustproof and can be submerged into a body of piss 1 MiB deep for thirty minutes . Both have exposed interface that would give us pause for thought souse them into piddle , however . Nevertheless , both speakers feel solid and inflexible , unlikely to suffer from breakage ( at least not well ) .
AUSB - C portfor charging is on both units , and there ’s a 3.5 millimetre jack on the Middleton for plug in another source . The USB - deoxycytidine monophosphate embrasure on the Middleton can be used to institutionalize another equipment , turn the utterer into a power bank .
Both speakers have a multi - directional boss for functioning , Bluetooth pairing button and battery / volume index on the top surface . The Middleton catch a few superfluous touch with the inclusion of dual and bass control . The enclosure for both verbalizer is reconstruct from post - recycled plastic and is 100 % spare from PVC charge card for those who desire to exit a more sustainable footmark in the machine they bribe .
Though there ’s a difference in size between these verbalizer , the innovation language and purpose are on intimate ground in term of the aesthetic and waterproofing . If you require a self-aggrandising , company verbaliser the Middleton is the worthy choice ; whereas the Emberton II is a smaller effort that ’s gentle to transport .
Features
We mentioned that the Middleton can serve as a power bank for another twist ( say , a smartphone ) , and that gives it an edge over the Emberton II when used outside ( though you would call for a USB - one C cable length for the connexion ) .
Battery life sentence is recollective on the Emberton II ( 30 + hours ) than the Middleton ( 20 + ) but that arguably cause petty difference as both should be able-bodied to last a twenty-four hours of use at normal volumes . Fast commove give to both with a twenty - second top - up offer an extra four hour for the Emberton and two time of day for the Middleton severally . Charging from an empty tank to a full one is prompt on the Emberton too ( three hours to 4.5 ) .
Both verbaliser fare with Bluetooth 5.1 and SBC streaming . That is the last quality streaming Bluetooth codec useable , but the drive units ( and source ) will have a greater effect on the audio intro .
TheBluetooth signalis an area we found was stronger on the Middleton , as it ’s less susceptible to stop up over longer distances . So if you absent mindedly walked off from the speaker with mobile gimmick in hand , you could get further off before the music started to recrudesce up .
Both utterer are in tune with the Marshall app and there are playback controls as well as EQ configurations for the sound provided . The Emberton II has different EQ modes in ‘ Marshall ’ , ‘ drive ’ ( boosted twofold and bass ) and ‘ vocalisation ’ ( heighten midrange ) . The Middleton has just bass and triple control .
heap mode is supported on both , allowing for multiple version of each speaker to be connected to produce a bigger strait . You ca n’t , however , stack an Emberton II with a Middleton .
Both also admit the True Stereophonic sound feature film that claims to return from every angle for a 360 - degree functioning .
The main difference is the Emberton can go for longer , but the Middleton can maneuver as a power bank to charge another gimmick . We ’d place the Bluetooth signaling strong suit as well on the Middleton over longer distances . Otherwise , the feature of speech set is like across both units , though in oecumenical footing these are uncomplicated speaker unit at centre .
Sound Quality
Just from the size alone of these various speakers , the Middleton is capable of a big and louder audio than the Emberton II . The sizing of the soundstage is bigger on the Middleton , and that jump in scale also leave more way for instrument and sounds that are harder to hear with as much detail and clarity on the Emberton II .
The Middleton also gas a richer , livelier sound liken to the Emberton II , with adept interval between the midrange and low oftenness that grants more space for the Middleton to project vocals without bass competing for aid . On the Emberton II this aspect of the performance can sound a little squashed and muddled .
Bass comes more profoundness and power on the Middleton , threefold is more elaborated , and the midrange is clearer and more spacious . Both take a quiet approach to describing detail in the midrange , though the higher quality of the germ , the best this arena of the frequency orbit sounds on both verbalizer . The dependable Stereophonic audio lineament also sounds more ordered on the Middleton with fewer gaps in the 360 - arcdegree soundstage .
Of the two , the Middleton is the more expressive , lively , and dynamic performer ; and its treble and bass control allow for finer dominance over the phone than the Emberton II ’s more prescriptive auditory sensation modes . They ’re both fun and entertaining speakers but if you want the best audio carrying into action , we ’d say the Middleton is the better of the two .
Verdict
The difference between the Emberton II versus the Middleton can be sum up up as the latter being for those who require a big auditory sensation for outside assembly , while the former has a more portable design for smaller group .
The Middleton go louder , sounds better but is n’t as portable . The Emberton II is a speaker that can be more well slip into a bag or taken on a vacation without taking up as much outer space . The features are few and largely the same , the design is classifiable and stylish on both ; the price might be the clincher for some . The Middleton is over £ 100 / $ 100 / € 100 more expensive .
If you want the just sound the Middleton is the better pick , but if you ’re try a more conveniently portable speaker the Emberton II makes more sentience , though if you do n’t mind the jump in size or price , we ’d plump for the Middleton .
