Marshall’s new Middleton II Bluetooth speaker lasts 30 hours between charges

Marshall has launched its latest compact Bluetooth speaker, the Middleton II. A direct replacement for the first-generation Middleton from 2023, the new speaker promises room-filling 360-degree sound from a device that sits comfortably in the palm of your hand and won’t demand too much space in your backpack for trips.

The original Middleton offered bright clear sound that belied its diminutive proportions, and with its successor Marshall says it has engineered deeper bass and "more refined performance at maximum volume." Powering the beefed up sound are two 30-watt woofers and a pair 10-watt tweeters, with the drivers positioned so that you hear music clearly from wherever you’re standing.

Battery life is rated at more than 30 hours, which is an improvement on the 20 hours offered by its predecessor. A 20-minute charge will be enough to resurrect a fading Middleton II and avoid the wrath of your guests, and like the speaker it’s replacing, it doubles as a power bank if it’s your phone that requires life support.

A multi-directional control knob handles play/pause and song selection, as well as answering calls and volume control. There’s also a built-in microphone for taking calls hands-free. And as you’d hope from a Bluetooth speaker designed to be a road warrior, the Middleton II has an IP67 rating for dust and water exposure, so no need to be precious with it around the pool this summer.

The Marshall Middleton II is available to buy now for $330.

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