Marshall bluetooth app. Marshall Bluetooth for Android

Marshall Bluetooth for Android

Marshall Bluetooth is a Music app by Zound Industries International. Things have moved on. There’s no longer just a dial to twist when your favourite song comes on, then guard to make sure no one else touches it.

Download and install APK on Android

How to setup Marshall Bluetooth APK:

APK (Android Package Kit) files are the raw files of an Android app. Learn how to install marshall-bluetooth.APK file on your phone in 4 Simple Steps:

• Download the marshall-bluetooth.APK to your device using any of our download mirrors. 99% guaranteed safe.
• Allow 3rd Party (non playstore) apps on your device: Go to Menu » Settings » Security ». Click Unknown Sources. On Android 8, you will be prompted to allow your browser or file manager to install APKs.
• Locate the marshall-bluetooth.APK file and click to Install: Read all on-screen prompts and click Yes or No accordingly.
• After installation, the Marshall Bluetooth app will appear on the home screen of your device.

Is Marshall Bluetooth APK Safe?

Yes. We provide some of the safest APK download mirrors for getting the Marshall Bluetooth APK.

Whats new in v3.0.2

• Release date: 2023-04-12
• Current version: 3.0.2
• File size: 87.91 MB
• Developer:Zound Industries International
• Compatibility: Requires iOS 10.0 or later. or Android KitKat 4.4, Lollipop 5.0, Marshmallow 6.0, Nougat 7.0, Oreo 8.0, Android Pie 9.0, Quince Tart 10, Red velvet cake 11, Snow cone 12 or later versions

8 things about Marshall Bluetooth

You can fiddle with more detailed adjustments if you’re that way inclined, like equalisers and noise control for headphones – everything is there to help create your perfect fit.

There’s no longer just a dial to twist when your favourite song comes on, then guard to make sure no one else touches it.

It’s using the powers of technology for good, and ultimately with you in control, better playlists for all.

With the app, you can crank up the volume from the kitchen and there’s nothing anyone can do about it.

Just connect your devices, adjust the volume, and get on with your life.

And if apps aren’t your thing, you can still use our products without it.

Using the app is simple.

APK Mirror 1: : Download APK

Marshall Bluetooth Reviews

The app opens up just fine-congrats on that! But, if I tap anywhere, it crashes. How does this even happen? Are the Make-A-Wish Foundation kids running app support?

Of all the noise cancelling headphones I have from the Sony Xm3, Xm4, Xm5. The Bose 700, the Bose quietcomfort, Google Airpods Pro, Airpods Max the Marshall Monitor noise cancelling headphones are by far the worst at noise cancellation. The build quality is pretty good however, most headphones are plastic and easily broken but Marshall’s are made out of metal and you will not accidentally break the hinges (sometimes the hinges can be loose) or headband without considerable effort which is nice and the sound quality is pretty good but the noise cancellation is not.

I have two Stanmore II speakers. Pairing has been difficult since day 1 but I’ve been holding out hope for an update. Love the speakers but ready to throw them in the trash at this point. Each update actually gets worse! They will no longer pair and have become paperweights. Tried everything…Over it!

it’s embarrassing that a speaker brand as big as marshall has such a terrible solution for bluetooth speakers. this app is awful and it make me second guess buying any marshall products ever again

Marshall Middleton review

Start the new year with a big bang! That´s what Zound Industries might have thought when launching their latest Bluetooth model: the Marshall Middleton. We have seen some fireworks of mature and dynamic Bluetooth speakers by the legendary brand and their Scandinavian licensee before. But they were all meant solely for indoor use: Acton III, Stanmore III and Woburn III created a surprising triple-win during our review process. Some fans of the brand may have wished for a portable version with a battery – a larger Marshall Emberton 2, so to speak. That tiny speaker has been the most versatile we have been reviewing so far and did deliver quite a positive surprise in terms of sound quality. Although it is relatively compact and therefore not being created to be the most dynamic one.

So it seems that the latest Middleton is the answer to all these cries: it just felt like an Emberton II derivate having significantly grown. That said, its weight in particular has more than doubled. The rubber carry strap turns out to be accordingly wider. It´s definitely cool to carry it from the subway station to the beach but you might actually feel the weight. So putting it in a backpack seems to be a good idea, and pretty possible thanks to its still compact dimensions and a suitable shap.

Emberton has grown significantly

By the way, the battery life did not increase proportionally with the weight. The Middleton holds a respectable reserve of 20 hours maximum runtime on one charge, but afterwards calls for a whopping 4.5 hours for fully recharging the battery.

There is actually a reason for that: A 4-channel amp inside, sucking quite some current for a total power output of 60 watts. That’s almost double the power compared to the nominally larger Marshall Kilburn II. Given the spec sheet it is promised to not only deliver deep bass and impressive SPL, but also spanning a stereo panorama by implementing 2 separated channels in a true 2-way x-over arrangement each. This said, we found two woofers of an amazing 3 inch in diameter each plus two tiny tweeters ensuring wide directivity pattern. Two large passive compound drivers provide additional low-bass, which is a pretty efficient way to extend the lower bass without sacrificing any watts or enclosure volume for this purpose. And it definitely gives the Middleton a record maximum of diaphragm space in such a small cabinet.

Bluetooth loudspres with quad drive

The 6 drivers are distributed on all four sides in an unusual way. The two mid/woofers are located on either side, front and rear baffle are each occupied by a tweeter plus a compound driver. I.e. right tweeter is located on the right front, the left one on the left rear. Thus, the compact speaker must be positioned horizontally and should get some minimum distance to nearby surfaces in all directions.

Marshall is promising a maximum of sound image width calling this technology “True Stereophonic with multi-directional and immersive sound”. From a home theater enthusiast’s point of view, perhaps a somewhat exaggeratedly bold claim, because we did not find any circuitry neither for virtual surround sound nor phaseshifting filters in the Middleton. Which is rather an advantage when listening to music from a comparably small speaker as too much of phase shifting and virtual stereo often leads to phasy and cancelled-out mids. When using it open-air, the Middleton offers an unparalleled omnidirectional directivity pattern thanks to its drivers on all four sides.

Highest praise for ease-of-use

Some competitors recently seemed to overload their Bluetooth speakers with features. And Marshall´s spec list is growing as well. However, especially with the Middleton, we had the feeling that only really useful and intuitive features were added here and no bells and whistles.

Many music lovers might find the additional analogue jack input useful. You might also want to activate some kind of daisy-chain mode called “stack mode”, to speak more in Marshall language. Really nice: One could activate that without any app. However, you can’t build a true stereo pair out of two Middletons. Naturally, features like app control, powerbank output, multihosting for two smartphones is offered as in all modern portable Marshalls. Bluetooth is state of the art: version 5.1.

Although the Middleton does not offer the retro touch by heritage-like control knobs as its couch potatoe brother Acton III, the brass-coloured joystick-style button for volume and playback control is exemplary when it comes to ease-of-use. Additional buttons for source selection, stack mode as well as bass and treble control are both perfectly useful and intuitive. But the aforementioned on top of the cabinet are definitely less visible, or should we say kind of hidden, so the clean design is left undisturbed. A row of red LEDs is serving as both a battery indicator or volume/treble/bass feedback. We are impressed.

The app grants remote access to some features. However, what is called “equalizer” doubles solely the bass and treble control found on the loudspeaker itself. than that, though, the Middleton´s sheer overflow of bass might make it even more obvious that it lacks an acoustic room correction. (Photos: Stefan Schickedanz)

One important feature in the app is missing

The Marshall Bluetooth app for iOS and Android basically doubles all these displays and options, which leaves it largely dispensable in the end. On the Android phone, however, the Bluetooth connection exclusively required an app, and only after quite a few attempts, system updates and dead end links in the Playstore we did it finally manage to synchronize everthingy. By the way, the app left one important wish unfulfilled, but we will get to that in a suitable place in the listening test.

Waterproof, dustproof, sustainable

The Middleton’s IP67 rating means an impressive 30 minutes timeframe of fishing it out of the water from the moment of submerging it ( one meter in depth is the limit altough). And it is really dustproof which is in combination more than you´d ever need at the beach.

Especially since the Middleton with its sturdy but finger-flattering soft case in leather look and rounded edges also seems to be quite resistant. By the way, nostalgic retro looks do not stand in the way of sustainability: The manufacturer promises a 55% recycling rate for the casing material and does not use any PVC at all. We got it: This material should be strictly reserved for vinyl records, in case there’s ever a shortage.

Sound quality estimation of Marshall Middleton

With a brief electric guitar riff, the Marshall confirms a completed Bluetooth connection. During our extended listening tests in different environments, we quickly got the feeling that we had two systems showing a completely different behaviour depending on where it was positioned: Marshall´s Middleton was a rock-solid solution when used open-air. Dynamic, lively, rich, deep bass and astonishing SPL capabilities given its size. It also delivered a combination of gripping, speedy and impulsive sound characteristics with exemplarily perfect omnidirectional sound no matter if you were listening in front or behind it.

We particularly liked the voicing of mids and treble: Voices sounded tonally balanced and well-defined, but still offering a lot of clarity and articulation, as you would expect it when listening to rock, pop or hiphop. For all its tendency towards popular music, the Middleton´s sound never got sharp and delivered a really clean and well-defined mix. Even when he had to play several voices, brass or saxophones.

No shortage of bass, indeed

In terms of bass capabilities it is amazingly voluminous considering its size: really deep, rich and loud, beats were pumping as if it the speaker had double or triple its volume. The fact that the bass sometimes seemed a bit dominant and couldn’t always keep up with the subjective speed of the mids and trebles shouldn’t bother anyone on the beach or in the park. Especially classic rock, 1970s disco and alike sounded astonishing and with impressive bass. With modern electronic beats, on the other hand, it could be too much going round in the very low-end, as sharp transients sometimes got lost a bit in this sonic thunderstorm.

However, this turned out to be a downside inside a room, particularly smaller ones: In the bass region, a narrow frequency Band appeared to be pretty dominant and with some tracks even covered the rest of the audible range. We found examples driving the bass to appear somewhat overly fat or even boomy, which was simply too much of a good thing, especially when placed close to the wall. By the way, using the bass control did not help, but even widened the frequency gap between the sheer mass of low bass and the mid/treble regions, occasionally intensifying the effect.

It’s a pity, because otherwise the Middleton would have cut a good figure indoors as well. In smaller rooms and when sitting directly in front of it, you don’t notice much of the stereo panorama, but all the more of its gripping dynamics and directness. However, in larger rooms, especially when the Marshall was placed on a table close to a corner, it provided a reasonably wide sound image and ambience.

No so easy to tame

Unfortunately, experience has shown that the booming effect got even more audible with corner placement. The rear left tweeter, on the other hand, makes it a gamble on a bookshelf or placed directly next to the wall. Thus, we can seriously recommend it only for mobile applications. But all the more emphatically. A remedy would be within reach: For home speakers like the Woburn 3, the Marshall Bluetooth app offers an easy-to-use “Placement Control”, which allows this particular Bluetooth speaker offering a pretty hefty bass as well, to be well adjusted to the sonic position. But as it is in the meantime: Today is not every day, maybe a future update will bring it if many users join our opinion after the launch.

Alternatives to the Marshall Middleton

A lot of technology inside, convincing exterior, compact dimensions and a fully convincing dynami, mature sound – in its size class, the Marshall Middleton clears for outdoor use. For that, it costs a few bucks more than potential competitors like Aiwa´s Exos-3 or the Dockin´s D Fine 2. Both reach the overall sonic standard of the Marshall. But they are larger and heavier and offering less of charmingly impulsive sound and comparably wide sweet spot. So if money is no object and maximum bass out of minimum enclosure is the way to go – the Middleton is the device you might want to go for.

On the other hand, using it equally on the go and indoors is a different story: Sony´s SRS-XG300 offering a much dryer bass might not sound quite as spectacular for hip-hop fans and is surely not as lightweight. But it is hardly causing any acoustical problems in the bass when interacting with a small or medium-sized room. There is one exception: if you live in an environment solely surround by drywall construction or under the roof – it might help to absorb enough bass to make the Middleton an indoor Champion as well.

Specifications: Marshall Middleton

• Marshall Emberton 2 in test
• Marshall Acton 2 in test
• Marshall Acton 3 in test

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The founder and editor in chief of STEREO GUIDE has been testing for over three decades as a hi-fi expert for print and online magazines such as AUDIO, VIDEO, stereoplay and LowBeats. In addition to cultivated music playback, he likes fast cars. including classic cars. with rich sound. He also reports regularly on this topic, not least on this platform.

Marshall Stanmore 3 vs Stanmore 2: A Comparative Review

The Marshall Stanmore 3 is a powerful Bluetooth speaker and the latest Stanmore model speaker currently available. This speaker comes with a new built-in woofer and two tweeters that provide extra bass and loud sound performance with an 80W RMS sound performance. This speaker features a 2-way bass-reflex design with a rear firing port to improve to bass performance and has a wide frequency range of 45 Hz to 20 kHz. The Marshall Stanmore III also features the next-generation Bluetooth 5.2 for high-quality music streaming, and also supports the usual 3.5mm input for playing music from non-wireless music sources.

The Marshall Stanmore 2 is the older generation Stanmore speaker that delivers up to 60 watts (80 watts peak) of sound performance, and also comes with 1 woofer and two tweeters in a 2-way bass reflex design. This speaker supports Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity with aptX, and also supports EQ customization with the Marshall Bluetooth app. Just like the Marshall Stanmore 3 speaker, the Stanmore 2 also features multi-host functionality so that you can easily connect and switch between multiple Bluetooth devices at one time.

Sound Performance

When we tested out both the Marshall Stanmore 3 and Stanmore 2 side by side, we found that the Marshall Stanmore 3 delivers slightly louder sound performance with good bass response. Both speakers are capable of delivering very well-rounded sound performance and deep bass, and the bass on both speakers was equally punchy and deep with a lot of depth on the low-end. Having said that, the volume difference between both speakers is quite small and barely noticeable when you crank up both speakers to maximum volume levels, and both speakers have roughly equal amounts of peak power at 80 watts.

We played a couple of of country folk and jazz music soundtracks on both speakers and noticed that the Stanmore 3 has wider stereo soundstage than the Stanmore 2. While both speakers pump out nearly the same volume and level of bass, the Stanmore 3 is able to better distinguish between the right and left speaker channels and provide a more well-rounded soundstage – you can pick up subtle details and nuances in the music which you may not have noticed in the Stanmore 2, such as the footsteps of the vocalist and stroke of the piano keys.

In terms of bass performance, both speakers deliver really deep and punchy bass with plenty of depth. The bass on both the Stanmore 3 and Stanmore 2 are well-defined with plenty of depth, and they add a good low-end punch to music performances. The bass is quite refined and stays where it should be as bass without muddying into the midrange frequencies. Both speakers get the bass right and they deliver a superb low-end with plenty of depth and presence.

Overall, we would say that the sound performance of the Stanmore 3 and Stanmore 2 speakers are virtually indistinguishable. Both have nearly equal levels of volume output and bass, and they can deliver really crisp highs and smooth midrange performance. While the Stanmore 3 is slightly louder – there was no noticeable difference in the volume once you push the volume level above 50% volume. We did find that the Stanmore 3 had better soundstage than the Stanmore 2, although the differences are quite subtle and you won’t really hear the difference in the separation and soundstage unless you are specifically listening for the details. Both speakers have superb bass performance that delivers above what we would normally expect from a high-end Bluetooth speaker; both speakers also have a wide frequency range of between 45 Hz to 20 kHz (the Stanmore III has 45 Hz to 20 kHz while the Stanmore II has 50 Hz to 20 kHz) which is impressive, but you won’t hear 5Hz the difference in frequency response between both speakers at the lower-frequency Band. Both speakers have a relatively warm Marshall signature sound with good vocal reproduction.

Specs – Marshall Stanmore 3 vs Stanmore 2

In terms of specs, both the Stanmore 3 and 2 are virtually identical, save for the fact that the Stanmore 3 has 80 watts of RMS power while the Stanmore 2 has 60 watts (but this can go up to 80 watts peak power on AC). Both speakers have a 2-way speaker configuration with one woofer and two tweeters for crystal clear highs and detailed midrange reproduction.

The Stanmore 3 also has an added rear-firing bass port to enhance the lower-end bass performance; however we found in our tests that the bass was quite indistinguishable and both speakers have the same amount of bass output. In terms of frequency response, the Stanmore 3 has a range of 45 Hz to 20 kHz while the Stanmore 2 has a range of 50 Hz to 20 kHz, which is essentially the same to the human ear (you won’t be able to hear the 5 Hz difference in the Stanmore 3 in the bass region).

Having said that, the Marshall 3 supports the latest Bluetooth 5.2 codec which is ideal for streaming detailed sound quality to the speaker. The Marshall 2 features Bluetooth 5.0 with aptX and also delivers crystal clear sound performance on par with the Marshall 3.

Design

In terms of design, the Marshall Stanmore 3 and Stanmore 2 look virtually identical with the classic vintage appearance. The exterior of both speakers are made from soft touch plastic and the front of the speaker has a fabric linter covered in a plastic mesh with a gold colored Marshall logo.

Both speakers come with Marshall’s signature gold/brass dials and the on/off switch looks exactly like a Marshall amp toggle. Both speakers also have rubber feet which provide a sturdy bass and prevent the speaker from rattling or vibrating when playing loud music. When it comes down to design, we felt that both the Marshall Stanmore 3 and Stanmore 2 look quite identical to each other and it really boils down to a matter of personal preference.

The Verdict?

We really liked both the Marshall Stanmore 3 and Stanmore 2 speaker. Both speakers are capable of delivering a massive 80 watt of sound performance – the sound quality is perfectly balanced with very clear highs and detailed midranges. The bass has plenty of low-end punch and feels tight with plenty of depth – it’s the kind of bass that you would expect from a high-end speaker that makes jazz and country folk music feel lifelike and present. The Stanmore 3 has slightly better soundstage and stereo separation – you can pick up details in the music on the Stanmore 3 that sound less apparent on the Stanmore 2 – such as the sound of the vocalist breathing or the stroke of the piano / plucking of guitar strings. Both speakers deliver really crisp treble ranges with sparkling highs, and vocals sound really nice to listen to on both speakers.

There’s also a Marshall app which you can use to connect to the speaker and fine-tune the audio settings based on the speaker’s positioning and distance from the wall (this allows you to optimize the sound performance for your room). The Stanmore 3 features the latest Bluetooth 5.2 codec, while the Stanmore 2 uses Bluetooth 5.0 with aptX – having said that, the sound performance between the two are practically indistinguishable.

In our view, the Stanmore 3 is not really worth the upgrade from the Stanmore 2. Both speakers have virtually the same output power and both speakers come with a woofer and two tweeters. While the Stanmore 3 comes with an additional bass rear-firing port, the bass on both speakers was essentially the same on both speakers and you can barely notice the difference. Both speakers also provide roughly the same volume output and have a peak wattage of 80 watts, with the Stanmore 3 providing slightly better soundstage. If you already have the Marshall Stanmore 2, we recommend sticking to the Stanmore 2 at this time – otherwise the Marshall Stanmore 3 is a great option to have for the latest Bluetooth 5.2 codec and additional bass port design.

If you want to read more about the types of Marshall speakers currently available, be sure to check out this article on the best Marshall speakers.

Marshall Willen Bluetooth Speaker Review: A Tiny Speaker To Take Your Tunes Anywhere

Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

The Marshall Willen is our pick for the best value Bluetooth speaker award within our tested best Bluetooth speaker roundup. Here’s why we recommend it.

Three things immediately stood out when I first began evaluating the Marshall Willen Bluetooth speaker. It’s extremely compact, so it fits comfortably in my back The Marshall Willen also has a high-quality, sturdy design, with a unique joystick button on the front that controls the speaker. Most importantly, my testing revealed that this 120 speaker sounds far better than what I expected from something this size.

I looked at dozens of handheld speakers from a wide range of companies before settling on 10 models to test and review. Most of these didn’t make the cut, producing music that often sounded tinny, muffled or distorted. The Marshall Willen defied my expectations. In fact, for such a tiny device, I found it produces excellent and rich audio.

Marshall Willen

Battery life: Up to 15 hours | Weight: 0.7 pounds | Size: 4 x 4 x 1.6 inches | Mobile app: Marshall Bluetooth (iOS/Android) | Waterproof rating: IP67 | Audio type: Mono | Connectivity: Bluetooth

• Listening to music, audiobooks or podcasts
• Using while hiking, camping or sitting at a desk
• Attaching the speaker to a backpack, belt loop or arm

Marshall Willen Bluetooth Speaker Features

Classic, In A Pint-Sized Package

This speaker feels solid, durable and well made—a distinct contrast to some of the flimsy designs I found on other speakers. Even better: It has the same iconic black and brass look as all Marshall’s other amps and speakers.

Two things set this small speaker apart: the joystick control dial on the front and the rubber strap on the back. The dial works well for navigating audio playback (more on that later), while the strap made the speaker easy to attach to my belt or backpack. The lightweight speaker is also dustproof and waterproof (with an IP67 rating) and able to withstand being treated roughly—indoors or outside.

Marshall says the battery lasts up to 15 hours, which is in line with other handheld Bluetooth speakers. It has an LED battery-level indicator on top of the speaker, so it’s easy to determine how much battery life remains. The speaker supports Bluetooth 5.1 and has about a 30-foot signal range.

Nifty Joystick Button

I found the front-mounted joystick easy to use. This handles seven speaker functions, including volume, answering a call and skipping between audio tracks. The tricky part was memorizing which joystick movement corresponded to which function. But once I knew whether to press the button or move it in a specific direction, I found it convenient to control the speaker.

Willen has three audio EQ presets, but they’re selectable only via the mobile app. The “Marshall” preset optimizes audio for music, adding a high gain consistent with what Marshall refers to as its signature sound. Another preset optimizes output for dialogue. The third boosts bass and treble. Unfortunately, you can’t manually adjust the audio EQ. However, the speaker’s default setting and the presets do an excellent job at outputting clear, rich audio. Beyond setting up the speaker and switching between presets, the mobile app does little else.

Pleasing To The Ear

The most impressive thing about the Marshall Willen is its sound. Like most portable Bluetooth speakers, the Willen produces only mono audio, but it does this in a way that makes vocals sound exceptionally clear—a useful trait for music as well as for listening to audiobooks or podcasts. It uses a 2-inch full range driver and two passive radiators, which together produce full and clear music that sounds great. And thanks to the built-in microphone, Willen works as a speakerphone when it’s paired with a smartphone.

Because it’s waterproof, you can take the Willen into the shower or tub for a private concert, or just as easily strap it to your arm or a backpack when you’re on the move and not worry if you get caught in the rain. No matter what position the speaker is in, the quality of its audio output remains consistent.

The Willen lacks immersive, 360-degree audio—a feature common on larger speakers, including my choice for the best Bluetooth speaker overall, the Bose Portable Smart Speaker. I found this speaker best for close-range listening, without having to wear headphones or earbuds. If you want to fill a room with sound, a larger Bluetooth speaker, like the Bose Portable Smart Speaker, is a better bet. Overall, I found the Willen satisfying when listening to music. Vocals sounded clear, while instrumentals and complex production elements sounded good, but not at all immersive or as ll-encompassing as on larger, more capable speakers.

The maximum volume of the Willen is about 82 decibels. It produces about 10 watts of audio power, impressive for a speaker that measures just 4 x 4 x 1.6 inches and weighs 0.7 pounds. The Marshall mobile app’s Stack Mode feature lets you use multiple Willen speakers to create a louder and more powerful sound, but doing so won’t achieve a stereo effect as on some Bluetooth speakers.

How Does The Marshall Willen Compare?

Between its rugged design, sound quality and ease of use, the Marshall Willen clearly stood out from all the other handheld Bluetooth speakers I tested. If you want to be able to fill a room with sound or experience 360-degree audio, there are larger portable Bluetooth speakers for that. For example, the Bose Portable Smart Speaker was my pick for best Bluetooth speaker overall. But the small Willen is better suited for personal listening and delivers the best value Bluetooth speaker for the money of any model I tested.

How I Tested The Best Bluetooth Speakers

I paired the Bose Portable Smart Speaker with an iPhone 14 Pro Max and evaluated its sound quality by streaming music from services that included Apple Music and Spotify. To see how it sounded indoors, I evaluated the sound quality from both five and 10 feet away. I performed similar tests outside to see how the speaker handled outdoor environments.

During my testing, I listened to a series of popular podcasts and audiobooks. I also chose pop music from Katy Perry, Harry Styles and Charlie Puth. Their respective songs contain examples of complex audio production—such as stacks, harmonies, hype tracks and instrumentals—meant to bounce between the left and right audio channels or create an immersive listening experience when played on devices that support spatial audio. I paid careful attention to how each portable Bluetooth speaker adapted music for mono playback.

My Expertise

I’m not new to testing audio gear: I’ve been covering consumer technology for more than 25 years, for publications like AARP The Magazine. During my testing, I consulted with two experienced music industry professionals: Drew Ryan Scott (a singer-songwriter and multiplatinum music producer) and Eric Racy (a mixer and engineer who’s worked with artists like Katy Perry, Troye Sivan and Kelly Clarkson). We discussed the key features they look for when choosing a Bluetooth speaker and what you can expect from the listening experience.

Is The Marshall Willen Speaker Worth The Money?

Most definitely, especially if you plan to listen to audiobooks or podcasts. While the music listening experience is good—especially for the price—it can’t compare to larger speakers or how the same music sounds over headphones or earbuds. If you’re looking for an easy-to-carry speaker that fits in your hand (or the rear of your jeans), or a speaker for your shower or nightstand or one you can easily attach to something else, the Marshall Willen is a great choice that offers really good value for the money.

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The Best Home Bluetooth Speaker

If you’d prefer a home Bluetooth speaker that doesn’t look like a traditional speaker, check out our latest story, 7 Great Speakers for People Who Hate How Speakers Look.

Using a Bluetooth tabletop speaker is the simplest way to get satisfying sound in the home, since it will work with almost any mobile device and doesn’t require a network connection or the use of a special app.

Klipsch’s The One II is the best all-around choice. This speaker has a full, clear, robust sound (which made it our panelists’ favorite in a brand-concealed listening test), and its operation couldn’t be simpler. Plus, the Klipsch speaker’s handsome, retro design should make it a welcome addition to practically any room.

How we picked and tested

Unlike Wi-Fi speakers, the speakers in this guide require no complicated setup—just pair them with your mobile device and enjoy.

We conceal the identities of the speakers to eliminate bias, then play them at matched levels for a panel of experts.

We’ve tested every speaker we can find in this category, from big-bass powerhouses to softball-sized minis.

We put our top picks (and many other models) through hundreds of hours of testing to make sure they hold up under normal use.

Very good sound at a reasonable price

The One II is small and simple, it sounds better than its competitors, and its tasteful styling should please everyone.

Buying Options

With Klipsch’s The One II, you get good sound in a small, stylish package. It produced clearer, more natural-sounding vocals than the other Bluetooth speakers we tested, and it delivered plenty of bass, too.

The One II’s retro look is handsome and tasteful, so it suits practically any decor. Bluetooth pairing is simple, and the One II, with nothing but an on/off switch, a volume control, and an input selector, is one of the simplest audio systems you can buy. The One II is great for getting good sound in your home without the complexities that Wi-Fi speakers bring.

Good sound, good style

The Högtalare has a big, full sound and a minimalist but stylish design.

Buying Options

At the time of publishing, the price was 300.

The l Högtalare looks like a collaboration between a skilled acoustical engineer and a modern furniture designer—and perhaps it was.

The simple fabric grille, available in four colors, conceals a big (for a Bluetooth speaker) 6-inch woofer that puts out room-filling bass, plus two fabric dome tweeters of the same type found in many high-end speakers. It produces an even, natural sound that works with everything from RB to country to classical, and it doesn’t require (or even offer) an app for adjustments.

It can sit on a shelf, hang on a wall, or fit perfectly into IKEA’s Kallax and Expedit shelving systems. But it’s roughly twice the size of Klipsch’s The One II and costs more.

For large spaces or loud parties

The Woburn II plays much louder and produces more bass than the smaller tabletop speakers we tested, but it costs a lot more.

Buying Options

At the time of publishing, the price was 550.

The Marshall Woburn II is the muscle car of Bluetooth speakers, with dual woofers that produce powerful bass and a sound that’s robust enough to get a dozen people dancing. It also has convenient, top-mounted volume, bass, and treble controls that make it easy to adjust the sound to your liking.

The Woburn II is much pricier and about three times the size of Klipsch’s The One II, but if you want sound that’s powerful enough to fill an entire loft space, this is the Bluetooth speaker to get.

Very good sound at a reasonable price

The One II is small and simple, it sounds better than its competitors, and its tasteful styling should please everyone.

Good sound, good style

The Högtalare has a big, full sound and a minimalist but stylish design.

Buying Options

At the time of publishing, the price was 300.

For large spaces or loud parties

The Woburn II plays much louder and produces more bass than the smaller tabletop speakers we tested, but it costs a lot more.

Buying Options

At the time of publishing, the price was 550.

Why you should trust us

I’ve been reviewing audio gear professionally since 1990, having worked as an editor or writer for SoundStage, Sound Vision, Home Theater Review, Home Theater Magazine, and numerous other publications. In that time, I’ve conducted and published more brand-concealed tests of audio products than any other journalist in the world. I’ve tested somewhere around 400 wireless speakers.

I’m also an active musician, playing double bass with several jazz groups, so I have a pretty good idea of what musical instruments are supposed to sound like.

Three additional listeners helped me with this guide. One was Lauren Dragan, Wirecutter senior staff writer and headphones editor, who has served as a panelist on most of the wireless-speaker tests we’ve done. The others were LeRena Major, a saxophonist who’s held several jobs in the music industry and is a voting member of the Recording Academy (formerly the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, or NARAS), and Dan Gonda, who plays saxophone, clarinet, and flute in my group Tonic Trio and many other Los Angeles–based jazz and RB ensembles.

Who should buy a home Bluetooth speaker

A Bluetooth tabletop speaker is perfect for someone who wants to enjoy higher-quality audio in their home in the simplest way possible, and for someone who doesn’t intend to move the speaker around often or use it outdoors.

Since Bluetooth is included in all smartphones and tablets and in most newer laptops, you don’t have to worry about compatibility issues between these sources and your chosen speaker, and you don’t have to load any additional apps onto your phone, as you do with Sonos, Alexa, and other Wi-Fi–based speakers.

Because you don’t need to connect the speaker to a Wi-Fi network, you’ll have no problem getting one of these speakers to work in places where network access is tightly controlled, such as in an office or a college dorm.

Should You Get a Smart Speaker or a Bluetooth Speaker?

The choice between a Smart speaker and a Bluetooth speaker depends on your lifestyle and your listening habits.

The big downsides of Bluetooth speakers, compared with Wi-Fi speakers, are that the range is limited, you can’t usually send audio to multiple rooms simultaneously. and in most cases Bluetooth slightly degrades sound quality. (The only exception is when your streaming service, your phone/tablet, and your speaker all support the same Bluetooth audio codec, in which case Bluetooth shouldn’t affect the sound quality.) However, to hear that degradation, you’d probably need a good set of stereo speakers or headphones, and even then you might not notice it.

Because the speakers featured here are all-in-one designs, they don’t deliver the big, enveloping sound of separate stereo bookshelf speakers or computer speakers (though two of our picks can be paired with a second speaker to work that way). But they also don’t require complicated, unsightly speaker cables or additional components.

The Best Bookshelf Speakers for Most Stereos

The Triangle Borea BR03 passive speakers and the Edifier S1000MKII powered speakers are the best we’ve tested under 600.

How we picked

We use the following criteria to help us decide which home Bluetooth speakers to call in for testing:

• Wireless connectivity: Speakers tested for this guide are Bluetooth-only. They do not include any Wi-Fi–based technology like Sonos, AirPlay, Alexa, or Chromecast. For more information on Wi-Fi–based speakers, see our guides to the best multiroom wireless speaker system, the Apple HomePod, the best Alexa speaker, and the best Google Home speaker.
• Bluetooth codecs: For reasons I cite in my blog about Bluetooth audio codecs, we didn’t mandate the inclusion of any specific audio codec—the technology that reduces the amount of data in a digital audio file so it can stream reliably over a Bluetooth connection. Despite marketing claims and what you see on many audio websites, the effect that a Bluetooth codec has on sound quality is extremely minor compared with the effects of the product’s tuning and acoustical design. Some codecs, such as aptX HD and LDAC, can produce a noticeable improvement, but only if the speaker itself sounds excellent.
• Price: We didn’t set any price limits for our testing, but all the models we found were priced below 600.
• Basic design: To be considered for this guide, a Bluetooth speaker had to be designed primarily for home use—to stay mostly in one spot indoors. Some of the speakers we’ve tested include a rechargeable battery, which is an advantage if you occasionally want to lug your speaker into a different room without having to plug it into an AC outlet, but this was not a requirement. If you’re looking for truly portable, weather-resistant speakers, check out our guide to the best portable Bluetooth speaker:

The Best Portable Bluetooth Speaker

The UE Wonderboom 3 is the all-around best portable Bluetooth speaker because it sounds good and looks cool, and it’s the most rugged model we’ve tested.

In the course of testing for the original version of this article and multiple updates, we’ve tested over 40 different speakers.

How we tested

I started by putting the speakers through a few days of casual use, just to make sure they had no annoying operational flaws that would prevent us from recommending them. I then spent several hours comparing them—first at matched levels, then by cranking them way up, turning them down, messing with their controls, and getting the full picture of what they could do.

Next, I conducted separate brand-concealed tests for each of our panelists. I concealed all the speakers behind thin black fabric, then matched the playback levels using the Dolby-mandated test noise signal recorded from a Denon receiver. This is a “shaped” noise tone that focuses mostly on midrange, and it does a great job of making speakers sound comparably loud even when some have more bass than others.

I streamed the music of each panelists’ choice from Qobuz, using my Samsung Galaxy S10 smartphone. The music ranged from light pop, such as James Taylor’s “Shower the People,” to the woofer-punishing hip-hop of Kanye West’s “Love Lockdown.” At the end of the tests, I polled the panelists to get their preferences, then I revealed the speakers’ identities so that the panelists could opine on the models’ design and controls.

During these tests, we paid particular attention to:

• how clear the speakers sounded at normal levels
• how the speakers balanced bass to midrange to treble
• how loud the speakers were able to play when cranked up
• how clear they sounded when cranked up

Finally, I ran a few more tests to get an idea of each speaker’s Bluetooth range and maximum volume, although all of these speakers should deliver enough of both for most listeners.

How Wirecutter Evaluates Sound in Our Headphone and Speaker Reviews

This is the first in a two-part series in which we discuss how we evaluate good sound in our speaker and headphone reviews.

How Wirecutter Tests Audio Products (And You Can, Too!)

Here are the procedures Wirecutter uses to test audio devices, plus a few tips on how you can evaluate them yourself.

Our pick: Klipsch The One II

Very good sound at a reasonable price

The One II is small and simple, it sounds better than its competitors, and its tasteful styling should please everyone.

Buying Options

In many ways, Klipsch’s The One II is the audio system most people want—one that sounds good and looks good, and that’s super-simple to use.

In our brand-concealed listening tests, the One II emerged as the panelists’ overall favorite. “This one made me sit up and take notice,” panelist LeRena Major said. “The voices sounded the clearest, and the bass sounded punchy and well-defined, not boomy.” Dan Gonda agreed, describing the sound as “crisp and balanced,” and my listening notes said much the same.

Lauren Dragan was less enthusiastic; she thought the sound was good overall, but she wanted more bass. The One II has no tone controls, and Klipsch provides no app for adjusting the sound, but you can use the equalizer in your phone or tablet to get a little extra bass if you want it.

The One II plays loud enough to fill a medium-size room, and it sounds clear and natural both with voices and with musical instruments.

It’s extremely simple to operate. Because the One II has so few controls—just an on/off switch, a volume knob, and source selector knob—it should be easy for most people to use. Bluetooth pairing takes just seconds, and there’s a 3.5 mm analog input jack on the back so you can connect an outboard source device, such as a laptop, a TV, or an Amazon Echo Dot.

The One II’s top panel features an on/off switch, a volume knob, and source selector knob. Photo: Rozette Rago

The One II’s top panel features an on/off switch, a volume knob, and source selector knob. Photo: Rozette Rago

We measured Bluetooth range through one wall at 60 feet, using a Samsung Galaxy S9 phone. This falls short of our other picks’ range, but it’s still very good performance, enough to let you wander from room to room in a modestly sized house with your phone in your I found that the One II stayed on and paired to my phone after an hour of not playing audio.

It’s small and stylish. At 6.7 by 12.6 by 5.8 inches, the One II is small enough to fit on most bookshelves and nightstands. The retro look, which harks back to Klipsch speakers of the 1950s, gives it both a hipster vibe and a handsome, classic appeal. It’s available in black with a gold and black woven grille, as shown here, or in walnut with a gray woven grille.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

The volume control works independently of the volume control on the source device. As a result, if the One II’s volume control is turned way down, there’s no way to get loud volume out of it, no matter how far the volume is turned up on your source device. If you leave the speaker’s volume set fairly loud, this will not be a concern.

We’ve gotten used to Bluetooth speakers with volume controls for which the maximum settings are conservative enough to prevent gross distortion. But if you crank the One II’s volume and your phone’s volume at full blast, the sound will distort, which makes the bass boomy and garbles the sound of voices. Fortunately, a moderate volume setting on the Klipsch will deliver clear sound with ample volume to fill a room and then some, although both the l Högtalare and the Marshall Woburn II will play a lot louder.

The One II uses a wall-wart power supply. We’d prefer having a built-in power supply with a direct power cord connection to a wall AC socket. If the Klipsch power supply gets lost, it wouldn’t be easy to replace because it’s an unusual voltage (20 volts). However, most people who buy this speaker will likely plug it in and leave it in one place for a long time.

Runner-up: l Högtalare

Good sound, good style

The Högtalare has a big, full sound and a minimalist but stylish design.

Buying Options

At the time of publishing, the price was 300.

The l Högtalare is one of those exceptionally rare products that both an audio enthusiast and an interior designer can love without reservation. It is built much like a high-quality bookshelf speaker, and it looks like minimalist Scandinavian furniture.

This speaker delivers a smoother, more natural sound than most Bluetooth speakers can muster. The Högtalare sounds pretty smooth in the high and middle frequencies—smoother than the One II, but not quite as vivid.

Lauren was a little bit bothered by a peak in the treble that made voices sound a bit sibilant at times, but that’s the only flaw she found worth pointing out. I heard the same thing and wasn’t bothered by it. But my high-frequency hearing is nowhere near as good as hers (no surprise, considering I’m almost two decades older, and males often suffer worse high-frequency hearing loss with age).

“I’m impressed with the bass—it sounds clear, and it wasn’t at all boomy, even when I played Kanye West’s ‘Love Lockdown,’” Lauren said, referring to one of our favorite deep-bass torture tracks for small speakers. The bass level was just about right to her, but I found it to be a bit much; of course, you can use the controls in your smartphone’s music app to tame (or boost) the bass to your liking.

The Högtalare also plays louder than the Klipsch by about 5 dB, which means it can easily fill, say, a three-car garage—which the Klipsch might strain to do. Like the Klipsch, it sounds substantially clearer when it’s turned down one or two notches below max volume.

It looks great but is notably larger than our top pick. At 13 by 13 by 6 inches, the Högtalare is a little more than twice the size of the Klipsch. So it may not fit on some bookshelves, and it’s probably too big to look okay sitting on a nightstand.

I did love the way it fit into my IKEA Kallax shelves with only about ⅛ inch of space on either side and 3/16 inch of space on top. Because the Högtalare’s woofer, tweeters, and bass port all face forward, the sound won’t Echo around inside the shelving unit, as long as the speaker’s flush with the face of the shelving.

The grille is available in black, light gray, blue, or red to suit your taste and decor.

The back panel has a single 3.5 mm analog input, plus a switch for automatic or manual on/off. Photo: Rozette Rago

The back panel has a single 3.5 mm analog input, plus a switch for automatic or manual on/off. Photo: Rozette Rago

The Högtalare doesn’t offer much in the way of features. We did like its button panel, which lights up and shows through the grille, but (as with the Klipsch speaker) there are no tone controls. You can pair two Högtalares to get stereo sound, and the only input is a single 3.5 mm analog jack, which you could use to connect an Amazon Echo Dot to access more music sources.

There’s also a rear USB-charging output that you could use to power an Echo Dot or your phone. We saw a mention of an RCA subwoofer output on one merchant’s site, but that’s incorrect—the Högtalare does not include that feature.

One nice touch is that you can set it for manual or automatic power on/off, so if you want your Bluetooth speaker always at the ready (even after an hour or so of idle time), it can do that.

The Bluetooth range is about 60 feet, tested through one wall with a Samsung Galaxy S10 phone. It incorporates the standard version of the aptX Bluetooth codec.

Upgrade pick: Marshall Woburn II

For large spaces or loud parties

The Woburn II plays much louder and produces more bass than the smaller tabletop speakers we tested, but it costs a lot more.

Buying Options

At the time of publishing, the price was 550.

The Marshall Woburn II is bigger and louder than our other picks, yet it still sounds as refined, and it’s easy and fun to use. But it’s more than three times larger by volume than Klipsch’s The One II, and it’s a lot pricier.

The Woburn II plays louder than our other picks. It plays about 10 decibels louder than Klipsch’s The One II, roughly the difference between normal speech and talking with a raised voice, and it plays about 5 dB louder than the l Högtalare. Most people won’t need so much volume, but if you have a large space to fill, or you really like playing your music loud, the Woburn II easily gets the job done.

Our listening panel liked the sound of the Woburn II, and we appreciated the inclusion of tone controls to fine-tune the bass and treble. Lauren Dragan praised its strong bass and clear midrange and treble. I found that no matter how loud I played the Woburn II, the bass sounded punchy and precise, and voices and instruments sounded clear. However, for most listening, turning the bass control down to the 9 o’clock position makes the sound much more natural; Dan Gonda, LeRena Major, and I all thought the bass was excessive at its standard settings.

It has a few more features than our other picks. In addition to its tone controls and top-mounted 3.5 mm analog input, this speaker has an extra RCA analog input around back. That’ll come in handy if you want to connect an Amazon Echo Dot.

Marshall also offers an app that lets you pair two speakers for stereo, and provides a five-Band equalizer and several tone presets.

It has excellent Bluetooth range. We tested the Woburn II’s Bluetooth range with a Samsung Galaxy S9 at 90 feet, which is outstanding and especially useful with a big speaker like this one that might be used in large spaces. The speaker goes into idle mode after 20 minutes of not receiving a signal; by using any of the controls on the top panel, you restore the power and the sound.

The Woburn II is equipped with the aptX Bluetooth audio codec.

It’s big. At 12.1 by 15.6 by 8 inches, the Woburn II is too big for most bookshelves, and its powerful bass might rattle anything else off the shelf. It’s best to use it atop a table or to just place it on the floor.

The speaker’s guitar-amp styling may turn off some people, but the fit and finish of the product are excellent, and it’s also available in black, brown, or white.

Other good home Bluetooth speakers

If you want a super-affordable, super-compact, super-simple home Bluetooth speaker: The softball-sized OC Acoustic Newport looks like an affordable portable Bluetooth speaker, but is designed solely for home use. It requires no charging and no power supply because it plugs straight into an AC outlet. The only buttons are for power and party mode. The latter lets you create a simple multiroom audio system; the speaker your phone is paired with broadcasts to other Newport speakers, so they all play in sync as long as they’re within Bluetooth range of the first speaker (in our tests, about 25 feet with no more than two walls in between). It sounds like a very good portable Bluetooth speaker, with clear voices and a surprising amount of bass for its size.

If you want something small for an office or bedroom: The Edifier MP230 is technically portable because it has a rechargeable battery, but it’s clearly designed for at-home use. The 6⅜-inch-wide speaker sounds full and clear, like a much larger and more expensive model, and its wood finish and paddle-style control switches give it a retro vibe that should look great on a credenza. It falls about 8 decibels short of Klipsch’s The One II in maximum volume, but it plays about 2 decibels louder than the OC Acoustic Newport—and unless you’re a record company exec, that’s plenty loud enough for an office. The battery runs for about 10 hours on a charge; if you don’t like having to recharge it, you could just leave the charger plugged in full-time.

If you want a speaker for the shower or bathroom: The Ampere Shower Power is a terrific choice for those who want to start (or end) their day with a song in the shower. It installs easily with an adjustable wrench and has a built-in water turbine that keeps its internal battery charged. The Shower Power sounds surprisingly good, and its big, top-mounted controls are easy to see and use. The biggest downside is that it adds 3¾ inches to the length of the shower arm, which might make the shower head too low for taller people. Also, the turbine does reduce water flow (Ampere claims by 8 to 24 percent), but we didn’t notice the difference even when using the Shower Power with a 1.5-gallon-per-minute shower head. There’s also a more expensive model, the Shower Power Pro, with built-in, app-controlled lighting, but we preferred the sound of the original model.