Marshall Kilburn III Review: A Classic Rock Bluetooth Speaker
Source: Wired
Battery and Power
What’s wild about this jump in stamina is that it’s disproportionate to the battery’s capacity. The Kilburn II ships with a 5,200 mAh cell, while the new model is only about 5 % bigger: 5,500 mAh. Clearly, some big efficiencies have been gained. In fact, Marshall is so confident about the Kilburn III’s power reserves that it now lets you charge your devices from the speaker’s USB‑C port.
Charging direction
- When the speaker is powered on, charging flows outward to phones and other accessories.
- When the speaker is off, it draws power from connected devices. The Kilburn won’t automatically power off when a USB device is connected, but if you turn it off manually (or connect a device while it’s off), your phone will drain instead of charging.
Battery‑preservation features
The Marshall app lets you enable up to three preservation schemes:
- Set the maximum charge to 90 %.
- Adjust charging speed in hot and cold conditions.
- Cap charging speed whenever connected to power.
When the battery eventually dies, an access door on the bottom of the cabinet makes replacement easier—no need to disassemble the entire speaker.
Charging requirements
Marshall does not include a 30‑W USB‑C PD power adapter. To quick‑charge the Kilburn III (≈20 min for an extra 8 h of playtime) you’ll need a compatible charger; a typical 5‑W charger can take up to 22 h for a full recharge. The app warns against using overly powerful chargers as the main power source.
A 10‑bar LED battery gauge on the top panel makes it easy to monitor charge status.
Audio Quality
This speaker sounds great for its size and price. It’s not going to rock your house party single‑handedly (it gets decently loud but not “wake‑the‑neighborhood” loud), but it delivers a degree of bass resonance usually associated with larger units and maintains decent balance across the frequency range. Distortion is well‑controlled; even with volume maxed out, Billie Eilish’s bass‑heavy “bad guy” only hinted at being too much for the system. There is a slight loss of detail in the upper‑mids and a mildly harsh presentation of highs, most noticeable on strong female vocal tracks like Adele’s “Skyfall.”
EQ and tone controls
The silver‑icon Marshall Bluetooth app (not to be confused with the gold‑iconed Wi‑Fi app) offers:
- Five EQ presets (the default Marshall tuning plus four more).
- A five‑band equalizer for creating custom presets.
The “M” button on the Kilburn III’s top panel lets you toggle between the Marshall tuning and one other preset of your choosing. Additionally, dedicated bass and treble knobs provide further tonal shaping.
Driver arrangement and placement
Marshall’s driver layout places a full‑range transducer on both the front and back, making the speaker more versatile than traditional front‑firing designs. The claim of full, 360‑degree sound holds up: placing the Kilburn III in the center of a room provides even coverage. Positioning it in a corner or near a wall will affect the sound, but the app includes placement adjustments to help compensate.
Only Sort‑Of Stereo
Photograph: Simon Cohen
The brand’s claim of “stereophonic” audio should be taken with a grain of salt. The Kilburn III does reproduce both left and right channels—technically making it stereo—but it does not deliver true stereo separation. Instead, think of it as a single point source with an expansive sound footprint.