Founded in 1962, Marshall is a well-respected and loved, British audio company that is best known for making equipment like amps, speakers, and headphones.
They are probably most famous for their guitar amplifiers, which are some of the most sought-after and recognisable in the world, as well as simply the loudest money can buy.
Their reputation with musicians both old, new, professional, and amateur is beyond reproach and has been established over decades.
The Woburn III obviously takes inspiration from its amplifier cousins, looking stunningly like an old-school Marshall amp. It comes in two colours, cream or black, and features the distinctive Marshall logo on the front of the speaker.
On the top are analogue knobs and switches, and even those are designed to amplify the aesthetic, being very reminiscent of the analogue knobs on the top of a guitar amp.
The speaker measures 40 cm x 31.7 cm x 20.3 cm, making it big enough to shake your floorboards but small enough to carry around, place on a shelf, or fit into a TV cabinet. This is important, given the dual-use marketed by Marshall as an audio system, or a TV speaker.
If you're curious about the technical stuff, then here it is - the speaker is a Bass-reflex cabinet, containing one 90W woofer, two 15W mids, and two more 15W tweeters. All are Class D amplifiers and work together to create great sound quality at low and high volumes.
Although I was only able to turn it to max volume briefly (it hits a sound pressure of 100.5 dB at 1 m, which is comparable to a good-sized motorcycle) there was no loss of quality or distortion at the upper volume levels.
The speaker is technically designed, the tweeters for example are angled outwards, and the system contains multiple waveguides which make the sound as wide as possible.
I can attest to this, as I was able to hear the speaker clearly in most rooms of my house, even without having to turn the volume up. This is in part thanks to the quality of the amplifiers inside, but also down to the internal design - something that Marshall has long taken a lot of care and attention over.
The range of frequencies is also insane - it reaches right down to 35 Hz (a little lower than a D1), and all the way up to 20,000 Hz - a note so high octave charts don't usually go up that far.
In addition, the sound is highly customisable, both in the Marshall Bluetooth app and on the speaker itself.
The speaker features 3 main analogue control knobs - one for volume, one for bass, and one for treble. Not only are the knobs functional, but they are surrounded by a ring of red lights that light up as you turn the knob to indicate the level you're at.
This is a more modern take than an arrow and a dial, and it really adds a touch of class to the speaker. I found the customisation offered by the knobs fantastic, I was able to easily switch from deep muddy bass to crisp high end by merely flicking the bass knob up and down.
In addition, there are a few buttons which add some extra functionality to the speaker, including a source button, a play/pause button, and a knob that lets you change the track forwards or backwards. There is also a power switch which mimics the old flip switches on amplifiers and cabinet systems that I fell in love with.
You can connect to the speaker in a multitude of ways, including 3.5mm input (aux cable), HDMI, Bluetooth, and even RCA, making it a great catch-all device for your home audio system.
The speaker connects using Bluetooth 5.2 and is also ready for Bluetooth LE Audio, an improvement to the technology due to hit the market imminently. It can also be kept easily up-to-date using the app should there be future improvements.
This means you can connect your phone, tablet, or even your Alexa or Google Home. It's effortless and allows you to simply pull the speaker out of the box, plug it in, connect your device, and get started.
The speaker uses "Dynamic Loudness" to adjust the tonal balance of the sound, and when you plug in by HDMI it also has "Night Mode" - this reduces louder sounds while keeping quiet sounds audible.
Marshall Woburn III Verdict: 5/5
The Marshall Woburn III is a fantastic Bluetooth speaker and the perfect addition to your home audio system.
It's easy to use, customisable, and the sound quality is unparalleled. Not only that, but it looks awesome, and the design and build quality is solid.
It's also sustainably manufactured - it has a PVC-free build, comprising 70% recycled plastic and only vegan materials.
It's a little pricey - but if you are looking for a high-quality speaker and can spare the funds, this is hands down one of the best options on the market.
The Marshall Woburn III is available now for £499.99 direct from the Marshall website.
