- The Marshall Kilburn III launches globally on May 27 2025
- It’s considerably pricier than its predecessor at $379 / £299 / AU$599
- It offers 50+ hours’ battery life, IP54 waterproofing, and true stereophonic sound
Marshall has revealed the newest model in its line of mid-sized Bluetooth speakers, the Marshall Kilburn III, launching globally on May 27 2025.
In order to compete with the best Bluetooth speakers around, the Marshall Kilburn III has made some drastic improvements over its predecessor. The new model boasts more than 50 hours of playtime, IP54 dust- and waterproofing, as well as a more luxurious design.
But with these improvements comes an inflated price. The Marshall Kilburn III has a list price of $379 / £299 / AU$599, which is $80 / £50 / AU$100 more than the Kilburn II cost at launch. That said, there are a lot of upgrades and additions to explore on Marshall’s latest speaker, as I discovered when I got to try it at Marshall’s HQ in Stockholm, Sweden.
Here are my initial thoughts about the flashy new Kilburn III.
A taste of the Kilburn III
So, I’ll put my cards on the table – I didn’t get tons of time to listen to the Kilburn III. The main reason for my journey to Stockholm was to see Marshall’s very first attempt at a soundbar with the Marshall Heston 120. But I did get a good few minutes of listening across a selection of tracks from varying genres, in a space that essentially mimicked a living room.
To cut to the chase, the Kilburn III made a good first impression on me. Marshall’s audio team has placed a lot of emphasis on the speaker’s enhanced “true” 360-degree stereophonic sound, intended to provide clear, powerful audio, no matter where you’re standing. And that seemed to be effective for me as I paced around the space, with pleasing, distortion-free sound coming through at all times.
In addition, the Kilburn III is designed to dish up a rounded, “harmonious” sound signature. I was struck by the impressive balance across the frequencies, even at louder volumes. And that’s unsurprising given the speaker’s dynamic loudness tech, which automatically adjusts bass, mids and treble depending on the volume at which you’re playing tracks.
Indeed, the Kilburn III has fully reengineered acoustics to take the step up from its predecessor, which impressed us overall, although we did feel there was room for improvement at the low-end. But sound isn’t the only thing that’s been refined; the build and look of the speaker has also been taken up a notch, too.
A lot of customers, Marshall told me, preferred the overall aesthetic of the original Kilburn, which launched 10 years ago. As a result, the company opted to base the newest Kilburn model on its original, and I really liked the look of it.
Having previously lived in Kilburn myself, I have to say that this Bluetooth speaker is far prettier than the London district after which it’s named. It has a retro-looking amp-inspired look with a pin to turn power on or off, tactile knobs for volume and playback control, and an “M” button to access presets. The Kilburn III is available in Black & Brass or Cream, with both colorways playing to the speaker’s premium feel.
Tuning into the details
After running through some of the tech specs for the Kilburn III, I really am expecting this to be a significant step up over its predecessor.
It has a wider frequency range, now going way down to 45Hz, up to the typical 20kHz. That should mean it’s even more capable of hitting those deep dark bass notes than the Kilburn II. New, mightier drivers should also mean you get plenty of power out of this speaker, but you’ll have to wait for my full review to see if that really is the case.
Something we can say for sure, though, is that the Marshall Kilburn III is far more fit for bathroom use or taking outside on a rainy day. That’s because it now comes with a IP54 dust- and waterproof rating – a significant step up from the Kilburn II’s IPX2 protection.
Marshall told me that this model is meant to be more of an “interior statement piece”, due to models such as the IP67-rated Marshall Emberton III and Marshall Middleton occupying the rugged space. But still, having that improved durability is a definite nice-to-have.
Perhaps the biggest change to the Kilburn III, however, is its battery life. The Kilburn II offered 20+ hours of playtime, which is solid, but nothing particularly standout. However, the Kilburn III really takes things to the next level, supplying more than 50 hours of play – really phenomenal stuff. For reference, that’s the longest battery life of any Marshall speaker to date – not bad, eh?
I could go on: you’re able to adjust EQ via the revamped Marshall app; use the speaker to charge external devices; access Auracast connectivity; and even detach its classy carrying strap. But that’s all for now. I’ll be back soon to give my full, unfiltered thoughts on the Kilburn III. That is, after I’ve spent a bit of time testing it here at Future Labs.
If you’re already sold, though, you can grab the Marshall Kilburn III now via Marshall’s own website. It will also be available to purchase through select retailers from June 10.
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harry.padoan@futurenet.com (Harry Padoan)
