Marshall Kilburn III Review: A Classic Rock Bluetooth Speaker

Simon Cohen Gear Mar 4, 2026 7:30 AM Review: Marshall Kilburn III Prepping for warmer weather? Marshall's midsize portable Bluetooth speaker sounds as good as it looks. Buy Now Multiple Buying Options Available $380 $339 at Amazon $340 at Best Buy Save this story Save this story Rating: 8 /10 Open rating explainer WIRED Classier than most portable speakers. Tons of battery life. TIRED No stereo pairing. No power adapter in the box. It’s not hard to find mid-sized, portable Bluetooth speakers that will crank out your tunes and power your party. Some deliver strong battery life, and many have extra features like auxiliary inputs and app-based EQ settings. But let’s face it, when the words “portable” and “speaker” show up together, the result is often a plasticky product that might look fine in a dorm room, but doesn’t exactly class up a joint. Vibe has always been Marshall’s superpower. The company that created rock’n’roll’s most iconic guitar amplifiers has a knack for producing speakers that exude a retro-classic cool. I’d argue that the brand’s aesthetics alone are enough reason to consider buying one of its latest speakers, the Kilburn III, but thankfully, Marshall has given its third-gen Kilburn a generous helping of upgrades. When you look at the sum of the parts, the Kilburn III is in a class by itself. Classic Rocker I don’t need to describe in depth what you can see in these photos with your own eyes. The Kilburn III, which comes in a black/brass combo seen here, and a cream-colored skin, is pure Marshall. You get the classic, amp-inspired faux leather cabinet, the oversized control knobs, and the Marshall script logo. It comes with a removable, red velour-lined carry strap and a 6.5-foot USB-C charging cable (but no wall dongle). I kinda love that the company is leaning harder into its amplifier heritage: the Kilburn III’s power switch is a delightfully tactile, spring-loaded, knurled metal lever that looks as if it were lifted from an amp. It offers zero ad...