{"id":111939,"date":"2019-01-04T14:37:26","date_gmt":"2019-01-04T11:37:26","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2019-01-04T14:37:26","modified_gmt":"2019-01-04T11:37:26","slug":"marshalls-kilburn-ii-is-a-star-performer-among-wireless-speakers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hameed.nwar.uk\/sa\/marshalls-kilburn-ii-is-a-star-performer-among-wireless-speakers\/","title":{"rendered":"Marshall\u2019s Kilburn II is a star performer among wireless speakers"},"content":{"rendered":"

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You probably know of the Marshall brand of guitar amplifiers, which have been rocking clubs and arenas since the 60s. With the help of Sweden-based firm Zound Industries<\/a>, the brand expanded to launch consumer products like headphones and wireless speakers<\/a> a couple of years ago; its instantly recognizable moniker and stage-ready aesthetic have helped it gain a foothold in the saturated audio gear space.<\/p>\n

I recently received the company\u2019s $300 Kilburn II<\/a> Bluetooth stereo speaker, a chunky piece of kit that delivers satisfying sound, and is designed to travel with you \u2013 if you\u2019ve got room in your boot, that is. It\u2019s also a bit expensive, as far as wireless speakers go, but if you dig the whole rock-and-roll vibe, it\u2019s certainly worth a look. Here\u2019s what you get for your money.<\/p>\n

Design<\/h2>\n

The Kilburn II was released around Q3 last year, and shares design elements with Marshall\u2019s extensive catalog of amps and cabinets. Wrapped in black faux leather, it features a metal grille on the front, and knobs at the top for controlling power, volume, bass, and treble. There\u2019s also a nicely finished strap that makes it easy to lug around, and sturdy rubber feet let you place it anywhere without worrying about scuffing the exterior.<\/p>\n

The speaker is rated IPX2 for water resistance, which means it\u2019ll survive a few splashes and won\u2019t go kaput if you leave it out during a drizzle.<\/p>\n

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Credit: Abhimanyu Ghoshal<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

It\u2019s possibly the largest wireless speaker I\u2019ve tested recently, measuring 243 x 162 x 140 mm (kinda similar to a car battery, if that helps), and weighing 2.5kg. At that size, it won\u2019t fit in your backpack and is probably not ideal to fly with. But if you\u2019re driving to a resort or going camping, this is a great speaker to get the party started outdoors.<\/p>\n

As a guitar player and a gear nut, this is right up my alley. I love the design details that hark back to the timeless look of Marshall equipment. I also appreciate how the strap and its buttons mimic those that you\u2019d find on an electric guitar.<\/p>\n

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Credit: Abhimanyu Ghoshal<\/figcaption>
<\/a>The strap and attachment button are reminiscent of guitar accessories<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Features<\/h2>\n

This speaker connects wirelessly over Bluetooth 5.0, which means it pairs instantly with your devices once you\u2019ve set it up. It uses Qualcomm\u2019s AptX codec for supposedly superior wireless audio quality than the standard SBC, but you should know that the difference in output is hotly debated<\/a> and you may not actually be able to tell the difference. Oh, and if you need it, there\u2019s a 3.5mm AUX input on the rear panel.<\/p>\n

Marshall claims that the Kilburn II juices up in 2.5 hours to deliver more than 20 hours of playtime, and I found those figures to be fairly accurate. The only bummer is that the speaker uses a mains lead to plug into a wall outlet, instead of a USB cable.<\/p>\n

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Credit: Abhimanyu Ghoshal<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

I understand this is to allow for quicker power delivery, but it also means that you\u2019ll need to carry this cable, and won\u2019t be able to simply use a power bank or your phone\u2019s charger with it while on the go. Still, if you\u2019re okay with a speaker of this size, maybe portability isn\u2019t your greatest concern and this isn\u2019t a deal-breaker. I\u2019ll leave that to you to decide.<\/p>\n

Performance<\/h2>\n

Unlike most smaller wireless speakers, the Kilburn II is a stereo speaker, and features a 20 Watt Class D amp for its woofer, and two 8 Watt amps for its tweeters. There\u2019s also a bass reflex port on the rear; these typically allow for better response in the low end and greater output.<\/p>\n

Testing the speaker with a variety of pop, metal, hip-hop, and jazz records, I found the Kilburn II to be a joy to listen to. It gets loud enough to fill my apartment\u2019s living room and dining area, and there\u2019s enough headroom for bass lines to shine through. From Jordan Rakei\u2019s recent soul\/hip-cop cuts, to Minnesota\u2019s driving dubstep record,\u00a0Voyager<\/em>, to Jungle\u2019s latest pop album and electro-rock from Birds of Tokyo, this speaker can handle it all without coloring the sound too much.<\/p>\n

Ambient and classical tracks work well too, because the speaker allows for a good degree of separation between instruments, and you can pick out ghost notes and other aural embellishments easily. I also liked how, even with the volume cranked up all the way, the Kilburn II\u2019s sound doesn\u2019t distort \u2013 so it\u2019s good to go with just about any genre you\u2019re into.<\/p>\n

\"The
Credit: Abhimanyu Ghoshal<\/figcaption>
<\/a>The Kilburn II lets you make minor adjustments to bass and treble<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The speaker\u2019s top panel has knobs for adjusting bass and treble. I typically don\u2019t mess with these, but if you do, you\u2019ll find that they only tweak the output slightly when you go from 0 to 10.<\/p>\n

The Kilburn II\u2019s large battery does indeed charge up quickly, and I found it to not only last long, but also to hold its charge when not in use over a few days. I also like how it turns off automatically when you\u2019re not playing audio through it for several minutes.<\/p>\n

Who\u2019s this speaker for?<\/h2>\n

I\u2019d recommend this speaker to anyone looking for pristine audio quality around the house, or for road trips. But given how much it costs, you\u2019ll either have to have fallen in love with the Marshall brand or the look of the Kilburn II to justify that $300 price tag.<\/p>\n

And unlike other speakers of this size from Marshall, it doesn\u2019t allow for music playback over Wi-Fi, and doesn\u2019t support voice assistants. Those aren\u2019t deal-breakers, but either feature would\u2019ve been nice to have seeing as how the large Kilburn II will likely spend plenty of time indoors.<\/p>\n

Find the Kilburn II at $283 on Amazon US, and on the Marshall Headphones site<\/a> at $299.99.<\/p>\n\n

This post is not sponsored, but it includes affiliate links to products that you can buy online. If you purchase them through our links, we get a small cut of the revenue.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n Published January 4, 2019 \u2014 11:09 UTC\n <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n