Marshall Kilburn 3 Review: Bold Sound With Unbeatable Battery Life

In May, Marshall unveiled the long-anticipated Kilburn 3, the next generation of its fan-favorite Kilburn speaker series. With reimagined internals to offer a more powerful sound, the company has also focused on the latest Bluetooth technologies, while tweaking the iconic design it has been offering for decades to make it more user friendly in 2025.

Alongside its most interesting features, Marshall promises over 50 hours of battery life for this speaker, which I honestly thought was an overestimation, only to be left surprised by its accuracy.

This speaker has recently hit store shelves, and after several weeks of intensive testing (my July Apple Music Replay was off the charts), I can finally answer the question of whether or not this is the portable speaker music aficionados will want to take with them wherever they go. Before that, though, let's dig a bit deeper into Marshall's latest release.

Seven years after the last Kilburn speaker, Marshall has made several tweaks to the look of the third-generation device. In addition to a USB-C port and auxiliary port, the company also added tactile buttons to the speaker. The company continues to play with the amp-like design of its speakers, as it offers analog knobs for Power, Treble, Bass, and Volume. Users can also play, pause, and skip with buttons on the speaker. There's a custom Marshall button as well as a Bluetooth button to quickly pair your iPhone or Android device.

Available in "Black and Brass" and "Cream," Kilburn 3 also features the iconic gold Marshall logo prominently displayed on the front grill. The design has a vintage yet modern vibe that makes Marshall's products stand out from the competition.

Even though it's much bigger than the portable Emberton 3 that BGR recently reviewed, it still fits in with your furniture, and a velvet-lined carrying strap makes it fashionable and easy to carry around, whether you're taking it to another room or to a pool party. While it doesn't have the same IP67 as its smaller brother, it has IP54 certification, so it can survive some dust and splashing water.

Marshall products always look good, but can the sound match up to the design? The short answer is: yes. With 360-degree True Stereophonic sound that provides true stereo sound with no blind spots, the company says it has reimagined the internals to make this speaker sound powerful without becoming distorted at higher volumes. While Marshall's signature sound is usually the best option, it's easy to adjust the bass and treble depending on what you're listening to. You'll get crystal clear sound regardless.

I tried playing everything on the speaker — from old Beatles songs to Blossoms, Sigrid, Italian pop, MPB (popular Brazilian music) — and not once was I let down. In my previous reviews of speakers, I usually recommend getting a second unit, such as for the HomePod or Beats Pill devices. However, Marshall's Kilburn 3 shines on its own.

José Adorno for BGR

I also find Marshall's app vital to the experience, as a few simple settings make a big difference. In the Placement Compensation tab, you can tell the app if your speaker is close to an edge of a table or sitting next to a wall. As the name of the feature suggests, this will automatically adjust the sound to compensate for its placement.

Wrapping up, it doesn't matter what music you listen to, you should be able to hear the instruments well alongside clear vocals. Plus, if you're all-in rock 'n' roll, this Marshall speaker just begs for you to crank the volume all the way up.

While Marshall's Kilburn 3 is already a solid option thanks to its good looks and impressive sound quality, the battery ties it all together. I'm serious when I say you don't have to stress about battery life. I spend most of my working hours listening to music, I blast Apple Music in the shower, and I find a quieter playlist while I'm cooking at night. Even with my listening habits, the Kilburn 3 was able to last more than a week on a single charge.

I'm usually listening to my songs at over 50% volume. While I'd love to go all the way to 100%, the speaker gets too loud for my apartment. This is all to say that you don't have to keep your speaker at a lower volume to make it last.

Thanks to its battery life, Marshall was confident enough to give users the ability to charge their phones with the speaker, and it's a nice perk. If you're hosting an outdoor party, you don't have to worry about your phone dying while you're DJing. You can connect it to the speaker and recharge without interfering with the music or draining your speaker's battery too quickly. That said, I did find that charging the speaker while playing music was significantly slower than charging it while it wasn't in use.

Marshall's Kilburn 3 is available in Black and Brass or Cream. It's been out since the end of May at Marshall.com for $379.99, and from retailers since June 10. This is easily one of the best speakers I've ever reviewed, and I keep coming back to it. Despite my collection of AirPods, earbuds, and speakers, I love using Marshall products, because they have this bold, timeless look that fits anyone from the trendiest Gen Zer to a dad with good taste.

While Marshall's presence in Brazil isn't as significant as in the U.S. or in Europe, I really enjoyed going to my friends' houses in Paris, only to discover that they were all rocking the second-generation Kilburn 2. We discovered that the Kilburn 3 is a noticeable step up, which made them all a bit jealous. That said, Marshall does a great job of offering great products at the right price and without compromise. I definitely recommend this speaker to anyone thinking about spending around $350 to $400 for a new speaker.