The Sonos Move 2 has been my pick for the best Bluetooth speaker for years — until the Marshall Kilburn III came along

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

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The Sonos Move 2 has been my go-to speaker for a long time. It's even topped our best Bluetooth speakers list, thanks to strong battery life and excellent sound. But, just as things were looking comfortable for Sonos' monolith of sound, a leather-clad bad boy has entered the fray with the swagger of a rock star.

The Marshall Kilburn III wows with excellent sound and some truly epic battery life. While it lacks the Wi-Fi connection of the Move 2, it more than makes up for it in other areas, and it's my new pick for the best Bluetooth speaker that you can buy today. Here's why.

The looks

Marshall Kilburn III on a wooden surface — (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

The Sonos Move 2 is not an unattractive speaker. In fact, it's probably more things to more people given it's more simplistic, subdued style. There's an Ikea-like minimalism to the speaker, with its block like monolithic shape and simple grille.

I like the look of the Move 2, to be clear, and it's likely that loads of other customers will as well.

But it's nothing compared to the rock and roll stylings of the Marshall Kilburn III. It just looks so cool with its brass knobs and leatherette wrapping. It's one of those retro designs like the modern Fiat 500, which conjures images of the past while still feeling distinctly modern.

The Kilburn III is more exciting as a result than the Move 2, and more functional. There are more physical controls that manipulate more elements of the speaker, for one, so you don't always need to pull out your phone or fiddle with an annoying touch panel. All around it's a better design, with greater usability in mind that works perfectly with the aesthetic.

Sound

Sonos Move 2 is undeniably the cleverer of the two speakers. It will read the world around you to change the sound depending on your environment, whereas the Kilburn III uses app toggles to change the sound of the speaker. Besides that, however, the Kilburn III is the better performer.

The bass, thanks to the bass port in the back of the speaker, is more controlled and deeper than the Move 2. The stereo separation is better as well, thanks to Marshall's clever audio engineering. There's more detail from the Kilburn III, and the mids are just as good as Sonos' offering.

The Move 2 sounds very good — but Marshall has made something special with the Kilburn III that's going to be a better sonic experience.

Battery life

For a long time, the Move 2 has had some exemplary battery life. 24 hours, in Bluetooth speaker land, is good. But the Marshall Kilburn III absolutely blows the Sonos out of the water.

You get 50 hours of music playback. That's double the Move 2, and more than pretty much every other Bluetooth speaker you can buy today. Enough said.

Where things get tricky

Sonos Move 2 — (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

There is one place where things get trickier for the Kilburn III, and that's connectivity. The Kilburn III will only hook up to your devices over Bluetooth. There's no other wireless connectivity at all, and there's not a way to connect with a wire either. That's a shame.

Because the Move 2 connects over Wi-Fi. That's a big bonus for the Sonos speaker, and for some it might even be worth it for the compromises over the Marshall option. Dampening excitement, however, is the price.

Price

The Sonos 2 is a very expensive speaker. It will set you back $449, making it more expensive than pretty much anything else in it's size class. It's likely down to Sonos' premium device category and the Wi-Fi connection, but it's still a tough pill to swallow.

The Marshall Kilburn III is not cheap either — but it's a whole lot cheaper than the Sonos Move 2. It sets you back $379 in the U.S., making that lack of Wi-Fi a whole lot easier to swallow.

If you're in the UK, things are even better. It costs £299, making it a whole £150 cheaper than the Sonos Move 2. I know where my money would be going.

Move over Sonos, there's a new best in town

So we've got a new speaker to top the list of the best Bluetooth speaker — and I couldn't be happier. I've been rooting for Marshall to release a list topping speaker for some time now, and the Kilburn III is just that. Thanks to it's excellent battery life, stunning sound and great looks, it really is almost the perfect package.

Just one thing Marshall — Wi-Fi for the Kilburn IV?

More from Tom's Guide

Tammy and her generous collection of headphones have found a new home — Tom's Guide! After a two-and-a-half-year stint as iMore's resident audiophile, Tammy's reviews and buying guide expertise have more focus than ever on Tom's Guide, helping buyers find the audio gear that works best for them. Tammy has worked with some of the most desirable audio brands on the planet in her time writing about headphones, speakers, and more, bringing a consumer focussed approach to critique and buying advice. Away from her desk, you'll probably find her in the countryside writing (extremely bad) poetry, or putting her screenwriting Masters to good use creating screenplays that'll never see the light of day.

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