The Marshall Woburn 3 is the latest iteration of Marshall’s Woburn series speakers, and is currently the loudest Marshall speaker available that delivers the widest soundstage and signature Marshall stereo sound performance. The Marshall Woburn 3 is a much more powerful speaker than the Woburn 2 with a max power output of 150W (compared to the Woburn 2’s 80W) and it has a slightly wider frequency response down to 30 Hz for deeper bass response.
The Woburn 2 is actually a really good speaker in its own right and delivers deep low bass, with a maximum decibel level of 110. It has a frequency range of 50Hz – 20kHz and is equipped with two 50-watt class D amps for the woofer and two 15-watt amps for the tweeters. The Woburn 2 delivers really nice sound performance with crystal clear highs and detailed midranges, and we really enjoyed using this speaker for listening to jazz music.
The Woburn 3, while similar in many ways to its predecessor, has a slightly lower maximum decibel level at 100.5. Its frequency response is 35Hz – 20kHz (it is 20 Hz deeper), and it features a 90-watt class D amp for the bass speaker, two 15-watt class D amps for the midrange speakers, and two 15-watt class D amps for the tweeters. The soundstage is better on the Woburn 3, and it delivers really good stereo separation with an emphasis on the highs and midrange with good bass depth.
The Marshall Woburn 3 speaker was released in 2022 and is considered the most powerful speaker currently available from Marshall – it is recommended for larger living room spaces where you can enjoy the wider soundstage provided by the Woburn 3.
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Comparing the Specs
| Specification | Marshall Woburn 2 | Marshall Woburn 3 |
| Launch Year | 2018 | 2022 |
| Dimensions | 15.75 x 12.20 x 7.87 inches | 15.75 x 12.48 x 7.99 inches |
| Weight | 18.85 lb | 16.42 lb |
| Color Options | Black, White, Brown | Black, Cream |
| Audio Type | Stereo | Stereo |
| Driver Type | Dynamic | Not specified |
| Frequency Range | 50-20,000 Hz | 35-20,000 Hz |
| Sound Pressure Level | 110 dB @ 1 m | 100.5 dB @ 1 m |
| Watts | 80W | 150W |
| Amplifiers | Two 50 Watt Class D for woofer, Two 15 Watt Class D for tweeters | 90 Watt Class D for bass, Two 15 Watt Class D for midrange, Two 15 Watt Class D for tweeters |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.0, 3.5 mm Input, RCA Input | Bluetooth 5.2, 3.5 mm Input, RCA Input, HDMI-ARC |
| Water Resistance | No | No |
| Adjustable Bass and Treble Controls | Yes, on speaker and in app | Yes, on speaker and in app |
The Woburn 2 delivers impressive audio clarity especially in the low bass frequency ranges, with a maximum decibel level of 110. It offers a frequency range of 50Hz – 20kHz, and the sound quality has a lot of clarity, depth, and precision. The Woburn 3, while slightly lower in maximum SPL at 100.5, has an improved soundstage and a frequency response of 35Hz – 20kHz. It delivers immersive and dynamic sound with clear highs, well-defined midrange, and solid low-end response.
Sound Performance
For our tests, we played a couple of jazz music performances including Dusty Springfield’s “The Look of Love” and Tony Bennett’s “Fly me to the moon” which are classic jazz performances that can really demonstrate how good the speaker actually is. The Woburn 3 delivered one of the best sound performances with have heard from a Bluetooth speaker by any measure – the highs and vocals are silky smooth, the midrange is well-defined and very detailed without sounding too muddy, and the bass hits hard with plenty of depth without sounding too overwhelming. Everything is seriously well-balanced on the Marshall Woburn 3 and you won’t get a situation where the mids or highs sound too harsh or bleed into other frequency ranges.
Compared with the Woburn 2 speaker, the Marshall Woburn 3 has superb soundstage – you can hear the separation between the vocals, instruments and drums clearly on this speaker while sitting around 3m away. You get a really clean stereo image of where the vocalist is standing on the stage and where the surrounding instruments are located. The bass on the Woburn 3 speaker also sounds much deeper and more refined than the Woburn 2 speaker. While the Woburn 2 speaker does sound slightly louder than the Woburn 3 at max volume level, we liked the attention to detail that the Woburn 3 delivers to every aspect of the music performance.
You can hear things in live jazz performances that you might not have noticed before, such as the subtle breathing of the vocalist at every pause, the plucking of guitar strings and the subtle stroke of the piano which you can pick out from the soundtrack. While the Woburn 2 delivers really nice detail and highs, we felt that the Woburn 3 was better able to emphasize the subtle details in the music with much better soundstage and separation.
Finally, we should also mention that the bass notes on the Woburn 3 sound much deeper and more refined. The Marshall Woburn 3 delivers a much more powerful 150W of output power compared with the Woburn 2’s 80W, and you can hear the mid-bass and sub-bass notes more clearly with greater depth than the Woburn 2 with live jazz performances.
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Design
The Woburn 2 is available in black, white, and brown, with a design inspired by Marshall’s signature guitar amps. It weighs 18.85 lbs and measures 15.75 x 12.20 x 7.87 inches, which is slightly heavier than the Woburn 3 speaker. The Woburn 3 is available in black and cream and is slightly lighter and more compact than the Woburn 2, weighing 16.42 lbs and measuring 15.75 x 12.48 x 7.99 inches (virtually similar in size to the Woburn 2). The materials used in the Woburn 3 are more focused on sustainability and made of 70% recycled plastic and vegan free materials.
Both models offer Bluetooth connectivity (Bluetooth 5.0 in the Woburn 2 and Bluetooth 5.2 in the Woburn 3), RCA and 3.5mm inputs, and the ability to adjust bass and treble via analog controls or the Marshall app. We really liked the brass-polished buttons at the top control panel of the speaker which gives it a really classic vintage appearance.
The Woburn 3 introduces additional features like an HDMI input and a skip control button on the top panel, enhancing its functionality and connectivity.
While the Woburn 2 is a great speaker in its own right in terms of audio quality and traditional design, the Woburn 3 builds upon these strengths with improved connectivity options and a slightly more modern design with improved connectivity options.
The Verdict?
The Marshall Woburn 3 is a really good upgrade from the Woburn 2 speaker – the biggest advantage that you get with the Woburn 3 speaker is that it delivers almost twice the power as the Woburn 2 with 150W of output power, and gets really loud with massive soundstage. The one thing that the Woburn 3 really improves on is the soundstage and stereo separation – you can start to hear and pick out details in the music recordings that you might not have noticed before, and subtle details seem to be really clear and brought to the forefront with the Woburn 3. While the Woburn 2 remains an excellent speaker and delivers really good sound performance, the Woburn 3 is definitely worth the upgrade due to the massive increase in power output and wider stereo soundstage.
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