Where Sound & Style Tango! Marshall Middleton Review
Chances are by now you've spotted this classy British product in affluent living rooms and Insta-worthy bedrooms. Coming from the legacy brand of audio manufacturers, the new Marshall Middleton, landed in India this summer. And here's if it manages to shake things up in the portable speaker segment.
Design
The aesthetics of a Marshall has always been as appealing as its acoustics. The Middleton is no different. There's the classy cursive logo bang at the centre of the speaker's front facade. There are speaker grilles on either side. The rectangular speaker measures 4.29 x 9.06 x 3.74 inches. Physical connectivity options - an aux input and USB-C port - are tucked away at the rear corner. All the other physical controls are laid out on the top of the rectangular speaker unit. There's a brushed metal gold joystick-style button at the centre, to control volume and the playlist. With the exception of the gold-coloured button, all the other controls on the top are designed to be black-on-black, which doesn't seem like the most user-friendly choice. While it does lend to how minimal the device looks, first-time users, those with low-vision, and maybe the elderly might find it a bit difficult to figure out what each control stands for.
The speaker is made of 55% post-consumer recycled plastic from used electronics, water bottles and automotive light covers, and the rest from new plastic. However, the touch and feel of it is almost like soft, feathery leather. One downside of the finish, especially in a climate like ours, is that there's a fair bit of dust that settles on it as the weeks go by. However, the device does have IP67 rating which means it's dust and water resistant.
Pairing
Pairing the Middleton via Bluetooth and the app was easy enough. The Marshall Bluetooth app is pretty bareboned though. Once paired, I can see the battery status, access equaliser mode, set up stack mode and forget device. The tracks that I'm playing at any given time is supposed to show up at the bottom of the app, but when I used Spotify, it didn't show this information on the Marshall Headphone app. In terms of equaliser settings, the app mimics the controls on-device - Bass and Treble. This can be amped up to a maximum of nine levels each.
Acoustics
The first thing I notice about the Marshall Middleton is how intensely loud it can get, with absolutely zero sign of distortion. We used it to make a couple of announcements and play some music during a get-together of about 100 people, and many in the audience were convinced that we'd used the pre-installed tucked away speakers in the room. There isn't a lot of control the user gets over the sound quality apart from volume, bass and treble. In true Marshall fashion, they've kept it simple and probably intend the user to enjoy the sound as they've engineered.
I cued up The Bahama Soul Club's playlist while prepping lunch. The band known for their amazing blend of soul, jazz, funk, blues, bossa nova and afro-Caribbean influences kept me company as I tucked into a Sunday meal. The melody of multiple instruments was balanced beautifully by the Middleton - be it the conga drums, the soulful sax or the bass guitar riffs.
In Lost in the Light by Bahamas, the soulful crooning by Afie Jurvanen comes through with all its soul and complexity.
Marshall's proprietary True Stereophonic sound that amps up the sense of multi-directional stereo sound even in this compact speaker works really well. Of course there are slight changes in the soundstage depending on where I place it in the room. However, left unobstructed the speaker manages to convey a sense of depth much deeper and spacious than what one would expect of a device this size.
Battery
Marshall claims that the Middleton can keep crooning for 20+ hours on a single charge cycle. In my experience it came close to that timeline. It takes a fair bit of time to go from zero to full though, almost 4-5 hours. But of course, this doesn't get in the way of the speaker being used in the meantime. In case you already have a Middleton or are planning to buy multiples, you can stack it up to amplify the sound across a room.
Verdict
The Marshall Middleton has the advantage of coming off a long line of legacy products, which means its design and sound quality are bound to impress. Having said that, at 1.8 kgs, this is not exactly the most portable speaker around. Sure, nothing stops me from carrying it from room to room or even outdoors, but the weight isn't exactly negligible. The other aspect I think can be improved upon is the limited customisations features available in-app. Having said that if you're looking for an elegant, fuss-free portable speaker at home or outdoors - one where the audio quality leaves little room for disappointment - the Marshall Middleton is the way to go.
Price - ₹31,999
Pros - Great acoustics, classy design
Cons - Not the lightest portable speaker option
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Published on July 19, 2023
Body Found In Yukon River Presumed To Be Missing Marshall Woman, Troopers Say
Alaska State Troopers are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a woman who went missing from Marshall in mid-June and was presumed to have died after a body was found more than 100 miles downriver later in the month.
Forty-year-old Kimberly O'Domin was last heard from sometime around June 15, when she called a family member to tell them she had been assaulted while breaking up a fight at a party near her home, according to Jack George, a longtime friend who organized the village's search efforts. Her family began searching when she could not be contacted or found, according to George.
She was officially reported missing to troopers on June 16.
Village Police Officers in Marshall searched for O'Domin, according to Austin McDaniel, a spokesman for the troopers. George said he helped organize a ground search with volunteers from the village.
The search turned next to the Yukon River. Volunteers from roughly a half-dozen nearby villages dragged the river and searched the banks for O'Domin, George said.
A body was found roughly 30 miles upriver from Emmonak on June 27, troopers said. They announced last week that the State Medical Examiner's Office determined it was likely O'Domin.
George said he wishes troopers had responded to Marshall immediately when O'Domin was reported missing instead of waiting several days.
Troopers look at the circumstances surrounding such reports and balance responses depending on a number of factors, including if they need to respond to other incidents within the region, said McDaniel. They take missing person reports seriously, especially in rural Alaska, he said.
McDaniel did not directly answer a question over email about whether troopers were immediately aware of the assault accusation that took place before her disappearance.
The State Medical Examiner's Office determined O'Domin died from drowning, troopers said. Troopers have not found evidence of foul play, McDaniel said.
However, the investigation was handed over to the Alaska Bureau of Investigation because of community concerns about the circumstances surrounding O'Domin's death, McDaniel said. Troopers had previously visited Marshall, but officials with ABI first responded in person on June 27, McDaniel said.
It would be out of character for O'Domin to leave her family without saying something, George said.
She was a mother of seven and worked as the tribal administrator for the Native Village of Marshall, George said. She was outgoing and always had a positive attitude, he said. Marshall is home to roughly 475 people and O'Domin's death has hit the tight-knit community hard, George said.
"She was someone you can look up to — someone that will be there to help you with whatever you need done here in the village," he said.
O'Domin's family set up a fundraiser to help with funeral expenses and support her children.
McDaniel urged anyone with information pertinent to the investigation to call 907-543-2294 or submit a tip anonymously online or through the AKTips smartphone app.
"We'd definitely like to have additional information if that additional information exists, so that we can follow up on it and ensure that we have a complete report to be able to provide closure to Ms. O'Domin's family, as well as the community of Marshall as a whole," he said.
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New Mexico State Fire Marshall's Office Distributes $75 Million To Local Departments, Opens Grant Applications
SANTA FE, N.M. (KAMR/KCIT) – The New Mexico State Fire Marshal's office announced that $75 million from the state's fire fund will be distributed to departments around New Mexico, including 99 municipalities and 257 county stations. It is also accepting grant applications for funds that have not yet been distributed.
According to the announcement, the municipalities in New Mexico received $29,395,413 and 257 county stations received $40,765,656, with a total of $75,814,631 distributed for fiscal year 2024. Officials noted that the distribution was a 5.6% increase from fiscal year 2023.
From around the High Plains area, fire department distributions included:
"The State Fire Marshal's office is pleased to provide this vital funding to departments large and small across the state," said State Fire Marshal Randy Varela, "I know that a well-funded and well-trained department is important for everyone's safety and with this funding, we're supporting operations, equipment and training at a record level."
As noted by officials, the New Mexico Fire Fund is funded through a portion of insurance premiums. The first round of its distributions is based on ratings from the Insurance Services Office, while the funds that are not distributed in that first round are transferred to the Fire Protection Grant Fund.
The Fire Protection Grant Fund, according to published information from the New Mexico Fire Grant Council, "enables departments to advocate for specific projects and critical needs through a competitive grant process."
The Fire Grant Fund will be accepting applications until Aug. 31, said officials, and more information about the applications and the fire grants can be found on the official website.
For the latest Amarillo news and regional updates, check with MyHighPlains.Com and tune in to KAMR Local 4 News at 5:00, 6:00, and 10:00 p.M. And Fox 14 News at 9:00 p.M. CST.
