Marshall Woburn III vs. Stanmore III vs. Acton III – Differences?

This is one of the comparisons that we like the most, because we rarely see speakers with such a retro and vintage design, but with as much bohemian vibes as those of Marshall. With a classic American style that reminds us of the United States of the 70s and 80s, Marshall speakers are characterized by their great sound quality. But how do the different models of the brand differ?

In this article, we focus on three of our favorites: Marshall Woburn III vs. Marshall Stanmore III vs. Marshall Acton III. As you will see, it is unquestionable that they are from the same brand because they maintain a very similar visual line and clearly defined by Marshall. Now, not all are for the same type of public. One of them is designed for people looking for a home speaker with which to feel like Elvis himself, while another is designed for easier use.

The size, in this case, does matter, and it is another of the differences that can be perceived with the naked eye. And, to be honest, there are quite a few similarities (something that, on the other hand, is logical when it comes to speakers from the same brand), which makes us look even more closely at the differences. We already anticipate that if you usually connect your computer to a speaker to practice your latest guitar creations, you can only do so with one of the three models.

Join us on this journey back to 70’s and 80’s rock and roll!

Marshall Woburn III vs. Marshall Stanmore III vs. Marshall Acton III – Comparative Table

How are the three Marshall speakers that star in this comparison different? It cannot be denied that they are from the same brand because, aesthetically, they have a similar line. However, there are important differences that we show you, roughly , in this table:

(Slide the table to see all the content)

The size changes, but the design remains

The ability for a brand to be recognizable just by taking a quick glance at its designs is a huge reputational advantage, and Marshall knows it. For this reason, he maintains the same aesthetics in all his speakers, even if they are from different ranges. However, all of them have been designed using 70% recycled plastic and only vegan materials, so sustainability also plays a fundamental role in the design.

The three protagonists of our review can be purchased in the brand’s corporate black and brown colors, and have a design reminiscent of the great rock venues of the 80s. A combination of leather, mesh, and gold touches with traditional buttons. classics of vintage loudspeakers is what gives the three Marshall loudspeakers their unique and recognizable personality.

Of course, the size, in this case, matters a lot. The Marshall Acton III is the smallest and most manageable model, ideal for those who always travel with music elsewhere. It is followed by the mid-size Marshall Stanmore III. For its part, the Marshall Woburn III is the most professional-looking speaker, for being the largest. The bad thing is that it is not so easy to transport, but it is more of a fixed location.

The sound quality is also increasing

A priori, it seems that the difference in size is reduced only to an aesthetic issue, but it also has important technical implications. The dimensions of the speakers means that, although the sound is stereo in all three cases, the built-in amplifiers are larger or smaller. That is, the Marshall Acton III has a 30-watt class D amplifier for the woofer, and two 15-watt amplifiers for the tweeters.

The Marshall Stanmore III increases the size of the amps a bit, which are 50 and 15 watts respectively. And, if we look at the amplifiers that the Marshall Woburn III has, we see that they are 90 watts, for the bass speaker, and 15 watts for the two midrange and treble speakers respectively. Eye! Another difference: only the Woburn III has a midrange speaker, which makes it reproduce all sounds more clearly and the frequency range is wider.

Obviously, these differences are also noticeable in sound projection. The power with which the Woburn III reproduces is more than 100 decibels, which are reduced to 97 and 95 decibels respectively in the Stanmore III and Acton III. In practice, there is a significant leap in quality between the Stanmore III and Acton III and the Woburn III, which takes the step towards a more professional and less amateur speaker.

One thing that all three speakers share is the Dynamic Loudness function, or dynamic loudness, which allows you to adjust and balance the tone so that the sound is always projected cleanly.

The connectors, another big difference

Looking for more features that differ in the three Marshalls that we are analyzing, we have realized that the brand has been evolving when it comes to cable connection ports. All of them have a 3.5 mm input, so you can plug an electric guitar into any of them, for example. The Marshall Stanmore III adds an RCA input, while the Marshall Woburn III, in addition to the previous two, also has an HDMI input.

However, don’t panic; What the three Marshall speakers do share is the possibility of connection via Bluetooth with a range of 10 meters. In addition, they are all compatible with version 5.2 and with Bluetooth LE Audio. The downside is that neither can be synced with a voice assistant, though that doesn’t mean Marshall doesn’t have other speakers that do.

An application from which to stay updated

The fact that a speaker can be synchronized with an application has ceased to be novel to be almost essential in a world as digitized as today.

In this case, all three models connect to the Marshall Bluetooth app, from which they can also access OTA (Over The Air) software updates. Thus, you ensure that the speakers always have the latest features.

Marshall Woburn III vs. Marshall Stanmore III vs. Marshall Acton III: Which speaker comes out on top?

Again, it depends on what each person’s priorities and needs are. The Marshall Woburn III is the one that offers the highest sound quality and power, because it has tweeters, midrange and bass, while the Stanmore III and Acton III lack midrange speakers. This also makes the frequency slightly wider in the Woburn, and the power of the sound is greater. In addition, you have the possibility to adjust the tone at all times, although this is common in all three models.

Of course, as is logical, it is the one with the highest price. Therefore, the decision will depend on the degree of sophistication that you are looking for in the speakers. The more professional you want it to be, the more money you will have to spend, and in this case, the Marshall Woburn III is the best option.

In case you don’t need such an impressive speaker or you don’t have a place to store it, if you doubt between the Marshall Stanmore III and Marshall Acton III, you should know that they are two speakers with more similar results. The Stanmore III has a little more power and one more connection port, which makes its price slightly higher. Still, the difference is less than what you have with the Woburn III. In short, think about what are the most important aspects for you and choose the vintage speaker that best suits your needs.