Marshall Emberton II Cream
Score: 89/100
Bose SoundLink Flex 2nd Gen Black
Score: 85/100Rankings
The Emberton II delivers long-lasting battery life, rugged IP67 protection and 360° true stereophonic sound in a stylish, compact package, but lacks a microphone, aux input and advanced codecs.
The Bose SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen) is a compact, rugged Bluetooth speaker with IP67 protection, 12 h battery life, and adaptive PositionIQ sound. It adds Bluetooth 5.3, aptX and multipoint pairing while retaining the core acoustic design of the first generation.
| Attribute | | |
|---|---|---|
30 hoursbest | 12 hours | |
| ↓ lower better | 3 hoursbest | 4 hours |
10 metersbest | 9 meters | |
| ↓ lower better | 118 gbest | 590 g |
20 wattsbest | — | |
50.8 mmbest | — | |
60 Hzbest | — | |
20,000 Hzbest | — |
Click an attribute name to sort · Green = best, red = worst (relative to this comparison)
| Attribute | | |
|---|---|---|
Connectivity(4) | ||
Bluetooth Version | 5.1 | 5.3 |
Bluetooth Range (meters) | 10 meters | 9 meters |
Supported Audio Codecs | SBC | SBC, AAC, aptX |
Built‑in Microphone | false | true |
Battery & Power(2) | ||
Battery Life (hours) | 30 hours | 12 hours |
Charging Time (hours) | 3 hours | 4 hours |
Build & Design(1) | ||
Weight (g) | 118 g | 590 g |
Products in the top-left offer the best value (high score, low price).
Professional reviewers praise the rich, full-range sound, rugged build and long battery, while criticizing the missing microphone, limited codec support and DSP-induced sound changes at high volume.
Everyday users love the impressive sound quality, extended battery life and durable design, though they note the absence of a speakerphone and occasional DSP-related tonal shifts.
“Survived a drop in the pool and kept playing”
“Perfect for camping - loud, clear, and tough”
“Love that it pairs with two phones at once”
Professional reviewers praise the Flex for its premium build, IP67 rating and the Bluetooth 5.3 upgrade that adds reliable multipoint pairing, while noting the lack of a more robust EQ and only incremental hardware changes.
Everyday users love the speaker's durability, floating ability and the convenience of pairing two phones at once, but complain about the missing AUX jack, mushy buttons and limited EQ options.
