Attention rockers! There’s a new pair of wireless and noise-canceling headphones on the scene and they rock, largely due to their heritage which comes with the iconic Marshall logo that appears on the front of virtually every amplifier and speaker cabinet used by all self-respecting rock gods.
Marshall has been producing great guitar amps for more than 50 years and that know-how is now being harnessed in a range of Marshall-branded headphones produced under license by Swedish company Zound Industries. I’ve reviewed some of the Marshall wireless speakers and headphones before and they all have two qualities in common. They are all incredibly well built and wonderfully loud. What more could metalheads want?
These new Marshall II ANC headphones feature oval-shaped ear cups that completely enclose the ears. They also fold up neatly into a small size thanks to hinged joints. As you’d expect, the classic Marshall logo is emblazoned on both earcups which are finished in a textured black leatherette finish. There’s also a stylish denim drawstring bag supplied to store them in, and because the headphones fold up nice and small, you’re sure to be able to find a space for them in your work bag or carry-on luggage.
Also supplied in the box is a coiled headphone cable that looks like a mini guitar lead and is terminated with 3.5 mm stereo jacks. The cable is for using the headphones in passive mode. The cable is a great backup if you ever run out of battery power or don’t want to use Bluetooth or the ANC function. However, with 30 hours of battery life with ANC turned on, and a staggering 45 hours with it turned off, you’re not likely to run out of juice in a hurry. The battery itself isn’t replaceable but it’s probably good for around 500 charging cycles before its efficiency takes a hit. Ear cup pads can be replaced if they get worn or damaged.
The fit of the Marshall II ANC is ultra-comfy thanks to the soft padded earcups and plump headband. I’d go so far as to say they’re almost as comfortable as Sony’s class-beating WH-1000XM3 ANC headphones and they feel nice and light. When it comes to the efficiency of the active noise canceling circuitry, I think the Marshall’s aren’t quite up there with the likes of Sony, B&W, and Bose, but for drowning out the steady rumble of jet engines or the clickety-clack of railway tracks, they work perfectly well. They’re probably not as good at cutting down the background chatter from TV or radio, but not many ANC headphones can compete with the best brands on the market. One minor niggle for me is that the ANC function is always turned on by default every time you fire up the headphones. I’d like a way of changing that because you don’t always want or need the ANC turned on.
And speaking of changing things, the free companion Marshall Bluetooth app is available for iOS and Android. It can be used to customize some of the settings of the headphones and that includes updating the firmware, changing volume levels, and customizing the sound or adjusting the amount of noise canceling. Of course, you don’t need to use the app to control the headphones as the classic four-way brass joystick that features on all Marshall headphones is there to do your bidding. I love Marshall’s joystick and it’s perfect for adjusting volume, skipping tracks, pausing the music or answering phone calls; it so much more intuitive than trying to remember what which button controls which function.
There are two other buttons on the headphones. The first is on the left headphone yoke and is used to cycle through the ANC modes. Press once to turn off, then press again to switch to monitor mode where a certain amount of ambient sound is allowed to creep in over the music. Press the button again and you’re back to full ANC mode.
The other control button on the right side of the headphone yoke is the M-Button and can be customized using the Marshall Bluetooth app. The button can be set to cycle through three EQ settings so you can shape the sound of the headphones to suit your tastes or select that classic Marshall sound. Alternatively, the button can be set up to trigger Google Assistant or Apple’s Siri.
When it comes to the quality of phone calls, the built-in microphones around the edge of the Marshall II ANC’s ear cups work well. They do pick up a certain amount of wind noise if you’re outside or running into the wind, but when indoors they produce clear voice quality and are ideal for taking calls without removing the headphones. The same mics are used to pick up voice commands when the M-Button is pressed.
These new headphones have the latest iteration of the Bluetooth standard which has now reached version 5.0. Curiously, Marshall chose not to include support for AAC or apt-X, the two high-quality audio codecs that provide wireless listening at near CD quality. I can’t understand why SBC (Sub-Band Coding) is the only supported audio codec. SBC is capable of bit rates up to 328 kbps at a sampling rate of 44.1kHz. It can provide good audio quality without using a lot of processing power and this really helps with battery life. That may be the reason for excluding apt-X and AAC which drain more power.
Despite being limited to SBC, the sound quality from these headphones is really rather good and there were no lip sync issues when I watched videos on my iPhone and iPad. The good quality audio is probably due to Marshall using a well designed Bluetooth transmitter that’s able to consistently support higher bit rates. There’s a school of thought that says the importance of audio codecs has been over-egged in the past. If you’re using the headphones in ANC mode, there is little point in having a high-quality audio codec as the headphones are heavily processing the sound to cut out the ambient noises. Also, the Marshall II ANC headphones are tuned to deliver a bass-heavy signature sound that’s best suited to rock music. These aren’t headphones for purists who want totally transparent and neutral sound; these are headphones made with heavy metal fans and hard rockers in mind.
The sound from the Marshall II ANC is big, bold and beefy thanks to their large 40 mm drivers. The quality of the wireless sound is excellent without any hint of the electronic chirrups that can sometimes spoil Bluetooth headphones with cheaper transmitters. The sound is loud – very loud. The Marshall II ANC are far louder than most of the Bluetooth headphones I’ve ever tested. If Led Zeppelin or Deep Purple are your musical bag, then these headphones will dish up a sound that you’ll absolutely adore. The treble is possibly a little bit compressed but it’s certainly not squashed enough to spoil the enjoyment of the music.
Verdict: For their first pair of over-the-ear ANC headphones, Marshall has scored a direct hit with the Marshall II ANC. The volume is loud and plentiful while the Bluetooth transmission is wonderfully robust. I love the sturdy build quality and the classy and well made feel of the headphones. The control buttons are easy to use and the M-Button can be programmed to select EQ settings or trigger Google Assistant/Siri. When it comes to noise canceling, these headphones work reasonably well but they won’t be giving Sony, Bose or B&W sleepless nights. That said, for most people’s needs they cut out the everyday sound and drone of commuting or flying just fine. The sound is rock heavy and perfectly suited for the intended audience. If you like a muscular sound, you’ll love the Marshall II ANC headphones. My only major question is why there isn’t support for AAC and apt-X. These audio codecs are baked into most Bluetooth chipsets, so leaving them out doesn’t make sense and doesn’t really save a lot of money on license fees. It probably is a question of getting maximum playing time from the built-in battery. If you like your music big and bold, these are the noise-canceling headphones for you.
Pricing and availability: Marshall Monitor II ANC headphones will be available globally from 17 March 2020 and are priced at $319 / £259 / €299.
More info: www.marshallheadphones.com
Specifications:
- Driver size: 40 mm
- Driver type: Dynamic
- Driver sensitivity: 96 dB SPL (179 mV @ 1 kHz)
- Driver impedance: 32 Ω
- Frequency response: 20 Hz – 20 kHz
- Weight: 320g / 11.29 oz
