Marshall Monitor II Active Noise Cancelling BLUETOOTH Headphones REVIEW

Outstanding headphones that keep you looking great

I have always been a bit biased toward Marshall gear. When I was growing up I played drums, bass, and rhythm guitar. I love music but in my older years I have lost my high-end hearing and after having nerve damage in my left arm I can’t grasp cords on guitars as I used too. Needless to say, I will never forget the feeling I would get when sitting next to my Marshall Stack while wailing away in my grandparent’s garage. It’s one of the memories that will last forever. The quality of Mashall amps has always stayed with me. The build quality…the sound…the pebbled grain…they are beautiful. This tradition travels into the headphones they make today. Back in 2014, I tried out my first pair of Marshall headphones. I actually used them every day while taking my grandmother back and forth to cancer treatments. Marshall almost feels like a family member, so anytime I get the chance to check out a new offering from them I jump at it. The Monitor II A.N.C Noise Cancelling Headphones is quality at it’s best

USER EXPERIENCE

Like everything I have played with from Marshall, the Monitor II A.N.C. comes in a black box. It also has a legal and safety pamphlet, a quick start guide, an AUX cable, and a USB-C cable for charging. I can’t explain how aggravated I get when something I am reviewing has yet to move over to USB-C. So the fact that these headphones charge using USB-C is a massive win in my books for Marshall. Inside the box, you will also find a carrying pouch. This is the one area where I think this headphone package could improve. With such a premium set of headphones, I feel that Marshall should include some sort of hardshell case for users to protect their precious cans. When the competition is Bose and Sony, anything can be the difference-maker for someone when it comes to making a purchase. If the Marshall headphones were offered at a lesser price, not including a hardshell travel case would not be questioned here.

When it comes to the controls of these headphones they are pretty easy to use. Not only are they easy but they are mostly concealed. Before looking at the getting started guide I felt around trying to find where the controls were at. Until you notice that one of the buttons says ANC you would have just thought that was part of the screw covering for the hinge. The main multi-directional control knob handles volume up/down, track forward/back, and pause. The other hidden M button is customizable. It allows you to choose between using Google or Siri or toggling between three different equalizer sound options. These can be changed at any time inside of the Marshall iOS or Android app. The app is quite clean compared to other offerings from the competition. Under the first setting is the Original Marshall sound next is a rock pattern and third spoken words. All three modes sound distinctively different. The app even has a timer built-in to automatically turn off the headphones once they have hit the time limit. It’s a perfect function if you are trying to limit your use to over the head earphones or you don’t want to drain the battery while listening to music in bed.

When using the headphones for a long period of time I did notice my ears sweating. This is something I noticed with my first pair of Marshall headphones back in 2014. That does not mean the ear cups are uncomfortable because they are like little ear clouds. It’s just that the material used to cover them doesn’t breathe very well.

While using the headphones I tried to mostly stay on the original Marshall sound with all of the music I was listening to. I know I could have changed the EQ to match what I was playing better and I did end up doing that, but for this, I wanted to see how the presets would manage most music. Over my time with them, I listening to a wide range of music including music from CKY, Nirvana, Green Day, Eminem, Guns N`Roses, Harvey Danger, Gary Jules, Johnny Cash, and the Mandalorian soundtrack. The sound was clean and I could hear what made the music enjoyable to me, which is hard to come by for someone with profound hearing loss.

CONCLUSION

The build quality and sound quality are both top-notch. These are headphones for not just the musician but for anyone who enjoys great sound and great-looking headphones. I truly only have two complaints — one is the heat from the ear cups and the lack of a hardshell case. I believe when you look at the top two brands in this product category that these Marshall headphones should be considered in the same class.

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