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So these are the new Marshall Monitor 2 ANC headphones… and over all I think they’re a good pair of headphones, but what I specifically find interesting about these headphones is that they manage to strike a good balance between the old and the new. These headphones have a very classic design to them and they’re very tactile which I love… but they also have all of the modern conveniences that you would expect from a pair of modern ANC headphones.
So the Monitor 2’s retail for $320 which I think is fair and they’re obviously undercutting popular ANC headphones like the Sony 1000XM3 and Bose NC 700’s. But before we go any farther into this review I do want to point out that these headphones are geared towards people who prefer a neutral sound signature. But regardless these headphones also fit very well and they’re very well built so if you’re interested in that keep watching. But as always if you want to pick these headphones up they’ll be linked down below.
So first off lets address these headphones’s carrying case. Unfortunately these headphones come included with a carrying pouch. Which I think is disappointing cause like ive said in the past, any time that you’re paying upwards of $300 for any pair of headphones a hard shell case is to be expected. And I also find it very strange cause the $270 Marshall MID ANC do come with a hardshell case. So if you plan on commuting with these headphones I would suggest in investing in a hardshell carrying case just to be safe.
But when it comes to the build quality and design of these headphones thats one of the reason why I like these headphones so much. The outer portion of of these ear cups have a soft touch feel to them and they’re made to look like tumbled leather, but its all artificial of course… the ear cups swivel freely in any direction, there’s a very satisfying and tactile click any time you extend the headband… and there’s a lot of padding underneath this headband as well. Over all these headphones are very well built, they feel very durable and the fact that these headphones are extremely collapsable I think make them a great option for a constant commuter.
But another reason why I think these headphones are great for commuting is cause they’re extremely low profile. And personally I love myself a good pair of low profile headphones. And when it comes to fit, these headphones are very comfortable to wear as well. Now these headphones are definitely big head approved… but the clamping force on these headphones is just firm enough to help them stay in place but these have the same clamping force as the Sony 1000XM3. But what I really like about these headphones is how spacious their ear pads are all while still maintaining a low profile ear cup design. These headphones should be able to fit most ear types with zero problems. The Only critique I have about these headphones build quality and fit wise is that even though the leatherette on these ear pads feels decent it definitely doesn’t feel as good as either of Bose’s headphones but they definitely don’t feel as synthetic as Sony’s ear pads. And I also gotta point out that these headphones are pretty heavy weighing in at 320 grams which definitely came to as a surprise to me given at how minimal these headphones look. Cause for comparison, the Sony’s weigh in at 255 grams and the Bose weigh in at 263 grams. Ultimately this isn’t a huge deal, but it is noticeable at first if you’re used to using lighter headphones.
Now when it comes to tech specs, one of the biggest upgrades these headphones have is that they now charge via a USB C port. And when it comes to battery life these headphones have an advertised battery life of 30 hours with ANC turned off and these headphones can go as long as 45 hours with ANC turned off. And for me I’ve been able to go a solid 2 weeks in between charges with these headphones. And these headphones also have decent fast charging where if you plug them in for 15 minutes from a dead battery they’ll get you 5 hours of playback time.
But something that I know some people will be asking is can you use the USB C port on these headphones as a wired connection, and unfortunately you can not. If you want use a wired connection with these you have to use the AUX jack. But the bright side about this is that these headphones actually come with a very decent Audio cable. Cause a lot of newer headphones currently come with some very cheap audio cables or non at all.
Now when it comes to bluetooth connectivity, these headphones are using bluetooth 5.0, but more importantly they can be connected to two devices at the same time. So you can easily hot swap from your phone to your computer. The only thing that I want to point out though is that these headphones don’t have APTX support like the MID ANC’s that I mentioned earlier.
But more importantly these headphones are perfectly fine for watching movies or videos on your phone cause they have zero latency across the board whether you're using an iPhone or android device.
Now when it comes to listening to music with these headphones… like I mentioned at the beginning of this video these headphones are better suited for people who prefer a neutral sound signature. The mids and highs on these headphones are extremely crisp and the bass on these headphones is very clean. But its purely the audible kind. So if you’re looking for a pair of headphones who bass is going to rattle your head then these definitely won’t do it for you. Now even though these headphones do have a fully customizable EQ even if you were to raise the bass on these headphones all the way up you’re not going to physically feel anything. Now with all that being said, I think these headphones sound best when they’re set to their stock EQ. With their stock EQ these headphones are all about vocalist and clarity. But even though these headphones are all about mids and vocals, the treble on these headphones never get ear piercing which is good. Now the sound stage and instrument operation on these headphones is good but I wouldn’t say that they’re up there with the Bowers and Wilkins PX7. I want to say these headphones are more in line with the Bose NC 700 but they put more of an emphasis on vocals than the Bose do. But something that I also want to point out is that these headphones get way louder than average. But even at those louder volumes these headphones don’t suffer from any noticeable distortion. But personally I try to keep these headphones below 90 percent volume. But like I mentioned earlier these headphones do have an adjustable EQ and you can also cycle between your 3 preset EQ’s by pressing the M Button on the Right ear cup. The only thing that I do wish these headphones would do is say which EQ they’re set to. Say Marshall, say Rock, and say Spoken instead of just playing a tone.
But also if you don’t want to ever cycle between your EQ settings you can always remap the M button to be a google assistant button. So you can more quickly and more efficiently talk to your voice assistant similar what you can do on the Sony 1000XM3.
But this now leads us to the control knob on these headphones. Unlike a lot of newer headphones that are using touchpad, Marshall is sticking to having physical buttons. And I think thats perfectly Okay cause some people still prefer physical buttons and for some people it could even be a deciding factor. So with all that being said controlling your music on these headphones is very accurate and direct. And yes it is easier than using a touch pad.
Now when it comes to the active noise cancellation on these headphones… its okay, but I do feel its kind of dated by today’s standards. They block out a decent amount of noise for $320 headphones but they definitely aren’t in the top echelon.
So like you may have just seen, these headphones block out a decent amount of noise but my biggest critique about them is that they do have a considerable amount of cabin pressure if the ANC on these headphones is working hard. Find myself having to pop my ears from time to time and you can really feel that cabin pressure if you’re not playing any music or if you’re just watching a movie or listening to a podcast with these headphones in a louder environment. But if you’re in a quieter environment the cabin pressure isn’t as significant, but you still feel a little something. So for that reason I only like to use the ANC on these headphones when I have to. But the bright side is that the ANC on these headphones doesn’t change how they sound.
Next up there’s the ambient mode on these headphones and over all I think it performs much better than the ANC on these headphones. It sounds natural so things aren’t over amplified and there’s also no hissing in the background. You can also even adjust how much ambient sound you want to let in and even if you have it set to 100% they still don’t develop a hissing in the background which is also good cause this is still a common problem for a lot of other headphones out there with an ambient mode. And the ambient mode on these headphones also does a very good job of rejecting wind noise when walking out doors thanks to their microphone placement. The only thing thats keeping the ambient mode on these from being perfect is that they don’t block out sudden spikes of loud noises like the Sony 1000XM3 do. These headphones let in everything.
But also these headphones have a conversation mode where if you press on their ANC button these headphones will pause your music and lets in all the ambient sound so you can talk to someone without having to take your headphones off like this.
And then the you press on this button again these headphones will go back to normal.
And finally here’s the microphone test, and I gotta say im pleasantly surprised. The microphone on these headphones sounds very clear and its up there with the Bose NC 700.
So overall, I think the Marshall Monitor 2 ANC are a decent pair of ANC headphones but specifically for people who prefer a neutral sound signature. Even though the audible bass on these headphones sounds great, you don’t physically feel anything. But the clarity and vocals on these headphones is superb. Even though the active noise cancelation on these headphones isn’t perfect specifically cause of the cabin pressure, it definitely still is usable and can help if you’re in a noisy environment. But I really think these headphones are great for commuting cause they have a really good performing ambient mode, they’re durable, they’re comfortable, I really love their low profile design, and they’re very compact when collapsed.