Marshall Monitor II ANC headphones review: When the sound is sublime

Marshall Amc Monitor Ii Review Source: Windows Central

I've used a lot of headphones in my time, primarily on the gaming side. Many of those headphones take sound tuned for gaming specifically, accentuating highs to heighten tactical play. Some of them practice come up with music modes, though, or accept more balanced audio that tin can provide a more immersive experience.

Few can actually beat a pair of high-stop headphones tailored specifically for music and movies, though, and that's certainly true of the Marshall Monitor II ANC headphones I've recently been testing. I may lack the vocabulary to describe just how good these headphones sound, and quite honestly, they've changed the mode I want to experience music in the future.

Sublime audio

Marshall Amc Monitor Ii Headphones Se

Marshall Monitor Ii ANC headphones

$280

Lesser line: Final words.

Pros:

Utterly entrancing audio
Iconic Marshall amp-style blueprint
Solid build quality
Massive 30-hour battery life

Cons:

Earcups may exist uncomfortably small for those with larger ears
Android app is very buggy
On-ear controls are unintuitive

What you'll dear well-nigh the Marshall Monitor Ii ANC

Marshall Amc Monitor Ii Review Source: Windows Central

The Marshall Monitor II has an iconic design, with textured cups that resemble the firm'south guitar amplifiers. From the aureate control knob to the textured buttons, the Monitor II ANC has an understated await that retains that legendary Marshall flavor. As a user of Marshall amps, I immediately found it to be among the all-time-looking headsets I've always used, but of course, beauty is subjective. How do they audio?

Category	Spec
Frequency response	xx Hz – xx kHz
Drivers	40mm dynamic, 32 Ω
Weight	320g
Connectivity	3.5mm wired, Bluetooth 5.0 wireless, USB-C charging
Battery life	30 hours with active noise-counterfoil, 45 hours Bluetooth-only
Microphone	Integrated mic for calls

These are quite easily among the best, if not the best headphones for pure audio I've ever used. The texturing of each and every private instrument shines in a way I've not actually heard before, making you lot feel equally though you're right on phase with the band yous're listening to. Distortion-free, punchy, sweeping bass, and entrancing vocals make information technology difficult to go back and experience music with any other headset I've got in stock right now. I tend to utilize the same few tracks when testing audio response for things like bass to help with direct comparisons, and this headset had me discovering new layers in music I've listened to for literal decades. The Marshall Monitor II has changed the fashion I want to feel music. Only sublime.

The Marshall Monitor Two has inverse the fashion I want to feel music. Just sublime.

The headset itself features a collapsible design, and comes with a conveying instance, iii.5mm cable for a wired connectedness, and USB-C for charging (praise the gods). The battery life is truly monstrous as well, hitting effectually xxx hours with active noise-canceling (ANC) enabled.I institute the headset to be very comfortable, wearing it practically all twenty-four hours for one of my testing sessions, although the earcups are a little on the pocket-size size. Users with preferences for larger earcups may want to exist enlightened of that.

Marshall Amc Monitor Ii Review Source: Windows Central

Speaking of ANC, the noise-cancellation is top-notch. With it turned on, I couldn't hear my desk or laptop fan noise at all, and the cars driving past my open window were completely silenced. The subconscious onboard microphone isn't going to serve you lot very well beyond the almost basic of phone calls, but across the ANC intake that's all it's designed for really. The headset was also very skillful at keeping sound inside the cups too. It was just at max volume (which is very loud) that people on the outside could hear what I was listening to. The ANC will hateful that typically you don't have to gun for the higher volumes anyhow.

At that place are a few nitpicks that finish the Monitor 2 headphones from being perfect, but information technology comes fairly close, and hopefully a lot of these gripes can be solved with software updates.

What you'll dislike about the Marshall Monitor Ii ANC

Marshall Amc Monitor Ii Review Source: Windows Central

My principal gripes about the Marshall Monitor II ANC pertain to its software and firmware, which just aren't super peachy. When the app is open, inexplicably, it introduces baloney and Bluetooth interference into the headset, which seems like an odd bug. Additionally, sometimes the media controls simply stop working until yous reboot the headset, which tin be a tad irritating if y'all're non able to become to your phone at the wrong moment.

Update: Some of the issues above I had experienced here was due to a faulty unit of measurement, which Marshall replaced. The new unit has been flawless in this regard.

The on-ear controls aren't very intuitive in general, really. Many quality wireless headsets in this price range offer some form of advice when y'all're hitting the controls, to permit you know what presets you lot've adjusted. The Marshall Monitor II ANC doesn't, so you'll have to larn by heart what each control does, save for taking the headset off completely to look at the buttons.

Finally, I take some concerns about the headset'south hinged design. Past no means did I get a sense that it had poor build quality, but the hinge mechanism on its collapsible design makes me concerned for its long-term immovability. The plastics Marshall have used seem quite tough, merely I genuinely fearfulness that if I put too much pressure on them, they might snap. If you're willing to handle them with intendance, though, you shouldn't have an issue.

Should you buy the Marshall Monitor 2 ANC?

Marshall Amc Monitor Ii Review Source: Windows Central

The Marshall Monitor II ANC is the best-sounding headset I've e'er used, complemented by huge battery life and a gorgeous, timeless design. The noise cancellation works incredibly well, and the calling features and on-ear controls are convenient for traveling music lovers. As long as you lot learn what each and every command does, that is.

I sorely hope that Marshall invests in updating its app, given how buggy and clunky it is. I tin can only hope that my concerns nearly the durability of the plastics used are unfounded, too (and I'll certainly update this in the future if I find whatsoever issues in that location).

The long story brusk is: after using these headphones, I honestly don't want to experience music any other way.

Silky sound

Marshall Amc Monitor Ii Headphones Se

Marshall Monitor II ANC

Sublime sound.

The Marshall Monitor 2 ANC is an excellent Bluetooth headset for music lovers, with truly sublime stereo audio and an iconic blueprint.

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Updated February 2022

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