Monitor II Active Noise Canceling Over-Ear Bluetooth Headphone, Black

I was a bit skeptical when I first tried ordered these headphones, but after some testing, I truly believe that these are the only $300+ bluetooth headphones that are worth the price. PROS (and there are many) +Sound quality is perfect. As usual, Marshall doesn't disappoint. Music is punchy and immersive. Textures in the music and instruments are also very clear. Great listening experience overall. +ANC is better than most. Cancels out a majority of fans and outdoor noises when I work. After testing a variety of different ANC headphones, I would say the Marshalls lose out only to the Bose NC700 and Sony WH1000xm3. +Build quality is excellent. The hard plastics, metal, and faux leather construction make for a durable and premium feeling device. The faux leather, although nowhere as nice as genuine leather, is still very soft and offers plenty of padding. +Design is phenomenal. I would usually lump design in together with build quality, but the design on these is so overwhelmingly brilliant that I had to speak on it separately. There are several elements that make the design of these so great. 1st, they are slim and offer a low profile look while wearing them. 2nd, these headphones fold up in just about every imaginable way. Depending on how you want to store them, you can fold them up similar to how Beats fold up, or how the WH1000xm3's fold up, or the ATH50mx, or... you get my point. 3rd, The button placement on these are exactly where they need to be. Although some other headphones have very nice touch controls, Marshall chose to keep their knob control which works as well as, if not better than any touch controls that I've tested. The knob works well and intuitively- up and down for volume, forward and backward for skip/reverse, and press and long press for play/pause and on/off. In addition, the ANC and multi-function buttons are placed on either side of the cups exactly where the headband connects to the earcups. When touching your headphones, they line up exactly where your thumbs would be. +The app is another aspect of this headphone not only works, but exceeded my expectations. Just like other companion apps, they have a battery indicator and offer some customization buttons. However, Marshall's app takes it a step further and offers full ANC/ambient sound customization. Using the app, ANC and ambient sound's effectiveness can be toggled from 0%-100%. The app also allows the user to assign different functionality to the multi-function button, toggling between the equalizer, Google assistant, or your device's native voice assistant. If you choose to set the multi-function button to equalizer, you will be able to toggle through 3 different sound settings, 1 preset Marshall tuning, and 2 other optional presets that can also be tuned with a full eq. +Comfort on the Monitor ANC II's is also spectacular. The earcups cover my ears completely with a relatively loose clamping force. This causes less pressure on the sides of my head compared to many other headphones. However, this looser clamping force does not negatively impact the seal or the stability of these headphones. They sit well on the head even when looking down or jumping up and down. The headband padding is also very thick and soft, with no pain after 5 hours of continuous use. +Battery is top of the line. With ANC on full and the volume at around 70%, I was able to get 18 hours from 100% to 50% battery. I have no doubt that these headphones will be able to meet the 30 hrs that Marshall has listed. Additionally, due to the USB C charging port on these headphones, fast charging will fully charge the battery in about 2 hours. +The 3.5mm audio cable that comes is the box is top notch in terms of quality and length. +Like most other ANC headphones at this price, the Monitor II's feature multipoint, allowing it to connect to two devices at a time, for all you multitaskers out there. +Bluetooth connection is very good and stable. Setting my phone down at the corner of my house, I was able to walk all throughout my two story house, through walls and floors, without losing connection or experiencing crackling. This was a feat, few headphones were able to achieve. +Microphone works great. Testing these with discord's playback testing feature, my voice came in loud and clear. Some other reviewers have complained about a lack of microphone in wired mode, but rest assured that is not true. While the 3.5mm cable that comes in the box does not have a microphone, the mics in the headphones will still work during wired mode, whether the headphones are on or off. CONS (and these are small nitpicks) -Long press time it takes to power on the headphones is approximately 5 seconds, which is a bit too long for me, especially when considering powering off only takes a 2 second long press. -No hard case. This is quite a bummer, considering how well these were designed. I would have loved to see what Marshall could have done with a case design. That being said, due to the variety of ways the Monitor II can be folded, just about any case available should fit these headphones. -Coming in at 320 grams, the Monitor II's are a bit heavier than much of the competition. However, after hours of testing, I can safely say that I have experienced no neck pain. -No sensors in the earcups, so you'll have to manually pause the music when you take them off (feature has been a bit buggy on other headphones I have tested anyways, and for many of those, I would end up having to pause them on my own just to make sure they were actually paused) I simply cannot praise these headphones enough. While there are some areas where other headphones score higher (sound quality:MW65, Beoplay H9i, B&W PX7 and ANC: WH1000xm3, Bose NC700), no other pair of headphones offer such a complete set of features that all work exceptionally while still offering a decent price.

These headphones are outstanding. First, the build quality is great--they have the same black tolex look of a Marshall amp, plenty of padding, and are metal framed. They fit nice and snug, aren't HUGE, and generally just look cool. They feel way sturdier than the bose headphones I was replacing these with. The sound is very precise--the bass is not way too heavy. If you listen to a lot of hip hop, you might find the bass lacking. But they are great for rock, podcasts, movies, etc. These headphones boast excellent battery life--somewhere in the range of 30 hours. The sound over the bluetooth sounds the same as using the attached, heavy duty cord that has gold plated connections. They have a microphone for taking calls. There is a 4 way button that is the lone control--it takes a little practice to master, but overall is easy to use. I think these headphones are fantastic, and they are suitably priced at $150 here on Amazon. If you have a big head, they may be too snug. If you want heavy bass sound, then I might look elsewhere. If you want a good looking pair of headphones, with a long bluetooth range and 30 hours of battery per charge, with a very crisp and precise sound--these are a no brainer.

ACCESSORIES This comes with a soft carrying case (bag) Micro-USB charging cable and 3.5mm audio cable. The audio cable while primarily plastic has copper on both ends and is partially coiled making it rather unique overall and I personally quite like it. These are older headphones and as such couldn’t be expected to support Type C. SOUND QUALITY The sound quality on these blew me away, they’re narrow as one would expect from closed-back headphones but they’re very detailed and clean overall. The bass has some strength to it which never comes across as overpowering. The sound quality is even better when paired with an amp (Tested mine with a Micca OriGen G2 & Monolith Liquid Spark w/ SMSL M8a DAC) assuming you don’t find yourself with a fake pair I think most will find these headphones enjoyable. I must admit that these are far more fun than analytical so if you’re looking for the perfect neutral pair of headphones you may want to look elsewhere. BUILD QUALITY The build on these is rather good, great really compared to a lot of Flagship headphones. These are made with an aluminum frame, faux leather, and copper. The build on these is great in hand and good for longevity. COMFORT This is where they suffer, greatly, these are incredibly uncomfortable headphones. The clamp on these is atrocious and most will not be able to wear these for more than 30 minutes without experiencing discomfort. The earcups are also quite small and my ears touch on every side as well as making contact with the driver. CONCLUSION Frankly I love these headphones, they are currently my favorite overall pair to carry around with with me, lapping the Beyerdynamic Lagoon, V-Moda Crossfade 2, Sennheiser HD1 M2, Bose QC 35II, Bose 700, and Sony 1000XM3. Out of all of them these are by far the least comfortable but they are exactly what I’ve been searching for in terms of sound quality. These are amazing for what I listen to (Ex: Tech N9ne, Tool, Dragonforce, Evenescence, Etc) and they have the most satisfying control scheme I’ve ever experienced in the form of the brass knob on the left earcup which controls EVERYTHING. To top it all off these support up to 30 hours of frequent use and have fairly descent passive noise isolation. They may use Micro-USB but these are by far the best wireless headphones I’ve owned to date. I really hope Marshall re-releases these with greater comfort and USB C, it would truly make them perfect.

This is a great pair of headphones. I listen to a variety of music, primarily indie rock, blues, hip-hop, and R&B - and these handle every genre I've thrown at it well. This isn't a flat studio pair, but they aren't Beats either. There's more than enough bass for me, but someone who is a fan of the Solo3s might be disappointed here. Using a Pixel XL, I feel there's a noticeable difference with the AptX HD. If you have a device that supports it, the AptX is great to have. It also makes it easy to watch movies with no noticeable lip sync when using an AptX capable transmitter. Basically, these sound excellent. Comfort isn't as bad as I was expecting from other reviews. Day 1, they're tight. Real tight. But overtime the pressure gives way to a comfortable, well sealed pair of headphones. The earcups are a touch too small, but I've found that with the right adjustment they sit properly on me. YMMV. After using them for a little while I find I can easily wear these for hours, even with glasses. Sound isolation is the best I've had from a pair of non-ANC headphones. Once you've got the seal right you barely have to turn up the volume. Walking around city streets it's easy to block out pretty much anything. Obviously they've got nothing on some good ANC, but this is great passive isolation. That lack of ANC also helps with the battery life, which they quote at 30 hours and I believe it. I haven't run them for 30 straight hours, but I haven't managed to kill these things and I don't charge them more than once a week. I have yet to charge them out of necessity. I remember to plug them in every few days, and they keep on going. Nothing is perfect though. Right at the top, some of you are going to find these headphones uncomfortable. The clamping force is strong. You can headbang in these and they'll reliably stay on. Personally, I like it, but again YMMV. The controls are also an acquired taste. I'm getting used to it, but it takes some doing. If you didn't sit you headphones quite right you may skip songs instead of changing the volume. This is happening less overtime, but it does still happen. While you rarely need to think about the battery, I do wish there was a way to check the battery level. As it charges quickly and lasts for awhile this is a minor thing, but it would have been a nice inclusion. At the end of the day, if you can get a deal on these and you can work with the clamping force these are a solid purchase.

***Two and a half stars. i'll give a half star bonus point for build quality*** These headphones are good. not great just good. I like them alot but I wouldn't say its worth the $125. after a week and a half of using these(from casual listening to competitive gaming), I couldn't find any reason to keep them any longer. The sound is good, the build quality is amazing ,the battery life is great, its stylish and i love the fact that its very small and compact but there are a few problems with it.. the audio is nothing spectacular. There is a bit of a delay with the audio. it may not seem like much when listening to music but it is noticeable when watching videos or playing games. the microphone quality is straight garbage i wouldn't even bother using it to make phone calls with and the ear cups are too small for the average ears. i feel like this is the biggest problem because after a half hour of use (more or less) they start to hurt my ears. if you're looking for small stylish ON-EAR headphones with adequate sound to use for a little over a half an hour at a time before they start to hurt your ears, i guess these are a good choice but i am sure there is something out there just as good for a much lower price.

Purchased this via Amazon from seller "ratatouille-store". Initial concerns regarding authenticity have proven to be false. There are several online videos identifying how to spot a fake (the most effective being the ability for APT-X to be identified...imitations will only show SBC as codex). Also easy to spot based on gold coils on the cords (tight springs as opposed to spaced) as well as the Marshall Logo on the earpieces (no recesses around the lettering). I am confident that these are authentic. Brilliant headphones. I currently own the original Marshall Monitors, B&W C5 Series 2 and Turtle Beach 800x (which are amazing if you set them up correctly for music/movies/games and are careful with them). Via BT, they sound as good with just as impressive a soundstage as any of the above even with wired connection, which was a great surprise to me (C5 soundstage was the best I have heard and these compare favorably). Ran headset tests on YouTube and these go below the advertised 20Hz for bass. I was still detecting sound at 10Hz. Can't confirm high end as my own hearing cuts out around 1800 Hz, but I'm assuming they hit 2000. Reviews online are all spot on. Bass forward but not too much, warmer sound, big soundstage and excellent highs and mids. Pretty rugged build, like my old wired Marshall Monitors which are 4 years old and still going strong (just had to replace the ear pieces for $25 last year). Thrilled with the purchase....would have been content at full MSRP...paid over $125 less. At that price there is NO comparable value that I have been able to find anyway.

Sound: Very well-balanced and perfect alternative/counter the over-boosted bass headphones that are all over the market. If you really appreciate music and don't want to just blow out your eardrums, but still like to turn it up, check these out. The bass response is honestly perfectly balanced and definitely kicks. Don't let the other reviews fool you.. Comfort / Fit: I can't stand to have anything on my ears longer than 2-3 hours, but I wouldn't expect to wear these for a full day. Until a couple hours in, they are perfectly comfortable. I love the way they fit because it's nice and compact / not obnoxious like other styles. Microphone for phone calls: Nobody talks about this for some reason. I use headphones for blue-tooth calls at work all the time and these work great. People on the other line say they can hear me very clearly. That said, there's something weird going on with the noise-cancelling. Not 100% clear on how it works, but the mics tend to pick up some background noise when on the phone, and play it back through the head phones. I've heard it's noticeable to those on the phone with me as well. Not a big distraction for either side, but definitely something I think they should look into. I love that Marshall has gotten into this space and is killing it. Think this brand has a very bright future on Amazon.

Excellent sound, automatically apt-x enabled and plays amazing connected to my Note 9 or my wife's iPhone XR. I do wish they came in white so i could but another pair for her that would make easy to identify. That's the only critical comment I have for Marshall. I Love the look, build, feel, charging and 3.5mm chords, ear muffs, controls button, and logo. The sound and quality of everything about these is what I've come to expect from Marshall branded Products. No bubble gum chrome with neon color flash, no ametuer over-amped bass sound to fill the naive listener, just Raw music the way it was recorded. Does that mean the bass is weak? No. It's perfect. If you have a newer Samsung phone you should go to sound settings and use "adapt sound" to test your hearing for the best experience, then turn on Dolby Atmos and play "Feels like summer" by Childish Gambino. At high volume, you'll find no crackle, no delay, never a single flaw in the sound. Talking on the phone is also great, they can hear you talk quietly, no need to shout. This is very good technology they Incorporated, especially considering the microphone is nearly invisible in the bottom of the right speaker. Again, no delay when talking thanks to the apt-x technology. The noise-cancelling is not perfect. It's great, I barely hear anything else, but not perfect. I don't have any experience with other top end NC headphone brands to compare that to.