Marshall Monitor Bluetooth Headphones Review

REVIEW OVERVIEW
BUILD QUALITY 90 %
FEATURES 95 %
SIZE & WEIGHT 90 %
AUDIO QUALITY 85 %
SUMMARY There are tons of options in the $150 price range if you are looking for wireless headphones. The Marshall Monitors should seriously be towards the top of your list.	90% OVERALL SCORE

There are hundreds of options if you are in the market for a new pair of wireless Bluetooth on ear headphones. The market is so crowded, it can be difficult to find a reasonably priced pair that sound great too.

Marshall, long time maker of amps have a full line of headphones. Including wired and wireless Bluetooth models. I took a look at their top level Marshall Monitor Bluetooth Headphones. See my impressions below.

Build Quality & Design

Marshall may be relatively new to the market, but that hasn’t stopped them from crafting an attractive and well built pair of headphones. Much like their amps, the monitors have all metal frames, with vynl wrapped ear cups, and a plush leatherette headband.

The Monitors are full collapsible for travel. In the box you will find a carrying bag, micro USB charge cable, and 3.5mm audio jack with brass tips.

There are subtle hints of brass all over these headphones that make them feel truly high end. The left and right ear labels, 3.5mm jack, and the control nob are all brass. The gold accents look great mixed with the all black body.

Each ear cup features an all white Marshall logo, somewhat of an odd choice but it doesn’t look terrible. The left ear cup holds the multi-function control stick. The right ear cup contains the 3.5mm jack, micro USB port, and status LED.

The ear cups are held on by magnets, and can be removed. While I haven’t seen them for sale, you could replace the ear cups, or add Marshall’s treble reduction pad sold with the non wired version of these headphones.

Overall these are really attractive headphones whose design may sound odd on paper but actually looks great. The build quality is excellent, the Marshall Monitors feel like premium headphones that will last for years to come.

Fit & Comfort

A headphones fit is almost as important as its design and feature set. Thankfully the Monitors are lightweight and comfortable. They do a great job of maintaining a low profile, and not sticking out on your head like a lot of over the ear headphones do. You will feel comfortable wearing these in public.

When you first put on the headphones, they may feel a little tight after a few hours. Give them a week or so of regular use, and they will loosen up. You can also stretch the band if they are too tight for your head.

Audio Quality

Audio quality is the most important piece of the puzzle. Marshall has crafted these headphones to have a tuned sound signature. They are called monitors, but the sound signature isn’t flat at all. It tends to favor highs and lows.

In my opinion they sound excellent, audio is crystal clear, and the sound stage is about as wide as you would expect from a compact on ear model.

They sound best with rock or modern hip hop tracks. Classical and Jazz music sound solid, but they are not built for that.

Battery Life

Marshall rated the Monitor Bluetooth at 30 hours of playback. That is quite a lofty claim, especially for such a relatively compact and lightweight unit. However it is definitely an accurate rating.

I was able to easily get 25-35 hours or battery life consistently while connected via bluetooth 4.0 or aptX. I routinely make it through 2 work weeks on a single charge.

Conclusion

Marshall really hit a home run. I really like these headphones. They sound and look great. Build quality is excellent, and battery life is long.

The addition of aptX support, and audio pass-through via the 3.5mm jack push them over the top. As long as you are not a die hard classical music lover you should be happy with the Marshall Monitor Bluetooth headphones.