Marshall has just unveiled the new Monitor III ANC headphones. They come with a noticeable $30 / £30 price increase over their predecessor – now costing $349 / £299 – but in exchange, Marshall boasts improved sound, comfort, and battery life.
Let’s start with that last point. The Marshall Monitor III ANC headphones boast a massive 70 hour battery life when using them to play music over Bluetooth with ANC on – switching it off extends the battery to 100 hours. The Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones promise only 30 hours, and the Apple AirPods Max just 20 hours, and for both, that is with ANC on. With the Marshall headphones, you can now turn on Transparency mode, which is effectively a reverse ANC mode that amplifies your surroundings so you can pay closer attention to what’s happening in the real world when required.
Comfort has also been upgraded. The new super soft and squishy cushions should not only help you wear these things for hours but also create a good seal around your ears, even if you wear glasses like me.
Finally let’s talk about sound – the most important factor for a pair of headphones. They boast the Marshall Signature Sound profile we fell in love with when testing the last-gen Monitor II ANC headphones, with the option to tweak the EQ settings to your precise tastes in the app. We’re also being treated to new Soundstage enhancements for Spatial Audio playback, which Marshall says will make your listening experience feel more immersive.
What do we think of them?
This is the part where I’d usually write something like, “We’ll have to test these headphones out to put Marshall’s claims to the test,” but this time, I’ve actually had the opportunity to test the Monitor IIIs for the past week, and I can report they’re damn good.
You can read our hands-on Monitor III ANC review for a more in-depth rundown of my thoughts so far, but for a TL;DR: I can sit comfortably wearing them for hours, they deliver well-balanced yet punchy audio without needing to tweak the EQ (though the option is there in the app), and the battery does indeed seem to last for a heck of a long time – I haven’t found the time nor fortitude to listen to music for 70 hours yet, but I haven’t needed to charge them after a few days of heavy use either.
However, so far, I’d say the ANC is maybe a little weaker than some of its rivals, leading to a slightly less isolating music experience at times.
I’ll need to dedicate more time to testing them fully, but my early impressions are overall positive, so if you’re interested in picking up a pair of the best Bluetooth headphones, this is a pair you might also want to consider.
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