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What Hi-Fi?
What Hi-Fi?
Technology
Harry McKerrell

Marshall's wireless headphones duo combine rock ’n’ roll looks with whopping battery stamina

Marshall Major V in black.

Rock ’n’ roll audio brand Marshall is adding new models to two of its most popular product lines. The Major V wireless on-ears continue the legacy of one of the US brand's most recognisable series of headphones, while the Minor IV wireless earbuds represent the fourth generation of Marshall's affordable in-ear range. 

Continuing with that boxy, retro look for which the Major are well known, the fifth-generation on-ear cans have been "significantly improved to reduce distortion" and thus promote greater sonic clarity and precision. Rather strikingly, the new on-ears go big on battery life, offering more than 100 hours of wireless playtime from a single charge and besting the roughly 80 hours of juice offered by the outgoing Major IV. 

The Major V come with access to Marshall's proprietary headphones app, although if you're in a rush, you can customise your headphones' on-unit "M" button to perform various functions. Those include EQ switching, voice assistant access and even Spotify Tap, the latter of which lets you launch your next streaming session directly with a single button press.

(Image credit: Marshall)

Arriving alongside the on-ear Major V are the Minor IV wireless earbuds, which again continue with the general form factor of the established Minor line while sporting a more angled stem and bud design for a more secure fit within the ear canal. While they don't reach the long-lasting heights of their larger on-ear brothers, the new Minor IV still offer more than 30 hours of total playtime, with around seven hours available from the earbuds alone. 

Like the Major cans above, the Minor IV offer wireless charging and access to the Marshall app, the latter of which can be used to customise your EQ settings and personalise the buds' on-ear touch controls. They're also fitted out with Bluetooth Multipoint for connecting to multiple sources simultaneously, as well as auto-pause and play which activates whenever you remove or insert an earbud. 

Both new models come ready to handle Bluetooth LE Audio, the tech that touts itself as a more power-efficient way of wirelessly transmitting music from one device to another.

The Marshall Major V on-ears and Minor IV wireless earbuds are available to pre-order now and will go on sale on April 23rd, with the Major V priced at £129 / $149 / AU$259 and the Minor IV retailing at £119 / $129 / AU$229. 

MORE: 

Best on-ear headphones: class-leading wired and wireless pairs

Prefer classic over-ears? Here are the best over-ear headphones 

These are the best wireless earbuds in town

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