Hot on the heels of the British brand's unveiling of its latest pair of Bluetooth speakers – the Emberton III and the Willen II – Marshall has turned its attention to refreshing its flagship pair of active noise-cancelling over-ears. The new Monitor III ANC aim to offer stadium-worthy sound dressed in that unmistakable Marshall style.
With the Monitor III ANC, Marshall says it has redesigned almost everything from the ground up, including the driver selection, tuning and surrounding units for a sound that promises a detailed, rich and wide soundstage. Let's see if it can go toe-to-toe with the finest that Sony, Bose and Bowers & Wilkins have to offer in this highly competitive market.
Externally, the design of the Monitor III has also been revamped for a more ergonomic and comfortable experience. These include reduced overall weight, a redesigned headband and cushions that are reportedly "soft as clouds" – all with the aim of providing long-lasting comfort.
The new wireless headphones have plenty of impressive features. The Monitor III ANC provide a massive 100 hours of battery life with ANC switched off, a figure that drops to a still-outstanding 70 hours when noise cancelling is turned on. The only pair of wireless ANC headphones that we can think of which matches those numbers is the just-reviewed Cambridge Audio Melomania P100.
Beyond battery life, the new Marshall cans provide you with full ANC alongside a transparency mode for letting in environmental noise when required, as well as 'Soundstage Spatial Audio' which, a little like Bose's hit-and-miss 'Immersive Audio' tech "takes the music out of your head and onto a virtual stage, making you feel immersed in your favourite records". Adaptive Loudness, meanwhile, automatically adjusts your music's sonic balance depending on your playback level and surroundings for a more natural listening experience.
The headphones feature Bluetooth LE Audio and support the next-gen Auracast audio-sharing technology, while the microphones aim to eliminate wind noise during ANC use and voice calls. The headphones support voice assistants and you can also tweak the EQ settings in the app.
“We have completely revised the acoustic design to improve the performance on all fronts: sound, ANC, transparency and voice calls,” says audio and acoustics engineer, Nicolas Pignier Delafontaine. “Monitor III delivers a sound that is wide, well-balanced, detailed and enjoyable. Soundstage spatial audio takes the music out of your head and onto a virtual stage around you, making you feel immersed and revealing subtle layers in your favorite records.”
Made for the road, the new headphones offer a foldable, rugged design that seamlessly fits into what Marshall claims is "the smallest carry case on the market". You can also control music playback, Bluetooth pairing and much more using the on-ear multi-functional physical buttons.
Daubed in the brand's signature black finish, the Marshall Monitor III ANC headphones are available now for £299 / $349 / €349.
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