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I’m not one for headphones. Most feel heavy on my ears. They’re usually a pain to carry around. And too conspicuous to be worn in public. I surprised myself then when I found myself reaching out time and again to the new Marshall Monitor III ANC headphones, over the last couple of weeks. In a design that’s iconically Marshall, these headphones bring in advanced noise cancellation and deeper customisation options than its predecessor. Could this be the ultimate pair of headphones for those who crave both style and substance? Let’s dive in.
Design
Zipping open the egg-like hard case, I see that the aesthetics of the headphones remain typically Marshall. Black cracked vinyl texture with golden accents. There are a bunch of design carry-overs from its earlier version, the Monitor II ANC. There’s a multi-directional control knob and a multi-functional M-button, both on the right earcup. There’s also a dedicated ANC button on the left earcup that lets me switch between noise-cancellation preferences. At 250 grams, it sits light — a relief for anyone who’s really sensitive to a certain weight pressing down on their head and ears for an extended period of time. There’s also a USB-C port with an indicator next to it to indicate charging levels.
Navigation
The multi-directional control knob is intuitively located towards the back and in the lower half of the right earcup when I don the headphones. It remains easy to reach back to for quick navigation. A quick push plays or pauses the track. I can skip tracks with a forward or backward push. Tweaking the volume is an easy up or down on the toggle. These controls function well to pick up or end phone calls as well. A quick two-push also rejects incoming calls. The dedicated ANC button lets me customise what modes it toggles between. I chose all three — ANC, transparency and Off. transparency. Noise control can be adjusted in the Marshall Bluetooth app.
The customisable M-button is set to open Spotify Tap by default, which can be a bit glitchy depending on the device you’re using. In which case, you can always choose it for another function such as accessing the equaliser, soundstage or voice assistant.
Acoustics
In general, it’s difficult to fault Marshall’s default audio tuning. The original Marshall sound on the equaliser is well-balanced on tracks such as FRI(END)S by V of BTS. The old-school crackle through the track, which is barely perceptible on other audio devices, I’ve also found its own space with the Monitor III ANC. In other tracks such as Daechwita by Agust D, I craved more of a thump, which can be accessed with a bunch of preset modes such as Bass Boost. There’s also Mid Boost, Table Boost and Mid Recution apart from a fully customisable option. I have to add that none of the presets skew the audio towards off-putting pitches. There’s still a bit of a pleasant balance maintained when you choose any of these presets.
Marshall says that the microphones have been designed to dramatically reduce wind noise. In my experience, both music and calls were clear across locations indoors and outdoors. The ANC mode worked well in real-life situations such as while trying to get work done as kids run and scream in the lobby right outside my home, or the rumble of the metro on my way to work. The headphones also feature Marshall’s unique take on spatial audio, known as Soundstage. When activated, Soundstage lets you pick from four different room sizes and adjust the acoustics accordingly.
The app delivered a fairly customisable experience across the headphone’s features. The only downside is the app can sometimes be glitchy with showing currently streaming tracks. The headphone supports multipoint connectivity across two devices simultaneously. This worked seamlessly when I had it connected both to my smartphone and my laptop.
Battery
The company says that the Marshall Monitor III ANC can deliver up to 70 hours of playtime with ANC on, and up to 100 hours without. In my experience, the headphone does conserve battery really well and also goes on for a long time. For example, an hour or two of playback would see the battery level drop only by a percent or two, which is pretty amazing!
Verdict
The Marshall Monitor III ANC has more than a couple of advantages — a fairly comfortable, lightweight wear profile, excellent battery life, effective noise cancellation, and a really well-balanced sound profile with ample EQ options. What I would wish were better was a seamless app experience, along with the M-button as well as the ANC button feeling less plasticky and more firm.
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