Marshall Monitor Bluetooth - Review 2022

Whether you're drawn to the guitar amp-inspired look or not, all of the Marshall audio products we've tested have been consistently well-designed and evangelize high-quality audio. The visitor's Monitor Bluetooth headphones are no exception. They will entreatment to bass lovers seeking a balanced mix, with both the treble and bass boosted in a fashion that doesn't outcome in a muddy mix. Really, the only thing the $250 wireless headphones have going confronting them is slightly less expensive competition in the form of Marshall's own Mid Bluetooth.

Design

The circumaural (over-ear) Monitor Bluetooth headphones are available in black. Leather grain is patterned into the surfaces of the earcups and the headband, and the Marshall logo is emblazoned on each ear. The look isn't for everyone, merely if you are a fan of the Marshall aesthetic, the design is non a gimmick, simply thoughtfully implemented. The entire look is matte, though in that location are various materials in play here—fake leather, aluminum, brass, and the added touch of a coiled audio cable running from each earcup to the headband—a design flourish that lends the headphones a retro-absurd feel. Inside each earcup, a 40mm dynamic commuter delivers the audio.

Marshall Monitor Bluetooth

The fit is secure, but for some, the pads might feel a footling small or too close to the outline of your ear. It'south not necessarily uncomfortable, considering there's generous cushioning in both the earpads and the headband, but the actual earcups do feel smaller than near circumaural pairs nosotros exam.

Where many headphones and earphones utilise multiple buttons that are ofttimes hard to memorize (since you're always operating them without looking), the Monitor Bluetooth's single rocker-style push button can be toggled forrad, astern, up, down, and pressed like a push. With this single control, you become a defended button management for volume up, volume down, and track navigation, rather than having to tap things multiple times or hold them in for long periods (the book controls work in conjunction with your mobile device'southward master volume levels). The button is also how you command playback and manage incoming phone calls. It'due south i of the more svelte control options we've seen.

The headphones ship with a micro USB charging cable that connects to the right earcup, and a very fancy audio cable for wired listening—half coiled, half straight, and thicker than your typical headphone string. Information technology includes an inline mic and single-push button remote control at roughly chin level. There's also a black sail tote to store the headphones in—the headphones fold down at hinges to fit inside. Information technology's a bummer you can't adjust volume with the inline remote on the included cable, but other than this small limitation, Marshall pretty much hits a home run here in the design and accessories department.

The built-in mic offers average intelligibility, while the cable'due south inline mic is a bit better, which is to be expected. Using the Vocalism Memos app on an iPhone 6s, both mics allowed u.s.a. to understand every give-and-take we recorded, but the wired mic was far clearer, with fewer sound artifacts than the congenital-in one.

Marshall estimates bombardment life to be roughly xxx hours, but your results will vary based on your volume levels. Connecting the sound cable doesn't automatically disable the battery and switch things into passive mode, which is puzzling—you'll want to make sure you turn the headphones off manually when using the cablevision.

Marshall Monitor Bluetooth

Performance

On tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Pocketknife'due south "Silent Shout," the headphones deliver a thunderous bass response that, at tiptop levels, doesn't distort. Lovers of big bass volition be pleased—there's substantial low frequency presence, but non at the cost of overall balance in the mix, as the high-mids and highs are also quite sculpted and boosted.

Bill Callahan's "Drover," a track with far less deep bass in the mix, gives united states a ameliorate idea of the overall sound signature. The headphones definitely add some bass to the mix where information technology doesn't necessarily exist, but non in such a dramatic mode that things audio overly bass-heavy. The drums on this rail can sound like a subtle tap through headphones that offer a flatter response, but they audio huge hither—non quite to the point of sounding unnatural, but this is, without a doubt, a bass-lover'southward audio signature that's not suited for anyone seeking a more than accurate, flat response. Callahan'due south baritone vocals become a strong, rich low-mids presence, but are also graced with plenty of high-mid sculpting and boosting, giving them a strong clarity and edge in the highs. The guitar strumming too benefits from the sculpting in the higher frequencies—its assail is bright and precipitous.

On Jay-Z and Kanye West's "No Church building in the Wild," the kick drum loop receives enough of high-mid presence, which helps advertise its punchy attack. Merely the the boosting in the lows does just as much to pump up its sustain and deliver a whopping thud that isn't always as prominent through less bass-forward headphones. The sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the vanquish have a stiff deep bass delivery—not overwhelming, but about as intense every bit they can sound without throwing off the residue of the mix. The vocal performances on this track go plenty of high-mid and high frequency sculpting then that they don't sound like they're doing battle with the boosted lows for your attention—there's plenty boosting that occasionally, nosotros observe some added sibilance, but it'south never harsh.

Marshall Monitor Bluetooth

On orchestral tracks, like the opening scene in John Adams' The Gospel According to the Other Mary, the lower register instrumentation receives plenty of added bass depth—again, bass lovers volition relish what happens to the double basses and lower percussion. The higher register strings, brass, and vocals retain their typically bright, edgy condition. They're still in the spotlight of the mix, but in that location are moments when the bass frequencies are pushed frontwards and the lower annals instrumentation slips out of its supporting role and stands alongside the higher instruments.

Conclusions

Bass lovers seeking a powerful depression frequency presence without throwing balance out the window will love the Marshall Monitor Bluetooth headphones. In this price range, the Klipsch Reference On-Ear headphones are also a solid option with a lower-key design, while the slightly more expensive B&O Beoplay H4 and Bowers & Wilkins P5 Wireless are two of our favorites on the higher end. Generally speaking, nosotros're pretty pumped about the Marshall Monitor Bluetooth, but it's hard to forget that the Marshall Mid Bluetooth headphones deliver similarly excellent sound quality for $fifty less, and remain our Editors' Choice.