TL;DR
The Marshall Monitor III A.N.C. headphones aren't just another gadget; they're a vibe. From the moment you unbox them, the iconic Marshall rock-and-roll aesthetic shines through, complete with a luxurious case. These headphones boast a user-friendly design with intuitive controls and impressive durability. While the noise cancellation is good, not class-leading, the audio quality truly shines, delivering a lively, dynamic sound profile that particularly excels with rock and hip-hop. If you're looking for headphones that blend style, solid performance, and a touch of rockstar swagger, these are definitely worth a closer look. Discover if the Monitor III can live up to the legend in the full review.
Sometimes product testing becomes quite monotonous and repetitive. But every now and then, you find a gadget that immediately brings a smile to your face—a gadget that truly sparks a sense of “must-have.” Curiously, these gadgets are rarely the ones with the most features or the highest specifications. Today, we are testing a pair of headphones that immediately gave the editorial team goosebumps: the Marshall Monitor III A.N.C.
First impressions
We open many packages here at the office, but rarely have we felt as giddy with anticipation as we did when we first got our hands on the Marshall Monitor III. Marshall’s rock ‘n’ roll image has something special, almost a bit magical, about it. Expectations were high when we tore open the package. Once we had tossed aside the box, there lay a beautiful headphone case in Marshall’s classic black leather finish. The inside of the case is lined with a deep red velvet fabric. The whole case is reminiscent of a guitar case from the ’70s—delightful!
Design
The Monitor III features a very distinct design; it is impossible to mistake these for any other model on the market today. They are both swiveling and foldable, making them incredibly easy to pack. Furthermore, the Monitor III is made of a very durable material that we, despite several weeks of trying, haven’t managed to scratch.
For input, there is a button on each yoke as well as a small metal joystick on the right ear cup. One button controls the noise cancellation, and the other is fully customizable via the accompanying app. The joystick is surprisingly intuitive: up/down for volume control, forward/back to skip tracks, and press in for pause/play. Controlling the headphones this way was child’s play and worked perfectly, even with gloves on.
Noise Cancellation
A pair of headphones in this price range must have good noise cancellation, and the Monitor III certainly delivers. It is not class-leading, but definitely among the better ones we have tested in recent years. Traffic noise on the street, annoying colleagues in the office, or loud fellow commuters on the subway—the Monitor III handles them all with ease! Wind reduction is also good, though not quite as magical as Sennheiser, which remains the king of that category.
How good does the Monitor III sound?
The simple and quick answer is that they sound fun! Everything you listen to is lively and engaging, even without touching the EQ in the app. Marshall has done a great job tuning the sound curves right out of the factory; so even though we tried making our own adjustments, we soon realized the factory settings were best. The only thing that might be missing is that on certain bass-heavy songs, a bit of extra depth can sometimes be lacking. To solve this, we programmed the button on one of the yokes to switch the EQ setting to one with extra bass. It is worth mentioning that there were very few songs where we felt the need to squeeze out a little extra bass.
Generally, the bass was punchy and clear. The midrange is fantastic and makes Bruce Springsteen’s Born to Run sound heavenly. If we instead play some calmer tracks, such as Marie Fredriksson’s Sparvöga or Albin Lee Meldau’s Josefin, the Monitor III succeeds beyond expectations in highlighting the vocalists. But where the Monitor III truly shines is, unsurprisingly, with rock or classic hip hop. Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones or AC/DC have probably never sounded this good on a pair of wireless headphones in this price range!
Conclusion
The Marshall Monitor III may lack the very latest audio codecs and doesn’t come with class-leading noise cancellation, but it offers so much more—things that are hard to put a finger on. They are so well-thought-out, with a sound profile perfectly suited for rock, a case that wouldn’t look out of place next to one from Fender, guitar riffs as power-on and power-off sounds, and, not least, they are so durable they would guaranteed survive some really rowdy rock tours. Taking all this into account, we can’t help but warmly recommend the Marshall Monitor III to everyone out there who just wants to feel like a rock star for a moment.
Marshall sent review units for this test. Senders of material have no editorial influence on our tests; we always write independently with our readers and consumers in focus.
