Marshall, Marshall, Marshall…sorry, couldn’t resist. You see, I have three Marshall sound reproduction devices sitting in front of me in the form of Minor in-ear headphones, Major on-ear headphones and new Marshall Monitor headphones. Marshall, long known for its electric sound reproduction equipment for stage and studio now offers a full line of wearables for our digital lives.
I reviewed the set of Major on-ear headphones in 2011 and I enjoyed the styling and sound reproduction. A while back I received a notice from Marshall that they had released the Monitor over-the-ear headphones and felt compelled to contact them for a review sample.
The Monitor headphones are collapsible in design for easy storage and offer a secondary mini jack to share your music with someone else. This auxiliary input also lets you place the cord into either left or right earpiece in case you have a preference for that (as I do). They are solidly built and fit completely over the ear for perfect listening comfort. I notice my Major headphones get a bit tight after time spent listening, pressing my earlobes against my eyeglass frames. The Monitor design eliminates this.
The Monitor headphones are a bit heavier than the Major set but never did it become burdensome. I noticed some distinct differences in the two headphones when comparing them side-by-side on the same audio recordings. The Major was more efficient, meaning it was louder at the same volume setting, and featured more pronounced vocals. The Monitor set seemed to reproduce more evenly across the audible scale and was a little less bright on the high ends as well, which was actually more pleasing on some of the vocals, especially female artists.
I love the Marshall styling on all of the new product as it is a nod to the heritage of the famed sound company. The external finish of the headphones mimics that of the stage equipment that has played concert halls and arenas around the globe for decades.
Melding into the modern era, Marshall products now come with microphone and remote on the cables so users can operate their phones while using these headphones.
Marshall Monitor headphones are dynamic driver headphones with 40mm transducers. Here is where things get more interesting. Marshall includes Felt Treble Filters in the Monitor earpieces. They fit neatly over the transducers behind the magnetically-attached ear cushions. FTF inserts act as a damping filter for upper midrange and high frequencies. Remove them and really open up the sound reproduction acoustically dancing around in your head.
I listened to quite a bit of classic rock (studio and live recordings) as well as some techno and modern rock while giving these Marshall Monitor headphones the run through. I really like the design and fit of this new model. And they are going to be a good addition to my field kit as they isolate the outside world from what I am needing to listen to when shooting video on location.
The Monitor headphones are available in any color as long as it’s black. They come in a compact box with supplied carrying pouch. Technical information by the numbers is as follows:
•Transducer: Custom made 40mm dynamic driver,
•Impedance: 42 ohms
•Sensitivity: 100mV@1kHz=99bd SPL,
•Frequency response: 10Hz-20kHz,
•WBCV: 113mV
Marshall Monitor headphones and other Marshall products are available at www.marshallheadphones.com.
Review unit of the Marshall Monitor headphones supplied by manufacturer.
Likes: Collapsible design, linear sound reproduction, FTF system.
What can be improved: Expand color/finish options.
MSRP: $200