The biggest highlight of Marshall Monitor III A.N.C. is that it has 70 hours of ANC battery life, which means that if you wear it for two hours a day, you don’t need to charge it for a month. Plus, new adaptive loudness and Soundstage functions are added – they can enhance the sounding experience.
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Appearance Design & Comfort Fit
Marshall Monitor III A.N.C. continues Marshall’s design language, combining retro and modern elements, and also shows Marshall’s deep heritage in music and design. The headbeam is made of textured PU+TPU leather, with a gold Marshall Logo, and the design is simple and retro.
Monitor III has an Active Noise Cancellation function, so it adopts a fully wrapped earcups design, and the lightweight headbeam can perfectly fit different head shapes, providing excellent sealing and comfort. The headbeam inherits Marshall’s classic design elements and increases softness to ensure comfort when worn for a long time.
The earcups also inherit and optimize the classic elements of Marshall, providing great comfortable and sound insulation. The earcup material feels very soft. The inside is filled with thick and soft sponge, which can be fine-tuned according to the user’s ear and head shape to ensure comfort even after long time wear.
Also, there is a multi-function button at the connection between the headbeam and the earcup. You can access Spotify Tap through the M button and activate the voice assistant. The ANC button can turn on/off the ANC mode and transparency mode with one click. All these functions can be personalized through the Marshall Bluetooth App to ensure that each user can enjoy a personalized listening experience according to their preferences and needs.
The weight of the Marshall Monitor III A.N.C. is approximately 250g, which is less than the previous model. The weight of the headphones is evenly distributed, so there will not be excessive pressure on any one part, and there will be no burden when wearing it.
Connection – Controls – Battery Life
The headphone use the Bluetooth 5.3 protocol and support SBC, AAC and LC3 codec. Marshall Monitor III supports bluetooth connection and wired connection mode.
In terms of controls, the brand’s characteristic brass control knob is maintained. This knob design is not only beautiful, but also very practical. You can press/slide the knob (front and back or up and down) to previous/next track, adjust volume, play/pause music, answer/hang up call, start bluetooth pairing, and power on/off.
The right headphone has a USB-C port and supports fast charging – 15 minutes of charging, 12 hours of music listening. The headphones can provide up to 70 hours of playtime with ANC on; when ANC off, the battery life can be extended to 100 hours.
Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) & Calls
Marshall Monitor III ANC has upgraded the ANC technology based on the previous model. This technology can continuously monitor the ambient sound and effectively isolate various noises.
When the ANC mode is turned on, it can effectively cancel out the surrounding noise, allowing you to enjoy clear music in any noisy environment. Whether you are on the street or in a cafe, Monitor III ANC can help you block out those unwanted background sounds. However, at higher noise cancellation levels, ANC will have a slight impact on high-frequency sounds.
In the app, you can simply slide to select the intensity of noise cancellation. Plus, it also supports transparency mode, allowing some external sounds to come in. This is especially useful when you need to pay attention to your surroundings, such as crossing the road or talking in a more complex environment.
Also, Monitor III has added an adaptive loudness function. It can constantly detect the music in your ears and the surrounding noise, and then automatically adjust the sound effect to keep the sound quality at its best.
Marshall Monitor III has some microphones on the body. When you make a call, the headphone will automatically select the best combination of up to four microphones to capture your voice – so that no matter how noisy it is around, the other party can hear you clearly. Additionally, Marshall has redesigned the microphone inlet to reduce the interference of wind noise.
Acoustic Configuration & Sound Description
Marshall Monitor III ANC is equipped with a 32mm dynamic driver, which is slightly smaller than Monitor II (40mm) and has a higher sensitivity. The Monitor III has an impedance of 35Ω and a sensitivity of 117dB. The sound style is similar to the previous model, and it sounds clearer and smoother than the Marshall Major V, with a little more band flavor.
The low-frequency is powerful, and the drum beats can rebound relatively smoothly when they are hit to the bottom. The sound performance is faster, the instrument sound effects are prominent, and the graininess of the details is more obvious. There is enough distance between the vocals and the background, and the portrayal of the vocal contour, the singer’s breathing and singing movements are much sharper than the Major series.
The new Soundstage feature of the Marshall Monitor III ANC is great. This feature can transfer your sense of hearing to a wider virtual space, and it feels like the music is surrounding you, which increases the immersion of listening to music. The tail sound of the instrument extends into a larger space, and it sounds more relaxed and calm.
The Soundstage function is available, which can add a three-dimensional sense to the sound without obvious distortion. Moreover, through the Marshall Bluetooth APP, you can also customize the size of the soundstage and adjust it to the setting that best suits your personal preferences.
Conclusion & Specs
Although consumers are reluctant to admit it, appearance has become the main reason for consumers to choose Marshall headphones. Marshall Monitor III A.N.C. inherits the classic design, and its Active Noise Cancellation, adaptive loudness, and Soundstage function significantly improve the sounding experience and convenience of use. The combination of these advanced functions makes it an over-ear headphones with both appearance and performance.
Marshall Monitor III specs and features:
- Bluetooth 5.3 with SBC/AAC/LC3 codec
- 70 – 100 hours playtime of per charge (ANC on/off)
- Bluetooth connection & Wired connection mode
- Impedance 35Ω & Sensitivity 117dB SPL
- No waterproof rating & 32mm dynamic driver
- $350 – Check latest price on Amazon US, Amazon Germany or other Amazon countries