Marshall Monitor III ANC review: ready to rock all week long

Marshall is a well-respected brand when it comes to music, having established itself since the early 60s as pretty much the go-to amplifier manufacturer for some of the biggest artists and bands in the world. From Jimi Hendrix and The Who to the likes of Kasabian and Paul Weller, the list of Marshall amp users is as impressive as it is long.

The firm has also recently made significant inroads in personal audio too, with Bluetooth speakers, earbuds and over-ear headphones, and while it is relatively new in the field, it's already on third-generation products. That includes such as the all-new Marshall Monitor III ANC.

Designed to cut it with the best headphones around, the latest update to its flagship active noise cancelling cans are reassuringly Marshall in style and talents. With the company's signature audio tuning, they are almost the anti-Beats – offering an alternative for those who prefer, well, alternative music. And on top of that, they have a trick or two up their tattooed sleeves.

I've been testing the headphones for a good few days, in a number of scenarios to give you my opinion. So here you go.

Marshall Monitor III ANC review: price and availability

As a premium pair of noise-cancelling wireless over-ears, the Marshall Monitor III ANC are reasonably priced – less expensive than the likes of the Apple AirPods Max and Sonos Ace, while hitting around the same sweet spot as Sony's WH-1000XM5 and Beats Studio Pro do today.

Available to purchase from numerous retailers now, including Marshall's own online store, they carry a retail price of £299 in the UK, $349 in the US and €349 in Europe. We're still awaiting Australian release information and pricing.

Although that price is affordable at the premium end, it also puts them in the category of a considered purchase, so its good that you get a whole lot for your money.

Marshall Monitor III ANC review: design and setup

In terms of look, the Marshall Monitor III ANC headphones are very similar to their predecessors. The fake leather exterior is still a pleasing touch, with the effect aping the coating on classic Marshall amps, while the golden flourishes on the logo and physical control knob help them stand out.

It's how I imagine Slash's bathroom looks – all gold and pleather.

There are some very neat features in the design that are real treats though, including the softest ear cups I think I've ever experienced.

Thanks to a combination of different types of foam, the cushions are like pillows for your ears. Not only does that improve comfort levels for long listening sessions but creates a more enclosed fit for better noise isolation – and better noise isolation allows for more effective noise cancellation.

The headband has been tweaked too, with comfort at the forefront of the new thinking. There is a separate silicon strap that rests on your head which softens the contact and also stops the main band from wearing down.

It is also super bendy and can be twisted back and forth without any sign of breaking. This will allow the headset to last for years, adding extra value for the price point. Although durability doesn't end there.

The headphones can be curled into a super small shape to rest in, what I believe to be, the smallest travel case for this level of product. And I particularly like that the case interior is coated in red velvet – echoing a guitar case in style.

Going back to the physical control knob for a moment, I particularly like that it performs all manner of different functions, as it moves up, down, left and right. It can also can be pressed – much like a thumbstick on a game controller.

This makes setup a doddle too, as you just press in the knob for a bit until the headset goes into Bluetooth mode to pair with your device.

There are another two tiny buttons to be found on the arms, with a customisable "M" button that can be set to perform a function of your choice, such as activate a voice assistant. And there is an ANC button to switch the feature on or off, or the headset into transparency mode.

Marshall Monitor III ANC review: sound quality

While the outside of the Monitor III ANC pair looks familiar, the inner workings have been largely rebuilt from the ground up. There are significant performance upgrades over the Monitor II ANC, for instance.

Each ear sports a new 32mm dynamic driver with a claimed frequency response from 20Hz to 20kHz. This, in practice, delivers a decent, balanced approach to tracks with a fairly neutral approach.

The ear cups are a tad smaller than some rivals in the same category, keeping the headset lighter, but not at a loss of clarity and precision. Marshall has revised the entire acoustic design in order to more accurately work with ANC functionality and even voice calling, which became apparent during my listening bouts.

Linking them to my iPhone 15 Pro Max and using Apple Music, I gave the headphones a good workout across a wide variety of musical genres. They picked out the background resonance of each guitar string plucked during the opening bars of Sonnet on Richard Ashcroft's Acoustic Hymns, Vol. 1 while also capably spacing the rest of the instruments as they hit after the intro.

The Dolby Atmos mix of I Am the Sea on The Who's Quadrophenia album (not the movie soundtrack) places you on a beach or cliff front as the waves lap at the coast, and the Marshall headphones seem to envelop you with sound. That's especially true with the brand's proprietary Soundstage spatial audio feature engaged in the dedicated app.

And while not designed for hardcore bass by default, you can adjust the equaliser from the Marshall signature sound to a number of presets, including Bass Boost, which gives the likes of the Wu-Tang Clan's Protect Ya Neck the treatment it deserves.

Indeed, while boosted, you still get clear, crisp vocals allowing to pick out the genre-defining bars from Method Man, GZA and the crew. So while capable with rap and dance, the Monitor III ANC over-ears retain the stamp of the musical heritage to which they belong.

The only caveat of sorts is that unlike some models in the price category, the Monitor III ANC headphones do not support any form of Qualcomm aptX. That will mean little to iPhone owners, as the handsets themselves are equally incompatible with the format, but it might irk some Android users who's phones support it.

Instead, you get Bluetooth LE on-board, which allows for quality transmission while reducing power usage (which is of great benefit to the battery life), but you shouldn't expect to receive lossless audio wirelessly.

Marshall Monitor III ANC review: ANC and app

Active noise cancellation is a must on a pair of wireless headphones for me and it's good to see (hear) that Marshall has made efforts to improve its technology.

Managing to drown out external noise while retaining musicality is no mean feat and few brands outside the biggest (Sony and Bose) manage to get it spot on. But while this particular manufacturer still has a way to go to catch up with those behemoths, the Monitor III ANC provides a very decent noise cancelling experience.

I wore the headset on the London Tube and, specifically, the Metropolitan Line. This particular route is renowned for its noisy sections thanks to stretches of the track being under and overground. I wasn't distracted by noise at any time during my journeys – and that's even when a whole gaggle of school children entered the carriage.

The only thing I'd rather though is that there was an option for adaptive noise cancellation. Some rivals offer a system whereby the headphones intelligently assess the scenario and adjust the levels of noise cancellation needed, while the Marshall pair have just basic modes – ANC on, off or transparency.

Still, at least they don't shift and change at odd times like some alternatives and you always know what you're getting.

There is an adaptive loudness setting too, which will alter the sound balance and dynamics depending on your surroundings, so maybe that's good enough.

That can be found in the dedicated Marshall app for Android and iPhone (the same app for other Marshall headphones and in-ears), and it sits alongside several other features, including the ability to assign different functions to the "M" button. Spotify Tap can be activated this way.

Marshall Monitor III ANC review: battery life

Perhaps the biggest standout feature of the Marshall Monitor III ANC over-ears though is the battery life. While there have been plenty of other improvements made to performance and build quality, the amount of playback time available on the pair certainly provides that "wow" moment.

They are capable of playing music at a decent volume for up to 70 hours – almost three days continuously. That's pretty staggering. It's even more so when you realise that it hits that figure with active noise cancellation switched on.

Other headphones have boasted extended battery life in the past – the Sonos Ace claims 50 hours, for example, but few manage to last that long with ANC enabled. Indeed, switch ANC off and Marshall claims the headset can last even longer – up to 100 hours.

Now, I haven't had the headphones long enough to test the battery fully and have worn them on average an hour or two a day for the last four or five. However, the fact that the battery indicator is still in the high 80% is telling. And even if you do use them for an entire holiday and you need to charge them before heading home, it only takes two-and-a-half hours to charge them from flat to full, via USB-C. It's impressive stuff.

Marshall Monitor III ANC review: verdict

So you might be able to tell that I'm impressed with the Marshall Monitor III ANC headphones. To be honest, I'm their target audience considering I favour indie and rock music. I'm still partial to old school hip-hop and these can sate that passion too, but they are primarily and unashamedly best suited to playing back tracks from the same sort of bands who use Marshall amps.

That's actually very refreshing, considering how many over-ears on the market today opt for a bass-centric signature.

It's a shame they don't come with support for aptX or any other lossless codec, but when it comes to general music playback, they do so with precision and care. You'll also benefit from the extreme comfort they afford too.

Also consider

There are plenty of rivals at the price point Marshall has attached to its Monitor III ANC 'phones. The Sony WH-1000XM5 naturally spring to mind, considering they are among the most popular ANC over-ears around. They can also be found at a decent discount these days.

The also recently released Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 headphones are a decent shout too. Like the Marshalls, they have great sound although aren't perhaps on the same scale when it comes to comfort.

Finally, if you have a spot of extra cash, it's worth checking out the Bose QuietComfort Ultra or Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e pairs. Both are superb when it comes to musicality, while Bose has almost perfected ANC over the years.