Marshall Monitor III ANC Review: Not Quite Rock n Roll

Introduction

The market for noise-cancelling headphones is at its most competitive since I began reviewing headphones – there are so many options to choose from.

The most obvious place to start is with tried-and-tested brands like Bose and Sony. If you have an iPhone, there’s the AirPods Max.

You see these headphones everywhere you go: airports, train stations, buses, so of course, you might be tempted to join the herd.

Or you can try something else.

And that something else could be Marshall’s Monitor III ANC. They offer the brand’s unique style, a “well-balanced” sound, and massively long battery life.

So, is it best to stick with the tried-and-tested brands, or are the Monitor III ANC worth a punt? I’ve been investigating that over the past few weeks.

Design

• Complete redesign
• 20% lighter
• Physical controls

Like previous models, the Monitor III ANC comes in just one colour: black. Aesthetically, the Marshall logo is now wreathed in gold (previously white), but beneath the surface, the headphones have undergone a significant redesign.

The Monitor III ANC weigh 250g, 70g less than the older model, and the difference is obvious holding both in my hands. The earpads are comfier with a plusher feel on the head, and the clamping force is lighter as a result.

The earcups also feel a touch bigger than the older model, with more space for my ears. The headband has been redesigned to redistribute weight across the head better.

The multi-directional dial to control the headphones returns, which I like as a counterpoint to so many headphones that use touch controls. The dial is used for play/pause, power, skipping tracks, adjusting the volume, and taking phone calls.

The dial gives a tactile feel to these headphones, as does the ‘M’ buttons located on the headphones’ linkages. The button on the left controls noise-cancelling modes while the one on the right can be used as a customisable shortcut.

The level of tactility is reinforced by the earcups’ rugged feel, and the softness of the headband and earpads. There’s a ‘physical’ feel to handling and wearing these headphones that you don’t often get from others. It gives them character.

They’re still collapsible, which helps in folding them up for transport in the compact, hard carry case that has a lovely velvety lining. There isn’t a built-in 3.5mm input, but there’s a USB-C to 3.5mm cable and a USB-C charging cable to plug in.

Noise Cancellation

Marshall promises a significantly upgraded noise-cancelling performance with the Monitor III ANC. While I’ve no real reason to doubt this isn’t a completely new ANC system, the end result isn’t much different to my ears.

Running a pink noise test, and yes, they suppress slightly more noise than the Monitor II ANC, but the difference is minor rather than significant.

Wearing them on a plane and comparing them against the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones, they are quieter. I can still hear a chunk of the cabin noise with the Marshall headphones.

Walking through London, I can still hear trains rumbling past and even the planes above. It gets rid of some noise, but this adaptive ANC system gets rid of less noise than class-leaders Bose or the Sony WH-1000XM6.

Want to use the headphones for calls? The Marshall offers top-tier call quality. Voice pick up is good, and there’s not much background noise to distract, aside from a slight rustle.

Battery Life

• 70 hours with ANC
• Fast charge support
• Battery Preservation feature

Marshall claims 70 hours with ANC on and 100 hours without. That’s in the same league as the Cambridge Audio P100 and Edifier W830NB – more than the Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless, and twice as much as the Nothing Headphone 1 and Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3.

Carrying out my test of a Spotify playlist at about 50% volume, the Monitor III ANC records a drop of 1% in the first hour and another 1% in the second. Obviously, higher volumes should record bigger drops, but that’s phenomenally good.

A 15-minute charge offers 12 more hours of playback, while a full recharge takes 2.5 hours. Like with Marshall’s wireless speakers, there’s a Battery Preservation mode that prolongs the battery life – though I doubt you’ll really need it.

Features

• Bluetooth Auracast
• No wireless High-res codecs
• Marshall Bluetooth app

Bluetooth support is v5.3 with Bluetooth multipoint to connect to two devices at once, Bluetooth LE Audio, and Auracast to other devices in public areas (like, say, an airport).

The Bluetooth connection is reassuringly solid with no problems walking about London or through a busy thoroughfare like Waterloo station.

What’s slightly disappointing is that the Monitor III ANC doesn’t support High-res Bluetooth codecs. There’s no aptX Adaptive or Lossless, or aptX in general, nor is Sony’s LDAC included. It’s not a big loss – the tuning of the drivers has a bigger impact on what you hear – but disappointing nonetheless.

Marshall said they were working on integrating High-res codecs with an update scheduled for 2024. I’ve consulted my calendar and, yup, it’s 2025 and the Monitor III ANC still have SBC and AAC codecs.

There’s no built-in voice assistance, though the Marshall headphones support voice assistants through your phone.

The Marshall Bluetooth app is where you can carry out firmware updates and customise the Monitor III ANC’s performance.

You can select which ANC modes to cycle through, as well as customise the M-Button with Spotify Tap, Voice assistants, your EQ of choice and the Soundstage feature.

The Soundstage feature creates a bigger, potentially immersive soundstage, which you can adapt by selecting the Room Size and by how much you want to expand the sound. It works in embiggening the soundstage, though it doesn’t sound immersive. Part of me wonders why Marshall couldn’t just decide on having as wide a soundstage as possible by default.

There’s Auto-Play/Pause, which works more often than it doesn’t; as well as the Battery Preservation feature in the Battery section. You can also control playback and volume through the app. The simplicity of the app is a positive, and unlike some brands, you’re not overwhelmed by choice.

Sound Quality

• Clear, lean signature
• Lacks bass
• Wide soundstage

Marshall’s Original Sound EQ has, as far as its headphones go, always had a bright and crisp tone, and the Monitor III ANC doesn’t shift from that position. Tonally, it’s lean and quite spare, as if all the fat has been cut off to leave the core of the music.

The soundstage is wide – even wider with the Soundstage feature engaged; though it’s not a performance with much depth. While I can place where instruments and voices are, they all exist on the same flat plane.

It’s not as if a three-dimensional sound is an absolute requirement, but I half expected the Soundstage feature to bring that element of immersiveness. All it does is make music sound wider and slightly taller.

So while there are decent levels of detail, brightness to the highs and clarity to the midrange, the crispness of the Marshall’s sound isn’t necessarily a positive. Instruments and voices lack weight – I’ve tried these headphones on two Android smartphones, and that aspect has been consistent. There’s a thinness to the Monitor III ANC’s performance.

With The Weeknd’s Blinding Lights, his vocals lack warmth, the sound and instruments lack the same naturalism and definition the likes of the (more expensive) Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 and Sony WH-1000XM6 can apply. Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black isn’t an expressive showcase for her voice – it’s rather cold and detached.

More surprising is that the low frequencies lack impact. Maye’s La Cancion sounds tame, and activating the Bass Boost EQ helps, but the headphones still lack depth and extension.

Sam Gellaitry and PinkPantheress’ Picture in My Mind lacks that bass drop that gives the track energy. In fact, the most surprising aspect about the Monitor III ANC’s sound is its lack of energy.

And while turning up the volume provides a sense of energy, it also exacerbates the thinness of Marshall’s sound signature. The Adaptive Loudness feature doesn’t really do much here either. The more balanced approach is a little too polite for the rock ‘n’ roll ethos of Marshall.

Should you buy it?

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