Marshall Monitor III ANC Review: Features, Pros, and Cons 

Marshall Monitor III ANC is one of the leading headphones with powerful features. It’s giving tough competition to other industry giants, but is it all so good without any uglies? Let’s find out in this article. 

Tech Specs

• Type: Over-ear
• Wireless: Yes 
• True wireless: No 
• ANC: Yes
• Connection type: Bluetooth, USB-C
• Water/sweat resistant: No

Pros 

• Great sound 
• Improved ANC over predecessor 
• Rugged build 
• Remarkably long battery life 

Cons

• Noise Cancelling does not match competitors 
• No 3.5 mm jack 
• Expensive

Design 

If you have used Marshall Monitor ii ANC, you must be familiar with the retro design of the headphones. The Monitor III has retained the same design with a few changes. There is a silicon band under the headband that not only adds to the comfort but also makes the headband less vulnerable to wear and tear. 

The earcups and the silicon band are removable and comfy. You can wear them for a long time without heating the ears. Moreover, the Monitor III ANC is lightweight, increasing its convenience because you don’t really feel any heaviness on the head.

Although it has all the good design markers, I wish there were more color options and a little more minimal design because I don’t like to wear them a lot. If you also want aesthetically pleasing headphones, some rivals will be better. 

Another big drawback of Marshall Monitor III is they are not water/sweat resistant, so if you want to take your headphones to the gym or running, look somewhere else. 

Marshall Monitor headphones are incredibly portable as they come with a sturdy yet small case. You can fold the headphones into a ball and tuck them in the case to carry while you travel. I wish for this kind of portability in Sony WH-XM headphones. 

Controls 

Physical controls win me over instantly because they are so reliable and give better command feedback; that’s where the Monitor III beats most rivals with touch controls. There is a golden joystick that controls volume and playbacks and a dedicated ANC button to switch between noise-cancelation modes. You will also find an “M button” that can be revamped to change EQ, summon voice assistance, or on/off the soundstage, etc. 

You can press and hold the joystick to turn on/off the headphones and push it up/down to increase or decrease the volume. Pressing the knob once play/pause the music, pushing it to the left skips to the previous track while pushing it to the right skips to the forward track. 

The controls are very responsive and straightforward, so you will find it easy to change the functions. However, there is a huge flaw in the Marshell III headphones: the lack of a 3.5 mm jack. So, how to connect Marshall monitor Bluetooth headphones while on an Airplane? Well, there is a USB-C port, but it comes with a whole lot of interference when used and kinda affects the battery. 

Sound Quality

When you look at the Marshal Monitor III headphones, you instantly get a bass-heavy vibe, which is very true. The headphones have high bass, but the sound is still balanced and provides rich and engaging audio across various music genres. However, the mids can feel muddy sometimes. 

Also, at high volume, you might find the sound piercing. The soundstage does a decent job and allows you to control how the sound fills the space around you. You can choose between four room sizes and select the preferred setting. It’s the Spatial audio kinda thing, however, it does not give you the dedicated spatial audio experience. 

The call quality is also great and works better than most rivals. My voice sounded clear and full-bodied in the voice recording, and there were no echoes during the call. It’s a major problem I faced in Sony XM5. 

Active Noise Cancelation

The ANC of the headphones has improved a lot over its predecessors and does an amazing job in blocking the sounds of bus and airplane engines, but office chats often pass through the barrier. Also, Its ANC does not match the level of the Sony WH-1000 XM5 or XM4. The transparency mode works great and allows you to have a conversation without removing the headphones. 

Battery Life

Battery life is the biggest selling point of Marshal Monitor III ANC. It is advertised to work for 70 hours, which is true. Altough, you don’t want this much battery life in practical use, people who travel a lot might appreciate the battery time as they won’t have to plug in a lot. However, if you do run out of the battery, you can just plug in for 15 minutes and get 12 hours of battery time. 

Marshall Bluetooth app 

The Marshall companion app is available for both Android and iOS and is pretty straightforward to use. All the settings are in front of your eyes on a dedicated screen. You can see battery timing, toggle ANC modes, and revamp the buttons for Soptify Tap, Soundstage, etc. 

You can also toggle the EQ settings to set the sound profile of your liking. It allows you to select from five presets or customize your own EQ. 

Bottom Line

Marshal Monitor III ANC is a great device for its simple yet useful features, great sound quality, and decent ANC. Marshall Monitor III ANC takes playtime to the next level with many hours of battery. However, you don’t get numerous advanced features like Spatial Audio, Adaptive ANC, etc. 

FAQs

1. What is the price of Marshall Monitor III ANC? 

Marshall III ANC has many improvements over its ancestors, so it costs more. You can get the headphones for around $350. 

2. How can the user activate the transparency mode on the Marshall Monitor III ANC? 

There is a dedicated ANC button on the headphones that you can use to cycle through ANC and Transparency mode. You can also toggle the function via the Marshall Bluetooth app. 

3. How to connect Marshall monitor Bluetooth headphones?

Turn on the Bluetooth on your device and press and hold the golden knob on the headphones until its light turns blue, now open the Bluetooth device list on the phone and select Monitor. It will pair in a few seconds, and the light will turn white after the pairing is successful. 

4. Does Marshall Monitor III have ANC? 

Yes, Marshall Monitor III is equipped with ANC and does a good job of blocking out the outside sounds that interfere with your music sessions. However, it does not offer adaptive ANC modes that optimize the noise cancelation based on ambient sound.