Its latest gadget, the Major V, is a pretty inconspicuous-looking$150 pair of on-ear headphones.
They also sport Bluetooth LE and promiseAuracastin a future firmware update.
Its a bummer that they sound average at best.
Photo:© Artem Golub
Pros
Cons
Marshall Major V: Design
On-ear, not over-ear.
The most important feature you oughta be aware of regarding the Major V is its on-ear design.
These will press against your cartilage at all times which is uncomfortable for some.
Photo: Artem Golub / Gizmodo
Thanks to their on-ear quality, they were snug by default.
These cans are fully collapsible and can get very, very small once folded all the way.
At only 186g, these are some of the lightest headphones Ive tested.
Photo: Artem Golub / Gizmodo
For context,Sonys XM5sare praised for their light weight at 249g.
At $150, the Major V offer exactly what youre paying for.
They feature some frills in terms of functionality, but design-wise, theyre quite barebones.
Photo: Artem Golub / Gizmodo
They go for a rugged, sturdy look more than an eye-catching, aesthetically pleasing design.
Considering all that, its a shame that the Major V feature no resistance to dust or water.
Marshall Major V: Controls
A dedicated button for Spotify.
Photo: Artem Golub / Gizmodo
One of the two handles playback, volume, and power on/off.
I set the M-button to trigger Spotify.
Since Im a regular user of the app, this control was extremely useful to me.
With just one press, it would play a song from one of my playlists on Spotify.
Marshall Major V: Battery Life
Ridiculously long battery life.
After around three weeks and roughly forty hours, its still going strong at 63%.
Note that this includes a lot of talk time, which drains the battery faster than playtime.
At their modest $150 price, they also offer wireless charging.
Quick charging is supported with 15 minutes giving you 15 hours of playtime.
The battery preservation feature on the Major V is another frill I dont see on a lot of headphones.
The Max does everything the other two modes do and adds a temperature measure.
you might also always opt out of choosing a battery preservation mode.
Marshall Major V: Performance
Underwhelming sound.
The Major V feature a balanced sound with the most emphasis on mids.
The bass is the least emphasized even with the Bass Boost preset enabled in the app.
The treble is more noticeable than the low-end but doesnt shine enough to demand an extra layer.
It sounds pretty clustered with the rest of the elements.
Overall, the orchestra could use a lot more space than it currently receives.
There is little sound imaging and its as if the elements dont have enough room to breathe.
There is no ANC, but the excessively thick ear cup cushions provide decent passive noise isolation.
On 20% volume, my coworkers conversations were completely muted.
The sound lacked definition and personality.
It came off as shallow and leaned towards a tinny profile.
The only performance feature that impressed me was their Bluetooth LE compatibility.
They come future-proofed with LE which means theyre ready for Auracast in a future firmware update.
Thats a rare feature for headphones in this price range.
There are countless examples of considerably more expensive headphones that arent capable of facilitating Auracast.
Verdict
Marshalls Major V thoroughly impressed me in some areas but underwhelmed in others.
I felt entitled to great sound on these since theyre Marshall-branded, but didnt get that.
The absence of ANC and an IP rating at a midrange $150 price are also serious omissions.
Being a loyal Spotify user, a dedicated button for the app made me extremely happy.
If I didnt know these were manufactured by Marshall, I might have given them a higher score.
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