The name Marshall brings with it decades of well-earned history, amplifiers that have sent forth sonic booms that have soundtracked millions of lives. From the studio to the stage and on the road, Marshall is iconic to both the ear and the eye.
Joining forces with Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong, Marshall has released the Monitor III Active Noise Cancellation headphones. You can feel the history in your hands as you hold the unique premium case – built to take anywhere wear and tear – and open it to find these headphones nestled resplendently within classic red velvet lining.
When removing the Monitor IIIs from their nestling state it’s with a sense of reassurance as you behold and feel the brass-styled Marshall logo – for the first time in gold – brandished upon the durable vintage black 66 percent recycled plastic.
The rugged Monitor series previously featured vegan leather in the headband and premium hard case but has now evolved to a durable, water-based, and DMFa-free alternative that is safer from both a production and environmental point of view. Upon placing the headphones on one’s head, their soft interior feels immediately and exquisitely comfortable while also forming a close seal for better listening, and that’s the whole point.
“Monitor III ANC focus on the essentials for good performance,” notes Marshall Design Director, Kenny Wong. “We have reduced the weight, made the cushions soft as clouds and completely re-imagined the headband for long-lasting comfort.
“From an experience point of view, it stretches what is possible when it comes to the touch and feel of a Marshall product. They are extremely tactile with a self-healing leather texture and that unmistakable brass logo.”
So, they look great and are both durable and comfortable, but how do the Monitor IIIs sound? Excellent as ever, would be the short answer. With 70 hours of wireless active noise cancellation playtime (and 100 hours if that’s off), you’re well-covered for long trips and longer stays, all with that signature Marshall sound with transparency mode that measures background noise to block out unwanted sounds. There’s also adaptive loudness so you can adjust tonal balance to suit changing surrounds.
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Marshall’s Soundstage Spatial Audio platform allows the listener to feel more immersed than ever, and with the multidirectional control knob you can manage Bluetooth, playback, volume, and on/off controls.
“We have completely revised the acoustic design to improve the performance on all fronts: sound, ANC, transparency and voice calls,” Marshall Audio & Acoustics engineer, Nicolas Pignier Delafontaine, stated upon release.
“Monitor III delivers a sound that is wide, well-balanced, detailed and enjoyable. Soundstage spatial audio takes the music out of your head and onto a virtual stage around you, making you feel immersed and revealing subtle layers in your favourite records.”
First featured on the Marshall Major V, Monitor III also benefits from the customisation capabilities of the classically swish M-button. When you hit up the M-script logo, Spotify Tap opens by default, and you can also use the app to reconfigure the settings to access EQ presets or voice assistant. Monitor III is geared up and ready for all the forthcoming possibilities in Bluetooth LE Audio, so the future is sounding better already.
Check out the Marshall Monitor III range at jbhifi.com.au
