Skip to main content

Marshall’s Latest Headphones Snip the Wires from Top of the Line Model

monitor bluetooth
For some time now, Marshall has been selling headphones that bear the classic look of the company’s amplifiers. In 2016, the company started selling wireless headphones, but only on-ear models were available. That has changed with the release of the company’s new Marshall Monitor Bluetooth headphones.

Like the company’s previous headphones, the Monitor Bluetooth model uses a black-and-gold color scheme, with a hint of white in the form of the Marshall logo emblazoned on the side of the ear cups. While this model is over-ear instead of on-ear, much of the general design and build seems very similar to earlier models like the Mid and Major. Like those models, the Monitor Bluetooth uses cast-metal hinges and an overall rugged build that means the headphones should survive the rigors of everyday use.

The Monitor Bluetooth headphones feature 40mm drivers, similar to the company’s previous wireless models which used drivers of the same size and offered surprisingly warm and detailed sound for the price. Considering this is a wireless version of the older Marshall Monitor headphones, this shouldn’t come as a surprise. Connectivity is provided by Bluetooth with aptX, which may not satisfy audiophiles, but is perfect for those looking to use the headphones on the go.

Aside from the looks, one of the major selling points of the Monitor Bluetooth is the battery life. Marshall claims the headphones are capable of delivering more than 30 hours of playback time on a single charge. If you do happen to run out of battery, the included 3.5mm cable lets you listen in passive mode, and the headphones can be easily charged via the micro USB charging cable. Both of these cables will fit inside the included canvas carrying bag so you always have them with you.

The Marshall Monitor Bluetooth headphones are available starting Thursday, and sell for $250. For more information or to snag a pair for yourself, see the company’s website.

A version of this post first appeared on our “brother site” Digital Trends.

Editors' Recommendations

Khalik Allah’s Photos Speak Louder than Words
khalik allah feature magnumfeaturedimage

Khalik Allah does not grant interviews. Not often. "Wikipedia got me a year older, so a lot of articles have copied that for the last two years,” the 35-year-old photographer says. He rarely posts on social media, and save for a flash sale from his photo agency, Magnum, he’s had a quiet year in his home in Rocky Point, N.Y. What’s that quote from Flaubert, regular and ordinary in your life so as to make violent art? “Just building quietly,” he says, “not really putting too much work out into the world at the moment, keeping more of a distance.
Related Guides

Where to Find Artwork to Match Your Style
Contemporary Artists You Need to Know
Photography Tips for Beginners

Read more
Everything You Need to Know About High-Resolution Music
listening music isolation headphones

A few years back, to little fanfare, Neil Young started talking up high resolution music. The folk-rock legend was tired of people listening to low-quality sounds on their laptops, phones, and streaming devices. In his mind and the minds of a lot of other sound buffs, the status quote wasn’t doing the music justice.
Young went so far as to introduce a product, Pono Music, to encapsulate the need for richer sound. The strange contraption, touting a shape not unlike a Toblerone bar, certainly didn’t jump off of the shelves and music fans mostly moved on to other things. The underlying concept, however, remains important and is being revisited by music nerds and product designers alike. And Young is back with a new line of gear, via the folks at Bluesound.

The idea is pretty straightforward. Just as the heavy, 180-gram vinyl record is known to produce richer acoustics, the high-res sound file is believed to offer thicker, more resonant sound. Proponents say it’s exponentially better than what we’ve been accustomed to — the tinny and petite sound waves that pop out of our built-in laptop or mobile phone speakers.
Even when we’re playing larger digital files through iTunes, Spotify, and any number of services, we might not be fully doing the music justice. We may have a fantastic amp and pair of expensive speakers but if the file itself is shrunk down or condensed for quick streaming, you might be listening to what’s essentially a dumbed-down version of your favorite track, sonically speaking.
Enter high-res music. Think of it as having the same effect on The Beatles as a high-def widescreen television does on the movie Avatar. It’s meant to make music feel like it’s being played live in your living room, more robust and enveloping. Now that concerts seem like a thing of the past, at least for the near future, this brand of sound quality is all the more attractive.
A major and relatively new file type high-res music is built around is called the MQA, or Master Quality Authenticated. The most popular streaming service to use such files is likely Tidal, although Amazon and others offer something similar. The technology is still being experimented on but we’ll likely hear more about it in the coming years.
A good way to imagine it is visually, in terms of pixels. High-res music operates at a higher sampling frequency, meaning more signal samples are taken of the music per second than, say, a standard compact disc recording. For comparison, a CD file usually clocks in at 16-bit or 44.1kHz (kilohertz). High-res audio files hover around 24-bit or 192kHz, if not greater.
One of the hangups with high-res music is precisely that — heavy files. We’re talking megabytes here, which can gobble up space on your computer or storage device rather quickly. We are used to having tons of digital clutter as it’s convenient and comforting. But one of the nice things about high-res audio files is they require us to be a bit more selective.
Instead of toting around thousands of compressed albums, we might have to choose a few dozen, depending on file capacity. Audiophiles should liken it to a DJ mentality, digging through record crates for a few of the best to set up that day or week’s mix.
Major streaming services like Apple and Spotify have yet to take the high-res plunge. They may be engaging in research and development or waiting for what they think is a trend to subside. But with more equipment and websites devoted to high-res music, it’s likely that it will only grow in popularity.
Test it out at home by comparing recordings. Go with a sonically rich band like Pink Floyd or a bumping track like Orange Wedge by the Chemical Brothers and see if it’s time to upgrade your home system to high-fidelity standards.

Read more
A Quick Guide to Livestreaming for Beginners
live stream smartphone cooking show

Broadcasting live to thousands of people used to be the stuff of television, requiring millions of dollars and oodles of fancy equipment. Now we have supercomputers in our pockets. With a smartphone or a GoPro, we can broadcast anything to friends over Facebook and YouTube in seconds.
Why Livestream?
It's fast, it's fun, and it's immediate. Livestreaming goes straight to the internet. There's no editing, no fiddling around with cuts, no overlays or sound effects, and no special filter to make you like Tom Cruise. Just you and the audience. You can show off the best of your skills. Did you learn a new guitar song? Just finished a painting? Want to let the world know about the best graphic novels? Livestream it.

At a time when social contact is lacking around the world, you can connect with people in a different way. Viewers can ask questions and you can answer them live. Chat with friends or anyone listening and feel a bit of that human connection that is so hard to get on recorded video.

Read more