Marshall Motif A.N.C.

Marshall brings its new noise cancellers to the table

Marshall delivers its signature style with its new true wireless headphones — now its third stab at the genre — with the Motif A.N.C. They’re the most expensive of the bunch, but feature decent upgrades, including active noise cancelling and a wireless charging case. Visually, they’re classic Marshall fare — the case is shrouded with a mottled effect black plastic, so synonymous with its legendary amps, while the headphones — black, naturally — feature AirPod–style stems with a knurled finish, like the control knobs on its guitar pedals.

The case is small and lightweight, with a small button for connecting the headphones, along with a single LED for displaying the charge state. As wireless charging is built in, just place it on a Qi charger to juice it up. Alternatively, there’s a USB–C port on the underside. The case feels rugged enough to sit in a bag with other items without it getting stratched — indeed, Marshall claims the case is scratch–proof. It’s also IPX4–rated, which is basically splash proof.

The headphones have touch controls built into either side, allowing you to easily tap to pause or play, or long hold to adjust things like noise control or EQ settings. Marshall’s iOS app enables you to customize the controls, and finesse other settings. The ear buds are easy to hold, thanks to the chunky stems. In–ear, they’re comfy, and easy to wear for long periods. They’re also secure, so you can exercise without them coming loose. Marshall only includes three tip sizes, however, so there’s less chance of a perfect fit. Neatly, when you take them out of ear they auto pause whatever’s playing, and vice–versa when they go back in. An IPX5 rating means the headphones can be rinsed in water — ideal for those rainy days or sweaty workouts.

We were impressed with the overall audio performance of the Motif A.N.C. — they sound sublime in the majority of tracks, with plenty of detail and lots of depth — there’s a strong, though never overpowering or wobbly, low end. Perhaps ironically for a brand with its roots in rock, they excelled less in heavy metal tracks, where at times they were harsh on the ears — even at just half volume. Indeed, the Headphone Level settings in iOS 15’s Control Center revealed they were triggering the safety warning when things got too hectic. The noise cancelling effect isn’t huge, but works well when you’re listening to music, while transparency helps to pick out sounds, enabling you to stay aware without pausing tracks in busy places.

With the volume set to the midway point, and with ANC on, we got 5 hours, 17 minutes before the left headphone gave out (the right one stopped working 20 minutes later). That’s impressive, given Marshall claims 4.5 hours. That rises to about 20 for overall usage with the charging case. We were also impressed with the recharge time — just under an hour to get the headphones up to 90 per cent. Marshall’s claim of 3 hours is, then, somewhat inaccurate.

Marshall Motif A.N.C. Features

• DRIVER SENSITIVITY: 106±2 dB @ 1 mW (0.126Vrms) 1 KHz
• DRIVER TYPE: Dynamic
• DRIVER IMPEDANCE: 16 Ω
• FREQUENCY RANGE: 20-20,000 Hz
• DRIVERS: 6 mm
• PLAY TIME: 4.5 hours in earbuds with A.N.C. (6 hours without); 20 total hours in case with A.N.C. (26 hours without)
• WIRELESS CHARGING: Yes
• ECO CHARGING: Optional
• QUICK CHARGING: 15 minutes gives 1 hour of playtime
• CHARGING TIME: 3 hours to recharge earbuds, 3 hours to recharge case
• MICROPHONE & REMOTE: Yes
• CONNECTIVITY: Bluetooth
• WIRED CONNECTIVITY: No
• TRANSPARENCY MODE: Yes
• VOICE COMMAND: No
• CUSTOMISE SOUND: Yes
• ACTIVE NOISE CANCELLATION: Yes
• MIRRORED CONTROLS: Yes
• BLUETOOTH RANGE: 10 m (30 ft)
• CONTROLS: Touch response
• TOUCH RESPONSE FUNCTIONS: Control your music, Activate A.N.C., Receive and end calls, Activate Transparency mode
• DUAL MASTER: Yes
• CODECS: SBC + MPEG-2 AAC
• WIRELESS CONNECTIVITY: Bluetooth 5.2
• HEADPHONE TYPE: In-ear
• WEIGHT: 4.25 g (0.15 oz)
• WATER RESISTANCE: IPX5 in earbuds, IPX4 in case
• COLORWAYS: Black
• BOX CONTENTS: Motif A.N.C. true wireless headphones, Charging case, USB-C charging cable, User manual and legal and safety information, Ear tips (S, M, L)

Marshall Motif A.N.C. Price

$199.99

Marshall’s headphones are packed with features, they’re great to wear, and they sound fantastic (mostly).