- The war of noise canceling headphones is well and truly declared. After the models of Sony, Bose or Sennheiser and Jabra, it is Marshall who enters the scene with his Monitor II ANC headphones.
- Sold for 299 euros, it has serious aesthetic advantages and well thought out ergonomics.
- If it is not perfect, its noise reduction remains very convincing and among the best in the place.
After generalizing Bluetooth on their headsets, manufacturers are emphasizing a new feature: active noise reduction. The process makes it possible to muffle a large part of the surrounding noise and to immerse the user of the headset in their music bubble. Marshall followed suit to his competitors and launched his Monitor II ANC, sold for 299 euros.
"Let there be rock": a look that clashes!
Using the aesthetic codes of the brand's famous stage amplifiers (those which once allowed Who or Jimi Hendrix to light the fire!), The Monitor II ANC headphones from Marshall stand out visually from its competitors. And he is hot. Facing him, the Sony WH1000XM3 and Bose Headphones 700, with a smoother and modern appearance. Perhaps we can bring the Monitor II closer to the Sennheiser Momentum Wireless by its neo-vintage aspect…
The fact remains that it is quite light (320 g), that its hyper-flexible arch does not tighten the head too much and that the helmet does not choke when worn placed around the neck. Surprisingly, the Monitor II folds like no other. No longer looking like anything once compacted, it becomes small in its black jean storage bag. Marshall could have pushed his idea to the end and made this recycled denim cover ... In the meantime, the helmet is really practical to carry in a bag, much more than its rivals supplied with a rigid and often bulky storage box.
“Stairway to Heaven”: ergonomics close to perfection
The Monitor II ANC can be personalized using the Marshall Headphones application. On this point, the manufacturer was rather well inspired. This application (still in English) allows to assign to the button "M" located at the back of the right atrium a functionality. It is thus possible to program three sound equalizations (one “Marshall” which cannot be modified, and two others to select from those proposed or to shape yourself).
When the "M" button is pressed, these settings can be called up in turn. Another possibility: assign this button "M" the convocation of Google assistants or SIRI of your choice.
On the back of the left headset, the “ANC” button (for Active Noise Canceling) is personalized in the same way. This time, it is a question of dosing up to 100% the desired noise reduction level, as well as that of the Transparency mode, also up to 100%. Pressing the "ANC" button thus activates either the noise reduction or the sound perception of the outside world (without music). Convenient to take part in a conversation, or to stay in a bubble while keeping one ear - or even both - on its environment!
"The sound of silence": very effective noise reduction
Tested in the Paris metro, in a station and in the street, the Monitor II ANC offers extremely effective noise reduction. Even when listening to music at moderate volume, a cottony bubble isolates the user. As often with this type of headphones, the high-pitched sounds still manage to partially interfere. Gare du Nord, the female voice announcing the next departures easily crosses the barrier that the helmet would like to impose. On the other hand, the noise of the train leaving with a lot of decibels the platform next to it is largely constrained. For its part, the hubbub of the metro also disappears almost entirely, but the conversations of the little loving couple sitting on the bench manage to filter.
Arriving at Tour Montparnasse, the eternal air current at the southeast corner of the tower is picked up by the headset microphones which materialize it into a rather unpleasant sound porridge. But the roar of the gardener's mower maintaining a few meters further one of the rare massifs of the forecourt is surprisingly eradicated. The more acute noise of his colleague's skip-the-line remains slightly perceptible. At the writing of 20 Minutes, the click-clack of the fingers hammering on the computer keyboards is almost completely gone, while the voices of colleagues are still partially heard. Everything is not perfect, but no ANC helmet succeeds without a fault. The Monitor II ANC is at an excellent level.
"Light my Fire": turn on a powerful and nuanced sound!
For its part, the listening offered by Marshall's Monitor II ANC is very pleasant. The multidirectional physical button allows you to simply raise or lower the volume, change tracks (forward / backward), put on pause, pick up and hang up a call.
It is much more practical than the touchpads of some competing helmets with much lower reliability. Suave, supporting well rounded bass even at high volume, diffusing honeyed mediums, the sound of the Monitor II ANC may be lacking in brightness for some. No doubt the effect of noise reduction which can tend to slightly soften the listening. Result: fans of concertos for Stradivarius risk frustration. Not Fender Stratocaster fans.
High-Tech
VIDEO. Bestsellers 2019: Helmets jump, smartphones plunge
High-Tech
VIDEO. CES in Las Vegas: These wireless headphones and headsets will blast your playlists in 2020
- Music
- Sony
- High-Tech
- Smartphone