Now these are not new by any means, being released 18 months ago but are the Marshall Major IV Headphones still worth getting in 2023? Yeh, yeh they are! Let me run you through everything you need to know.
Tiny box, tiny headphones and that did surprise me as they looked bigger in images online. Iconic look, which Marshall does so well. These are small throughout. They have a small form factor, small on-the-ear earcups but it works and they are very portable which is a plus. Cushioned earcups and adjustable headband, which also folds in on themselves for easier storing. No case or sleeve is provided with these which is a bit of a shame considering the price but so be it. That price? RRP is £129.99 but you can pick these up new for £99 at some retailers.
Spec and features
They come in black or brown. They include Marshall’s signature sound, they include wireless charging which is pretty neat. This is done by resting the right earcup on a wireless charging dock (not provided!) which does work well. If you do not have a dock, USB C works just fine too and a cable is provided. Battery life is stated at 80 hours which is very impressive, almost bonkers and 15 minutes of charge will give you about 15 hours of playback. Connectivity is via Bluetooth 5.0 or wired (3.5mm aux). There is a microphone for taking or making calls.
What’s missing? There is no ANC, no active noise cancellation so you’re relying on the passive cancellation from soft earcup to ear. There are also no EQ options or customisation. Usually, you can pair a Marshall product with their app and it will open up preset EQ options and give you the ability to create your own. This isn’t the case with these, unfortunately.
However, I found neither of those ‘missing’ features a problem, at all. The passive noise cancellation from the cushioned earcups is surprisingly good WHILE you listen to music at a medium volume. ANC would provide more isolation but I didn’t miss not having it. The default sound profile, or the Marshall Signature sound is fantastic. I knew it would be, every Marshall product I’ve tried has sounded great for the music I listen to the most, Rock. Well-balanced, punchy bass, crisp vocals, they sounded great. I listened to a lot of Pop Punk, Country, RnB and then some heavier stuff and it was just a pleasure to listen to that music.
These are on the ear and the headband isn’t all that well cushioned but they are comfortable and I wore these for hours on end without any issues. Plenty of flex in the headband and adjustment as well which I imagine will suit most head sizes. They are secure and could be ok for exercising in the gym and maybe jogging, which I cannot do so I shant try. These are not water resistant in any way, so bare that in mind if you do want to use them while exercising.
Controls, there is a handy little golden knob on the right earcup. Use this to power on/off, play/pause while pushing in. Then left or right for track control, up or down for volume control. That’s it, simple and very easy to control with your thumb.
Battery? I have used this ALOT but I have not hit 80 hours yet! That will take me some time and I reckon over the last two weeks, I’ve racked up about 30+ hours of time, so potentially not even at 50% battery yet! How do you know what the battery level is? Well, the little LED on the right speaker will flash red, orange or green, with red being low battery, green highest and orange somewhere in between. Not perfect but if you see red, time to charge.
What a cracking pair of headphones! If you can pick these up for £99 or less and you’re into your Rock music, your Pop Punp or CountryCore (new to me but so good!), then I highly recommend them. The only thing I miss is having the ability to pair this with the app to customise.
For more info and to purchase, head over to the official Marshall website.
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