At a look
Professional’s Score
Execs
- Wonderful sound
- Fascinating styling
- 6-hour battery life with ANC (9 with out)
- Spotify Faucet help
- Buds rated IPX4, case rated IPX5
Cons
- USB-C port on case isn’t deep sufficient
- Playback management floats over the app even when no music is taking part in
Our Verdict
If you would like glorious sound and pay attention time, plus conversation-starting styling, the Marshall Motif II ANC earbuds must be close to the highest of your brief checklist.
Marshall redesigned its Marshall Motif noise-cancelling in-ear headphones (aka earbuds), and I just like the outcomes. Essentially the most salient enchancment are within the areas of audio efficiency and battery life, the latter of which is now 6 hours of listening time with lively noise cancellation enabled and up 30 hours with prices from the case. That’s up from the first-generation’s 4.5 and 20 hours respectively.
You’ll additionally discover a couple of slight fashion adjustments, and now you can EQ to style (one in all my few gripes in regards to the unique mannequin). The Marshall Motif ANC II is an excellent higher headphone, however it bears the identical $200 price ticket. That places it in the identical vary because the Google Pixel Buds Professional and near the Apple AirPods Professional–that are each glorious–however considerably cheaper than the category-leading Sony WF-1000XM5.
The Marshall Motif II ANC’s high-end frequency copy was nigh on excellent with the default EQ, and the mid-range was equally so.
We now not want to incorporate a qualifier that Marshall residence audio merchandise are manufactured below a model license, as a result of Zound Industries acquired Marshall Amplification in March 2023. The corporate is now referred to as Marshall Group.
Marshall Motif ANC II design and have set
The Motif ANC II are fairly related in feel and appear to the unique Motif ANC, besides the guidelines of the stems now have a brass end, recalling the knobs on Marshall amplifiers. If you happen to weren’t conscious, Marshall amplification has been a mainstay of guitar bands for the reason that Sixties.The brand new earbuds additionally retain Marshall’s long-standing love affair with alligator Tolex, the textile that’s wrapped across the buds and their charging case.
This overview is a part of TechHive’s in-depth protection of the most effective noise-cancelling headphones.
Whereas the design conceit may strike you as boomerish, I’ve seen folks of all ages sporting Marshall audio gear. That’s most certainly as a result of it not solely sounds good, however the styling is a sure-fire dialog starter.
Jon L. Jacobi
The Motif ANC II are contact delicate, as are most earbuds, and you’ll faucet both bud to provoke actions. On this mannequin, the instructions have been altered to accommodate Spotify Faucet: a single faucet for play/pause, and two faucets to reply a name, an motion that additionally skips ahead whilst you’re listening to music. Three faucets skips backwards, and a protracted press toggles ANC. Two faucets and a maintain begins Spotify Faucet; i.e., it assigns actions to manage the Spotify app.
Bluetooth pairing is finished with a button beneath the emblem. This generally is a little onerous to identify, however the exercise/standing gentle lets you understand while you’ve obtained it below thumb. Which brings me to my sole criticism in regards to the Motif ANC II: the USB-C connector on the underside of the unit doesn’t permit the male finish on the cable to completely insert. Yeah, I’m choosing nits right here, however while you’re spending $200, I feel you’re entitled to make such observations.
Whereas the Motif II ANC don’t help hi-res codecs reminiscent of aptX Adaptive or LDAC, they do help AAC and the brand new LC3 codec that’s a part of Bluetooth LE Audio.
Every ear bud weighs 4.31 grams (about .15 ounces), about half a gram lighter than the first-gen mannequin, and the case weighs about 28 grams (simply over an oz.). The eco-conscious Marshall says it used 70 % recycled plastic the place potential to construct this product. Each little bit helps.
The Motif ANC II themselves are rated IPX4 whereas the case is IPX5. That principally means they’re effectively shielded from sweat and rain, however Marshall makes no claims for defense from mud. We’ll inform you every part you could find out about IP codes on the previous hyperlink.
Marshall Motif ANC II audio efficiency and lively noise cancellation
The Motif ANC II ship equally glorious sound as their predecessor, utilizing related 6mm drivers. You’ll expertise no scarcity in bass response, as is frequent with in-ear headphones, as a result of your ear canal acts as a bass port. The high-end frequency copy was nigh on excellent with the default EQ, and the mid-range was equally so. Stereo separation is a given when you have got one speaker caught in every ear, however there was no cross-talk that I may discover.
Talking of EQ, now you can do it any method you need with the brand new Marshall app if none of the usual presets fit your style. Once I reviewed the first-gen pair, the app supplied solely presets, with a promise of customization down the highway. I opted for scooping the mid-range and upping each the 160Hz and treble frequencies sightly, however all of the presets I attempted shall be listenable to somebody.
My pals Thiago and Bridget informed me phone-call high quality over the Motif ANC II and their built-in microphones was higher than the precise telephone. I assumed the identical from my finish of the calls.
Marshall’s lively noise cancellation could be very efficient, and you’ll dial in any degree of transparency you would like utilizing Marshall’s app. I by no means have interaction ANC once I’m strolling about in San Francisco, as a result of I’ve seen too many shut calls with people who find themselves disconnected from their environment. I wish to hear what’s occurring so I can react to it.
Kudos to Marshall for the app’s extraordinarily effectively thought out and environment friendly person interface. You are able to do nearly every part from there, together with pairing and turning Bluetooth on. The one factor I didn’t like was the overlay field that sits on high of the scrolling foremost web page for playback of media. I’d somewhat it disappeared when there’s nothing taking part in. Yeah, one other picayune criticism.
Marshall Motif ANC II run time and luxury
You need to get 6 hours of listening time on a cost, with a 30-hour reserve within the charging case. You possibly can stretch these numbers to 9 and 43 hours should you disable Marshall’s lively noise cancellation.
A 15-minute cost offers you one other hour of listening, whereas a full cost of each the earbuds and the case takes 90 minutes with a USB-cable and energy adapter. You may as well wirelessly cost the case utilizing a Qi charger, however I don’t worth such inefficient energy switch.
The Motif ANC II include three sizes of cushions, with the mediums already secured in place. I’m not an enormous fan of getting issues caught in my ear, so if I inform you I didn’t discover them uncomfortable, that’s saying one thing. I was a tad involved in regards to the rough-textured stems, however that turned out to be a non-issue.
Do you have to purchase the Marshall Motif ANC II?
The noise-cancelling headphone market is a crowded place lately, whether or not you’re speaking over-the-ear cans or in-ear fashions reminiscent of these. However while you take a look at what persons are utilizing, you’ll see the identical handful of manufacturers time and again–and I don’t assume it’s essentially as a result of they’re the most effective you should buy.
If you happen to’re searching for an important set of noise-cancelling earbuds, and also you wish to stand out from the group whereas listening to your favourite artists, give the Marshall Motif ANC II cautious consideration. I extremely suggest them.
