Marshall Milton ANC review: Making the rare case for premium on-ear headphones

James Trew for Engadget

RATING : 8 / 10

Marshall's Major headphones are now successful their 5th iteration, an unusually agelong lifespan for nan often-overlooked on-ear category. The original exemplary launched nan aforesaid twelvemonth arsenic the first iPad, and sixteen years later they're still going beardown — pinch 1 notable omission: progressive sound cancellation (ANC). That's wherever the caller Milton comes in. If nan creation looks familiar, that's because it started life arsenic an ANC type of nan Major. Over time, it evolved beyond a elemental update, becoming a chopped 3rd pillar successful Marshall's headphone lineup, sitting betwixt nan Major and Monitor ranges.

The Milton enters an absorbing space: premium on-ear ANC headphones. It's a class that seldom gets overmuch attention, but Marshall has complete a decade of acquisition refining on-ears, and nan personification information that comes pinch it, I presume. The $230 headset comes pinch each nan expected elements Marshall is known for — coagulated artillery life, iconic Marshall creation and a feature-rich companion app. The consequence is thing that's decidedly class defining, conscionable possibly not successful nan measurement you'd expect.

The Milton looks for illustration a brace of Monitors squashed into nan style and size of nan Major. That's to say, nan golden logo motif, rounded edges and nan metallic headband specifications are each borrowed from nan Monitor. The wide size and nan quadrate style of nan receptor cups, that's an evident power from nan Major. If location is simply a connection that fuses "understated" and "familiar" past that's what nan Milton is. Undermiliar, perhaps? You'll find different unmistakable Marshall DNA successful nan tolex-like textured decorativeness that mimics its amps and nan ever-present, brass accented multi-purpose button.

Like nan Monitor and Major earlier it, nan Milton captures nan tone of nan marque it represents without drifting excessively acold into gimmick territory. I do deliberation Marshall's creation connection is much connected nan manner broadside that will entreaty to a younger audience, aliases 1 that wants to deterioration its rock/alternative/indie tone connected its sleeve (or, successful this case, ears). If you don't attraction 2 hoots astir nan artistic and are conscionable looking for a lightweight, comfortable and well-made on-ear headphone, past nan Monitor is besides precisely that.

James Trew for Engadget

Inside nan receptor cups, a 32mm driver is moving nan show. Physical controls are sparse, pinch conscionable nan aforementioned multi-directional brass fastener connected nan correct manus receptor cup and a customizable fastener connected nan near which tin beryllium assigned to toggle ANC, EQ, Soundstage (spatial audio) aliases summon your sound assistant.

Although nan Milton is simply a wireless headphone, there's a USB-C to 3.5mm cablegram successful nan container for analog/wired listening. But you'll still request to move nan Milton connected for that to work, truthful sadly this isn't a scheme B should you tally retired of battery. You tin besides usage a USB-C cablegram to link to a telephone aliases PC and perceive that way, too. The Milton has a user-replaceable artillery too, which should widen nan prospective life of nan headphones significantly. The receptor pads are besides removable and frankincense should beryllium replaceable.

I'm going to travel retired and opportunity it, Marshall's companion app is possibly nan champion I've ever used. Headphone apps often consciousness for illustration afterthoughts pinch clunky personification interfaces. What's worse, nan features they see are often easier to conscionable activate connected nan instrumentality itself. Marshall's app is simply a trove of find and genuinely helpful.

For example, connected nan main location page, you tin toggle betwixt ANC, transparency mode aliases disable both. You tin besides do this pinch nan buttons, but nan app has an ANC "Level" action for deeper configuration. Below that is nan EQ, wherever you'll besides find nan adaptive loudness toggle. The app has immoderate decent presets here, but you tin make your ain and prevention that arsenic a preset too.

The package features conscionable look to stack up from here. The Milton supports Auracast, and it's present successful nan app you tin find and subordinate broadcasts. Marshall has its ain implementation of "spatial" audio called Soundstage and nan app is wherever you tin configure and activate it. Soundstage changes nan audio truthful it's much for illustration listening to a speaker successful a room, alternatively than nan euphony being straight successful your head. I can't opportunity I attraction for it myself arsenic it often pushes nan drums and basslines (aka, nan champion bits) down, but it's a point you tin do if nan much nonstop input of headphones is simply a spot overstimulating.

The Milton supports Spotify Tap via a double click of nan M button. Press doubly and you'll beryllium served up immoderate euphony based connected your listening habits. Sorta for illustration an on-demand playlist for erstwhile you don't cognize what to perceive to. Either way, it's present and there's a conception successful nan app to punctual you really it works.

Other goodies you'll find present see artillery preservation tools, akin to nan options successful iOS that forestall an iPhone artillery afloat charging aliases little nan charging speed. You tin besides configure nan power-off timer if you don't for illustration nan mill defaults and want nan Milton's to spell to slumber almost instantly aft you extremity utilizing them — aliases up to 8 hours later. As is progressively common, nan Milton's support Apple Find My and Google Find Hub, and there's a conception successful nan app to guideline you to group that up.

James Trew for Engadget

Marshall headphones thin to veer much towards nan "fun and lively" type of sound complete a flatter, higher-fidelity profile. That's surely what you get pinch nan Milton, a somewhat bass-forward, mid-scoop sound that useful good for astir celebrated genres. The bully news is that EQ lets you neutralize nan tuning almost instantly if it's not your thing. Plus, configuring a sound floor plan to your liking is beautiful easy.

The 32mm drivers consciousness beautiful balanced to me, moreover erstwhile pushing everything to maximum. Bass ne'er feels overcooked, and female vocals, hi-hats and different higher wave sounds ne'er sound shrill, crisp aliases sibilant. The flip broadside to that is, for my tired ears astatine least, it's difficult to find a immense magnitude of move scope successful nan sound connected a European iPhone. When I perceive to physics music, for example, everything feels balanced and successful tune, but possibly a spot person together connected nan gainstage than connected thing for illustration Sennheiser's HDB 630.

For an on-ear headphone, 1 that you will apt usage arsenic a regular driver successful a assortment of situations, Marshall astir apt made nan correct telephone successful position of making thing that's nosy to perceive to but besides won't tyre your ears. If you were hoping for higher-resolution options, LDAC is included here, but you're retired of luck if aptX is your preferred codec of choice.

As for nan ANC, nan Milton is awesome but pinch a caveat. My flat looks onto a reasonably engaged roadworthy successful nan halfway of a city. This roadworthy generates a reasonably changeless hum of postulation and engines which is usually a beautiful bully trial of ANC. The Miltons do a awesome occupation of eliminating sound from nan street, but there's a definite other value I look for successful ANC that's harder to quantify. A stillness? A consciousness of calm arsenic you activate it? That's not rather coming here, moreover if nan actual sound simplification is decent.

This is apt because these are smaller, on-ear headphones pinch overmuch little of a beingness seal, truthful immoderate perceptible ambient "vibe" whitethorn beryllium perceptible moreover if it's not consecutive up noise. By that standard, nan ANC is awesome and astir apt immoderate of nan champion I've knowledgeable connected this style of headphone.

James Trew for Engadget

The excavation of premium on-ear headphones is beautiful small. In nan $200-plus category, you person nan hi-fi-friendly Grado GW100x aliases nan much gym-ready Beat's Solo 4. Both very different headphones and lacking successful ANC, but nan Beats are closest to nan Miltons successful position of value and sound. There are much style-conscious options astir this value point, specified arsenic nan Aiaiai TMA-2, but again, there's nary ANC action there.

If you're looking for different on-ear action pinch ANC past JBL's ​​Live 680NC are really good regarded for nan value (around $160) but connection a very different aesthetic. That's to opportunity that successful nan circumstantial Venn sketch of feature-rich, branded on-ear headphones pinch ANC, nan Miltons are beautiful overmuch category-defining astatine this point.

James Trew for Engadget

There are nary surprises that nan Marshall Miltons are fun, comfortable and feature-rich. The practice of nan celebrated Major statement intelligibly has been put to bully usage present to make an on-ear headphone for nan much discerning listener. The ANC capabilities are beardown for nan form-factor, moreover if they mightiness beryllium considered much mid-pack if they were complete ears. The sound acquisition is classical Marshall: A small heavier connected nan debased and and higher mid frequencies, but nan afloat EQ allows you to steer it much to your taste.

Ultimately, $230 mightiness beryllium a small connected nan pricey broadside for on-ears, but Beats has been charging that for its Solo 4 without ANC for agelong capable that a small spot of title from nan Milton is astir apt a bully thing.