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Laptop Mag Verdict

Strong audio and battery life combined with a sleek, throwback design make the Marshall Major IV an affordable height-tier wireless model.

Pros

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80 hours of playtime
+
Studio-quality sound
+
Cool, nostalgic design
+
Convenient controls
+
Wireless charging

Cons

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Doesn't support Marshall app or customized sound features
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Mediocre noise isolation
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No carrying case

Marshall has been a prominent figure in the sound space for decades, and with awesome releases like the Major Iv, information technology's easy to come across why. The company'southward latest launch is a welcomed improver to the mid-range headphones market, packing excellent sound quality and the lengthiest playtimes we have seen in the category into an middle-catching, one-time school design. Unique features similar audio sharing via daisy-concatenation support, wireless charging, and the patented knob controller too give these cans some modern swag.

Our adept picks for the all-time wireless headphones, per budget and style
Check out our Bose 700 review
…and our Sony WH-1000xM4 review

While everything may sound perfect, Marshall did forget to check off a few boxes on our must-have list. This includes mobile app support, which the company offers for other products (non this 1), sound personalization tools (due east.g. EQ, presets), and other practical necessities similar a Detect My Headphones mode and conveying case. The on-ear design also ways that ambience noises seep into the soundscape. All drawbacks aside though, the Major IV delivers way more performance than yous could inquire for at such a relatively cheap price.

Marshall Major IV: Price and availability

You can purchase the Marshall Major Four for $150 at major online retailers such as Amazon (opens in new tab) and Best Purchase (opens in new tab) or directly from Marshall (opens in new tab). The headphones simply come up in black, simply if we're post-obit Marshall's rails record, there is a stiff possibility that we see them available in White and Brown eventually.

Marshall Major IV: Pattern

All Marshall headphones evoke the spirit of the brand's iconic vintage amps. The Major IV continues this trend with an aesthetically pleasing retro blueprint that employs loftier-quality materials. The black vinyl-textured cover on the earpads and pebbled faux leather wrapping around the headband give these headphones a minimalistic, badass look that makes them experience like they should be attached to the soundboard in Dave Grohl'south home studio. Marshall's signature script logo is branded correct on the front end of each ear cup for recognition.

Even though the build quality isn't equally evident as it is on the brand'south noise-cancelling headphones, the Major Four is still a well-built model that has some nice heft to information technology when held in paw. It'south sturdy plenty to protect the internals and stave off scratches and scuffs. I also liked how Marshall was able to make the design more functional, with the metal fold clips allowing the headphones to collapse for seamless portability.

It would take been neat if Marshall included a carrying example with the purchase. Without 1, you'll take to keep these around your cervix or toss them in your everyday bag when commuting. You lot practice become an aux cable for wired listening and a USB-C charging cable.

Marshall Major IV: Condolement and fit

Marshall did a standout job of keeping these on-ear headphones lightweight and snug. The Major Four only weighs 5.9 ounces, which is close to the Jabra Elite 45h (5.6 ounces), but this model feels less flimsy. The form-fitting earcups might await stiff, merely they're actually gentle and well-cushioned to forestall your ears from pressing upwards confronting the inner speaker grills; this was a huge issue with the Elite 45h.

I also liked how the earcups maintained a tight grip to prevent slippage. Anyone with a depression pain threshold may experience the headband press hard atop the skull when worn on the lowest setting, though loosening the extenders will provide a more relaxed fit and more ventilation. I put the Major Four to utilise for long stretches throughout the day and didn't experience much discomfort.

Marshall Major IV: Controls and digital banana

Give Marshall props for thinking exterior of the box and developing a new, fun way of operating your wireless headphones. Well, Marshall headphones at least. The multi-management knob streamlines how yous control your music and phone functionality past using basic directional gestures and presses. It'south easy to use and the control listing is straightforward: book (upwardly/down), skip frontward or skip back (left/right), play/interruption or answer/end telephone call (1x printing), enable vox assistant (2x press), and pairing way (long printing).

The controls are responsive, and the knob produces firm tactility that ensures users of intended commands. Information technology takes some practise to get used to, but you'll principal information technology afterwards a day of utilise. Personally, I love the grooved circles on the button, as it provides a firm pollex grip for unmarried and long presses.

Adding to the Major IV'southward user-friendly controls is digital banana support. Siri and Google Assistant are bachelor, and so y'all'll be able to shoot off voice commands without a hitch thanks to Marshall's intelligible mics, which offering swell oral communication recognition and register total sentences completely. Information technology was overnice to pull up NFL scores, create calendar invites, and send voice-to-text messages to friends without reaching for my smartphone.

Marshall Major 4: Sound quality

Marshall'south track tape with audio is spectacular and the Major IV gives you no reason to 2d guess that. Expect dynamic, clear sound to come out of the 40mm drivers, which lend themselves well to most music genres and other audio content, including videos, eBooks, and podcasts.

I observe Jazz music to be the perfect measuring stick for frequency range, and then I turned on some John Coltrane to become a experience for the Major IV's sonic versatility. Sheer enjoyment was had listening to melodic masterpieces like "Naima," where the double bass and serene-sounding sax play blended beautifully. Instruments were reproduced to perfection and made for an intimate listening session that had me feeling like I was front and center at the Blueish Annotation Jazz Gild.

Ramping up the low end, I switched to stone, a genre that Marshall headphones always crush, and proceeded to boom The Who'due south "The Real Me," which features a virtuoso bass performance past guitarist John Entwistle. The bear on felt from the opening bassline was towering, while the highly energetic drums exuded funky vibes. Even on hip-hop tracks with uniquely simple productions like A Tribe Chosen Quest's "Lyrics to Get," the Major Iv captured sure nuances that aren't audibly noticeable on other models. I finally realized the song doesn't even have an actual bassline, only a powerful back-kick, and it knocked hard on these cans. It's that attention to particular that will sell audiophiles on the Major IV.

The Major IV is also serviceable for binging Netflix shows and YouTube clips. Clarity was spot-on, making dialogue-heavy content sound crisp and clear while accentuating certain furnishings; mic static was prominent on sure podcasts. Action sequences too sounded expert, with explosions giving off a nice boom upshot that wasn't overbearing on my ears.

It's no secret that on-ear headphones aren't the greatest pick for racket isolation, as they oft let in more noise than they block out. The Major Iv does a fairly decent job of physically neutralizing external sounds, though loftier-frequency noises discover their way onto the soundscape, which slightly affects audio quality.

Marshall Major Four: App and special features

Marshall developed a mobile app that comes with EQ presets, a timer setting, and command customization. Unfortunately, it just works with their wireless speakers and flagship Monitor Two A.N.C. (opens in new tab) headphones. Seeing how numerous brands, from Anker to Sony, accept brought app functionality to mid-tier headphones, this is a missed opportunity for Marshall.

That isn't to say the Major IV doesn't have a groovy pull a fast one on or two hidden up its sleeve. These headphones come with a 3.5mm socket to daisy-chain two sets of headphones, letting you share music with another user. It'southward a feature that has been around for a while, though only a scattering of headphone makers have employed it. Nonetheless, it's a fun and useful way of listening to albums or watching movies together with a partner, especially on the road.

The other cool characteristic: wireless charging. Honestly, I thought this was something that was mainly reserved for wireless earbuds, so to see Marshall do this is super impressive. All y'all take to practise is rest the headphones on whatsoever Qi-enabled charging pad and permit them recharge. FYI, Marshall doesn't include a charging pad with the purchase. In addition, the Major IV's weight distribution tin can sometimes brand information technology difficult to properly balance the headphones on the charging pad, just it isn't a huge deal.

Marshall Major IV: Battery life

Nosotros touched on the Major IV'due south wireless charging capabilities, now let'south talk battery life. It's ridiculously high. A total charge is said to get yous eighty hours, which is more than than double the battery life of premium racket-cancelling headphones. The only other wireless headphones we've seen come close to this mark are the Jabra Elite 45h (50 hours) and Anker Soundcore Life Q30 (lx hours with ANC off).

How accurate is this? I would say fairly accurate. Taking volume levels, streaming, and video conferencing into business relationship, the Major IV will max out effectually 60 hours, which is still more than than adequate for nearly three months of listening. Testing the headphones for nearly a calendar week, 2 hours daily, I still have 75% bombardment life left. Marshall also integrated its ain quick charging technology that gets you lot 15 hours of playback on a xv-minute charge. Most headphones just go you 2 hours in the same fourth dimension frame.

Marshall Major Iv: Call quality and connectivity

Call quality on older Marshall headphones has been respectable. The Major IV is an improvement that offers great voice clarity and volume to hear conversations loud and clear. Speaking with my wife during a grocery run, she mentioned my vocalization sounded crisp, though she could hear some groundwork noise. The headphones perform better indoors.

Y'all won't have to worry almost dropped connections because wireless performance is strong on the Major IV. Bluetooth 5.0 runs the show, instantly pairing the headphones to iOS/macOS and Android devices while granting a solid range (35 feet) to stream music from distant without having to clutch onto your smartphone. I hopped from room to room and didn't experience any cutout when jamming to Spotify playlists or jumping on Zoom calls. Multipoint technology should take come part of the bundle, but unfortunately, you can only connect these cans to ane device at a time.

Marshall Major IV: Verdict

At $150, the Marshall Major Four is a steal that blesses you with all-time-in-class battery life and near-professional sound. To have an estimated 80 hours of playtime at your disposal is insane. Annihilation you lot stream on these cans volition sound stellar, in detail, contemporary music genres. Bluetooth performance is spot-on. Then there'due south the understated design that gives the headphones a distinguishable look.

With its moderate MSRP comes a few omissions, which limits functionality on several fronts. Why Marshall didn't make the Major IV compatible with its mobile app doesn't make sense, especially since information technology comes equipped with sound customization options. The subpar noise isolation isn't a deal-breaker, but if y'all're someone who wants a distraction-gratis listening experience, and so nosotros recommend a noise-cancelling pair like the Sony WH-1000xM4 or Bose 700. Besides that, the level of audio and lengthy playtime lonely makes the Major IV a worthy investment.