I’ve never had an expensive pair of headphones. Usually only using them while walking the dog or while travelling or doing jobs around the house, I’ve never felt the need to upgrade beyond a budget pair.
Typically, I just run a cheap set into the ground before replacing them with another inexpensive pair. So I was intrigued to test out one of the pricier options on the market to see how much difference it would make.
Enter the Marshall Major V Bluetooth Wireless Headphones, boasting a remarkable “100 hours playback time”. We put them to the test.
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Design and fit
The first thing I noted when they arrived was the stylish design. Marshall is synonymous with rock music and the slick branding, coupled with the textured finish on the headphones means they’re easy on the eye and have that rockstar feel to them when you're wearing them out and about.
Trying them on, the ear cushioning is comfortable, as is the section that sits on the top of your head. The ear cups don’t entirely envelop your ears though, so you might wish to opt for some larger ones if that will annoy you.
I tested out the black version, which would pair well with any outfit, but they also come in a slick brown colour, plus a gorgeous cream style if that’s more your thing. As far as storage and transportation goes, they fold in on themselves meaning they’re nice and compact when you aren’t wearing them, while the adjustable sliders on the side mean it’s easy to set them up to the right size for your head and ears.
The headphones feature a handy little dial that controls everything from turning them on to increasing the volume or changing the tune you’re listening to. It definitely helps to keep the design aesthetically pleasing and reduce the extra unsightly buttons you find on some models.
And there's another big reason as to why the design of this pair becomes so important, which I highlight below. Something not many rival pairs can match.
Sound quality and app
As you might expect from such a well respected brand, the sound quality is excellent. Guitar strings strum, bass rumbles, drum beats pop and vocals are crisp - they are a delight to listen to music with.
One of the most impressive features is that the headphones are compatible with an easy-to-navigate app that allows you to customise all kinds of settings to your preferences. Options include mid reduction, bass boost, mid boost treble boost and my personal favourite, mid reduction.
You can also alter it to custom and play around with the various settings to make it suit your needs. The app also serves to let you know how much battery life is remaining, with the option to alter the settings to preserve the battery, should you choose, but we found the battery life to be very impressive without this - more on that later.
They don’t come with noise cancellation which is a bit of a shame for the price point, but this isn't a huge problem as the design has been purposely thought out to solve that with Passive Noise Cancelling instead. I wouldn't say this is a huge problem unless you're planning to use them in busy environments like a loud tube carriage, or city centre, the way the cups are designed to sit on the ears it does a decent job at passive noise cancellation all on its own.
Despite this the sound quality is beautiful, nonetheless. I’ve also had no issues with the Bluetooth connection which has been reliable so far.
Battery life
One of the most impressive claims Marshall makes about the Major V is that they boast a remarkable 100 hours of playtime on a full charge. I must admit that in the past I’ve given up on some wireless headphones after getting sick to death of how often they need charging.
But these are different, so very different. I haven’t had chance to test out a full 100 hours yet, but I’d say the battery percentage indicator seems to be roughly going down by 1% for around every hour of use, so it seems about right. Even if they don't get to 100 hours on a full charge, I'm in no doubt that they will last far longer than a standard pair.
It’s very impressive and a big selling-point as I hate nothing more than forgetting to charge something like your headphones, only for them to die in the middle of a journey or a workout. With the Major V I’d feel confident that they’ll last for a very long time, while they also have a wireless charging function if you have the right charger.
Price and what’s not so great?
While the headphones are stunning, they definitely aren’t the cheapest, retailing at £129.99 normally, or £117.12 in an Amazon sale at present. I found that after wearing them for a while they did start to feel a tad uncomfortable. However, I do wear glasses so I often find that this style of on-ear headphones can often create a small amount of discomfort on your ears when you have them on for a prolonged period of time.
The other thing to mention, and it’s why I’ve given them four stars rather than five, is that I didn’t get the ‘wow’ factor I was expecting from headphones in this price range. While the sound is generally excellent and they come with some great features, I was expecting to feel the hairs on my neck stand up when I cranked the volume up, but I didn’t quite get it.
It’s not a major complaint, I was just expecting something slightly more dazzling given the price.
Verdict
The Marshall Major V Bluetooth Wireless Headphones are a fashionable choice that offer great sound quality, exceptional battery life and that rockstar look. The price tag is negated somewhat by the brilliant battery and crisp sound, while the build quality does offer a premium feel to it. If your budget can stretch to this price range then I would certainly recommend them, with the few flaws certainly outweighed by the impressive performance overall.
Where to buy
The headphones can be bought from several places, including Amazon (£117.12), Marshall (£129.99) , John Lewis (£117.12) .
What else is out there?
There are lots of other options on the market worth considering, particularly as we enter Black Friday season. If you're looking for a more wallet-friendly option then the Rebocico Bluetooth Headphones are £22.99 on Amazon and come with an average rating of 4.4 stars out of 5.
Another headphone brand with an excellent reputation is Bose, with its QuietComfort Headphones priced at £219.95.