Marshall Monitor III A.N.C.

The Marshall Monitor III A.N.C. are style icons with a 70-hour battery that's basically best-in-class. The sound is fun and the ANC is strong, but call quality is a major letdown. If you can find them for a good price and don't need a headset for calls, they're a solid buy.

The sound signature is classic Marshall: a fun, energetic V-shape that pushes the bass and treble forward. The 32mm dynamic drivers get plenty loud at 117dB, and the Dynamic Loudness feature does a good job of keeping the mix balanced as you change volume. It's a crowd-pleasing sound, landing in the 91st percentile in our rankings, which puts it among the best for this kind of tuned-for-fun listening. The ANC is also a standout, blocking out a ton of background hum at the 92nd percentile. The real party trick is that 70-hour battery, sitting pretty in the 96th percentile. The letdown is the microphone. A 47.1 call score is one of the worst we've seen in this price bracket, so don't expect to sound clear on your next Zoom call. Comfort is also just average, sitting in the 62nd percentile, which means they might get a bit clampy after a few hours.

Stacked against the heavy hitters, the Monitor III A.N.C. carves out a clear niche. The Sony ULT WEAR will give you more bass slam and a more modern feature set for a similar price, while the Bose QuietComfort Ultra are simply in a different league for comfort and call quality. The Apple AirPods Max offer a more premium build and seamless iOS integration, but they can't touch the Marshall's battery life. The Sennheiser HDB 630 will likely offer a more refined, audiophile-leaning sound. You pick the Marshalls because you love the look and need a battery that lasts a full work week, not because they beat everyone on pure audio fidelity.

Pricing on these is a rollercoaster. We've seen them listed anywhere from a reasonable $219 all the way up to a laughable $5,679. At the lower end of that spectrum, the value proposition is strong. You're getting a stylish, well-built headphone with elite battery life and ANC. At the higher end, you're getting absolutely fleeced. Our budget score of 86.7 suggests that if you snag these for under $300, you're getting a solid deal. Just make sure you're buying from a reputable vendor and not some third-party seller trying to make a quick buck off the Marshall name.

Marshall nailed the look with the Monitor III A.N.C. They've got that iconic rock-and-roll aesthetic, a rugged foldable design, and a battery that just refuses to die. You're getting a claimed 70 hours with ANC on, which is basically best-in-class and means you can forget your charging cable for a week or two without breaking a sweat. The feature set is loaded too, with solid active noise canceling, a transparency mode, and some clever tricks like Dynamic Loudness that tweaks the EQ on the fly.

But here's the thing: these are lifestyle headphones first, and audiophile cans a distant second. Our database puts their total score at a decent 77.7 out of 100, but that's heavily propped up by the insane battery life and strong social buzz. The actual music score sits at a more modest 76.3, and call quality is a real weak spot at 47.1. If you're buying these for the vintage amp styling and marathon listening sessions, you'll be thrilled. If you're pixel-peeping your audio, you might want to keep scrolling.

Skip these if you take a lot of calls. The microphone performance is a genuine dealbreaker at 47.1 out of 100, making you sound like you're talking through a tin can. Audiophiles seeking a neutral, detailed sound should also look elsewhere, as the V-shaped tuning is all about fun, not accuracy.

Buy the Marshall Monitor III A.N.C. if you're a style-conscious listener who prioritizes battery life and noise canceling above all else. They're perfect for long commutes, open-plan offices, or just looking cool while you ignore the world. The sound is fun and engaging, and the build quality is there. Just don't buy them if you spend half your day on calls, and definitely don't pay anywhere near full retail. Hunt for a deal, and you'll be rocking out happily for days on end.