It’s been a year since the Marshall Major V came out, and I must say, in a sea of audio brands making headphones, Marshall is a brand that immediately connects to the world of music, especially rock and roll. With them making headphones, which isn’t really quite up their alley as someone who does products like such, they sure did bring something interesting to the table. In this Marshall Major V Review, we are going to share the things we loved about it and things that need to change.

Marshall Major V Review

Quite the Looker in Every Way

Weighing at 186 grams, these headphones are the easiest, no-brainer headphones for me to bring around when I want to travel light. There isn’t a single moment I have hesitated to bring these Marshall Major V around, because the compact and lightweight build is truly the selling point here. Personally, I bring a lot of things in my bag, and having headphones is essential. Moments where I don’t need ANC are where the Marshall Major V has stepped in and shone.

The way it looks – it surely is a great looker. Compared to the IVs, the Major V has a better Marshall-esque look to it – the leather texture on the earcups, rubberised Marshall logo on both sides, the adjustable bands which are very reminiscent of monitor headphones from early in the days – this headphone is an amazing looker in every possible way.

With form comes function, and it’s extremely easy to collapse these headphones and store them in your bags – the only downside is that Marshall doesn’t include a carry pouch, which honestly would have been nice. So, I’d recommend getting a simple pouch to store these headphones away while you’re not using them.

The Companion App is Well Done

For a lot of headphones, you could kinda forgo downloading the Companion App to control the headphones – but in Marshall’s case, you really need it, and please download it because for what we are about to share next, you’ll realise why you will need it.

But the app itself is well thought out, well designed in every aspect, without feeling overwhelming to users. Every setting is super straightforward, and brands like Sony, Bowers and Wilkins could learn a thing or two from their application. The App has the following controls for you to customise the headphones: Equaliser, which offers a 5-band customisation, M-Button, Spotify Tap, Interaction Sounds, Battery Preservation, Standby Time out and Firmware Update through the About section.

These are the most essential controls you need in headphones or earbuds, and I am glad that Marshall has made all of them available through this app. We will get into detail in the other segments of the review.

The Only Headphone that has not died on me

I listen a lot, and if you have not met me, you’d think it’s an understatement. But let me tell you, I love music and I am always with a pair of headphones. My 6-digit listening minutes on Spotify Wrap could back me up. But that said, the Marshall Major V’s rated battery life is about over 100+ hours. Honestly, I wasn’t buying it until I used it. Honestly, I don’t remember when was the last time I charged these headphones, safe to say, maybe about 3 weeks ago (?), but man, this thing is a tank.

In moments where I want to bring a headphone outside, I always know that the Marshall Major V has a battery and even at the time of writing this review, I just powered it on to see 65% battery, and I know it will last me well for another week until I want to charge it up. Best part, not only can you charge via USB-C, but if you have a Wireless Charging pad, you can use that to charge as well. Simply magnificent.

Additionally, the App features a Battery Preservation mode, which allows you to select one of three available levels: Preservation, Balance, or Standard. This is particularly beneficial, as it enables you to prolong battery life for as long as possible. I have not seen this in any headphones, and this needs to be more widely available across other audio brands. And then you have the standby time customisation, which is also quite good.

Easily the Best on Headphones Control I’ve Used

There are only two controls on the headphones – the M Button on the left and the gold joystick control on the right. Oh boy, these are the best controls I have ever used on headphones. Press and hold to turn on/off, enter pairing mode by holding for 2 seconds, you can press once to play and pause music, press twice to reject calls, and you move the joystick left and right to switch tracks and move up and down for volume control – it’s that easy.

The M-button is their customizable button where you can set up Spotify Tap, Equaliser, Voice Assistant or simply disable it. But I set it to Spotify Tap as I like to switch songs without the need to reach my phone, and it’s really convenient. These two controls are fantastic, with a nice clicky response, and it feels good to control the headphones themselves.

Versatility is truly there in the Connectivity

These Marshall Major V have gotten a major upgrade in the connectivity department, with support for SBC, AAC and LC3 – which means, Auracast support is possible. LE Audio is something I am hoping to see on more audio products for Auracast reasons, and I am truly excited for this, as it allows you to seamlessly switch between Auracast devices without the need to pair/unpair.

AAC support is great because the IVs didn’t even support it, so Apple users or even Android users for that matter, could drive slightly higher quality audio through these 40mm drivers. If you don’t want to use the wireless features, then you can connect to these headphones via a wired connection – it comes included with a 3.5mm Audio Cord, which is good.

With on-ear headphones, I don’t expect to see support for LDAC because it’s too much of an ask, and on-ear headphones generally struggle to deliver the detail due to the lack of complete noise isolation because of their design. But that doesn’t mean that these sound bad; it’s just a minor compromise for portability and convenience.

The Sound Quality Though

This is where I struggled to find the right words to talk about the audio quality. The last time I was this speechless was when I reviewed the Sonos Ace, which just failed to deliver the experience they promised. Though that is not the case with these Marshall Major V, I can’t help but highlight the odd listening experience these headphones offer.

I am not a fan of this treble-ing audio experience that the headphones deliver out of the box. Dubbed as Marshall’s Signature Sound, it should be a crime to have it tuned this way. I love a good rock and roll song – so, I listened to Only Love Can Save Me Now by The Pretty Reckless – in the default EQ. This song was okay; there wasn’t anything “yay” to comment about. Then I moved to They’re all around us by Poppy – and oh, the treble is discomforting. This is where I need to emphasise, the EQ modification is necessary.

Silverlining: The EQ is a Saving Grace

The 5-band EQ is limiting for sure – but it’s better than not having anything at all. You can control: 160 Hz, 400 Hz, 1kHz, 2.5kHz and 6.25kHz. After making the necessary adjustments, I could finally enjoy new way out by Poppy. Moving to more pop-centric songs, you will need to tweak the EQ, of course, but when you do, the audio coming out of this is just okay.

Do take note that you are using on-ear headphones – which means you will have a certain degree of sound leak as it’s not sealed completely. And don’t crank your volume up to the highest because you don’t want to suffer sound-induced listening issues.

Apart from that

The comfort of these Marshall Major V is pretty decent for on-ear headphones. Usually, brands tend to cheap out on the earcup comfort, and it feels like your ears are being clamped by the hard plastics. But not here, it’s pretty comfy. I also enjoy these headphones in a climate like Malaysia, where it’s pretty hot and headphones like these keep it airy. For those who wear glasses, worry not, it is not discomforting in the way over ears can be.

Conclusion

The out-of-the-box experience with these Marshall Major V is almost there – like it has gotten 70% of the formula right – the remaining 30%, which is mostly in the listening experience, is where, you as the user, need to step in and make it sound exactly how you like. And once you get that right, these Marshall Major V are a pretty good on-ear option to consider. I would still recommend it to the rock and rollers out there, I mean, just look at it – the Major V is that beautiful to look at.

If you are lucky, here in Malaysia, you can get these headphones below retail right now – for about RM 600 – and for what they are, it’s worth considering if you are looking for a headphone like this. After using it for a year, I have to say, Marshall has a lot to learn, and just compared to the IVs, they sure are learning and making progress. A progress worth celebrating.

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