Marshall Minor II Wireless Headphones: A Complete Review

Marshall Minor II Wireless Headphones: A Complete Review

$59.99

(1 customer review)
Add to wishlistAdded to wishlistRemoved from wishlist 0
Add to compare
7.8/10 (Expert Score)
Product is rated as #13 in category Wireless Earbuds
The Marshall Minor II wireless headphones made a mixed impression on me. On the one hand, they sound great, have a long working time, and look very nice. However, the most unpleasant moment was the lack of passive noise isolation, making the headphones unsuitable for everyday use while moving around the city. And let's not forget some of the nuances with the comfort of long-term use. If you are looking for wireless headphones with great sound and a nice design, you should pay attention to Marshall Minor II.
Design
9.0
Sound
7.8
Price
8
Connectivity
7.8
Battery
7.8
PROS:
  • Good sound quality
  • Modern Bluetooth 5 with aptX support
  • Stylish look
  • Unique control button on the remote with joystick functionality
  • Long battery life - up to 12 hours
CONS:
  • Lack of passive sound insulation

It is undeniable that the Marshall brand is a favorite for many, and for some, it is the best, especially for those who once tried to play the guitar on their own and purchased a Marshall amplifier for these purposes. For these people, the history of music brands’ perception is divided strictly into two parts: before and after Marshall. More recently, Marshall has released new wireless in-ear headphones, the characteristics of which can cause an interest for everyone interested in this topic. Is the new Marshall Minor II really worth it?

Who is Marshall Minor II made for?

  • For those who value sound quality. With all the other qualities of these headphones, one cannot deny their main advantage – music playback quality. Marshall Minor II sounds great, and if the main sound is for you, then your search is over.
  • Not for those who use public transport. Yes, the headphones sound good, but at the same time, they have very weak passive noise isolation, and this makes them far from the best choice for those who spend a lot of time on public transport or in other noisy places.

Equipment: Marshall Minor II Wireless Headphones

Marshall Minor II Wireless Headphones review

Package Included:

  • Headphones
  • Micro-USB charging cable
  • Instruction manual

You probably were surprised to learn about the equipment, but where is the set of ear pads? They are not here. And they are not needed because Marshall Minor II is not in-ear headphones, but in-ear. Amazingly, Marshall decided to release headphones in such a rare form factor. Probably the most popular competitors in this form factor today are AirPods.

Construction, materials, and build quality

Marshall Minor II Wireless Headphones

The first thing that catches your eye is the design of the headphones. Whoever says anything, but Marshall designers know how to work. It is not so easy to make headphones in black that would be so recognizable. In addition to a completely black case, there is a gold-plated plate with the company logo on the outside of the headphones. And, as a bonus, this plate is magnetized, so the headphones are attracted to each other. Tired of listening to music? Just remove the headphones from your ears and leave them hanging on your neck; both cases will be pulled together and will not bother you at all. In this case, music playback will be automatically paused. As soon as you disconnect the headphones, playback resumes.

Let’s move on to the method of attaching headphones to the ear. Because Marshall Minor II is in-ear, they cannot keep in the ear due to the friction forces, as conventional in-ear headphones do. Therefore, the engineers had to invent something so that the headphones were firmly fixed in the ears. They decided to use a cable for this.

If competitors usually use silicone stops of different sizes, which can be changed, a different scheme was used in Marshall Minor II: the cable bypasses half of the headphone casing from above. It has a clip with which you can adjust its reach and fix it. Thus, a kind of silicone emphasis is created, which should hold the headphones in your ears. Did this engineering trick work? Yes and no.

On the one hand, it’s convenient because it is possible to control the cable’s overhang in an extensive range, and therefore it can be configured for any ear most efficiently.

On the other hand, the cable is not as convenient as a separate silicone stop, so although the size can be adjusted, the cable is always felt by the ear, and over time, it starts to get a little annoying.

During testing, I could not listen to the headphones for more than two hours precisely because of the cable, which simultaneously serves as a stop.

Marshall Minor II Wireless Headphones review

The design allows you to obliterate the imitation of the emphasis, so the headphones stay in the ear only due to their folds, and if your shape of the ear does not contribute to this, then the headphones will constantly fall out of it. Remember how many complaints about AirPods on the Internet that some people don’t have to stick to them at all. With Marshall Minor II, everything is the same.

My ear allows the headphones not to fall out immediately. However, after a couple of dozen minutes, the headphones under their own weight can still fall out. And this is the most annoying part of using headphones for me – I constantly have to think about them because as soon as I stop controlling their position, I can immediately lose them. It is unpleasant.

Yes, another negative factor is the headphones’ size – they are quite large because inside, there is a large dynamic driver with a membrane diameter of 14.2 mm. This is a huge driver for in-ear headphones, certainly one of the largest ones I had to deal with.

Therefore, if you have small ears, Marshall Minor II is probably not made for you. But if you like the Marshall brand, then before buying, you need to try on headphones, and if they suit you, it will be an enjoyable purchase.

As I wrote above, the headphones are not equipped with traditional silicone or foam ear pads; instead, they have a molded sound ergonomic design that, when put on the headphones, directs sound deep into the ear. Simultaneously, it does not help the headphones stay in the ear at all, and this is not the only drawback of this solution.

The second drawback is the lack of passive sound insulation. You will hear absolutely everything that is happening around you. In some cases, this is not scary, for example, if you listen to music in the office, at home, or while cycling around the city. But if you have to spend several hours a day in the subway – forget about Marshall Minor II, because in the subway, you will not hear music at all. Even if you make the headphones louder, the subway wins. At the same time, you will also significantly increase the load on your hearing. If you do this often, you can damage it irrevocably, so for the subway and other noisy places, Marshall Minor II is not suitable.

And now for the pleasant. The build quality, as well as the quality of materials, does not cause the slightest gripe. The headphones are perfectly assembled. You pick it up and understand: “Thing.”

Wireless connection

Marshall Minor II Wireless Headphones review

As for the wireless part, the engineers tried, and there is nothing to add to this. Inside the headphones is a Bluetooth 5.0 module that supports the aptX codec, which today is one of the best solutions in the world. Of course, there is a more advanced aptX and LDAC codec. Still, even aptX allows you to listen to high-quality music from any source easily, whether it’s an online service like Spotify or Deezer or playing music from your phone or computer.

I did not notice any problems with the stability of the connection throughout the testing. There has never been a disconnection or other distortion of the reception of data from the phone.

The connection remained stable at a distance of 13 meters without barriers. In the apartment’s conditions, the connection was stable at a distance of up to 9 meters.

Remote Control

Marshall Minor II Wireless Headphones remote control

The Marshall Minor II control panel is unusual. It’s all about the control button. Yes, there is only one button. Usually, when a manufacturer tries to simplify a remote control and instead of three classic buttons makes one, it means a significant reduction in available functions. Still, in the case of Marshall Minor II, this is not so.

A button is not a button at all. It is a joystick. It moves in various directions, so if you pull the button up, it will increase the volume, down – will decrease. Tilting the button left or right will switch the playback tracks, and if you press the button once, it will stop or start playing music.

You can also look at: ASUS TUF Gaming H3 Gaming Headset Review

After a short period of getting used to, music control becomes comfortable and understandable. However, there is also a slight inconvenience associated with a similar button implementation – the function of turning the headphone on and off. To turn Marshall Minor II on or off, you need to press and hold the button. It would seem that it can be easier; however, this must be done strictly along the vertical axis. If, during pressing, you shifted the button to either side, the headphones will assume that you wanted to either change the volume or switch the track rather than turn off the headphones. Even after repeating this exercise many times, I had false positives, so keep in mind that disconnecting the headphones will not be very convenient.

Battery life

Marshall Minor II Wireless Headphones charging point

The manufacturer declares the battery life at 12 hours. In my test, the headphones were able to work for 10 hours, 48 minutes. It should be noted that the volume level was set above average, about 75% of the maximum, so when listening to music under normal conditions, you should get the promised 12 hours of operation of the device.

Fast charge function is supported, so 10 minutes of the network connection will give you 1 hour of music playback.

The charging cable uses the classic Micro-USB, although, of course, I want it to be a modern USB-type C.

Marshall Minor II Sound Quality

Marshall Minor II Wireless Headphones

an even say that Marshall Minor II, to some extent, play quite balanced and purely in the general sense, with a dynamic sound supply. Of course, I can’t recommend using these headphones as a standard or professional tool because Marshall Minor II has a certain tendency to embellish low frequencies and a small but noticeable peak in the mid frequencies. However, they are perfect for daily listening to your favorite music.

Yes, the headphones reproduce not all the bass accented by the way, but only up to about 40 Hz, after which the low frequencies begin to subside. They can be heard, but Marshall Minor II are not headphones for bass heads. They play more accurately, so if you are interested in artificially amplified low frequencies that sound on the threshold of audibility, then these headphones are not quite what you need. Still, if you want to get powerful but accurate low-frequency reproduction, then everything will be all right.

You can also look at: Huawei FreeBuds Pro review: TWS headphones that are enough

However, I want to note once again that the headphones do not have passive noise isolation. Therefore, my reasoning about sound quality is valid only for listening to music in a quiet room. As soon as you find yourself on the street, or, God forbid, on the subway, the first thing that disappears is the bass. He will not be. After it, the mid frequencies begin to fade, and the last thing you hear is the clatter of frequencies above 10 kHz.

Conclusion: Should you buy Marshall Minor II Wireless Headphones?

The Marshall Minor II wireless headphones made a mixed impression on me. On the one hand, they sound great, have a long working time, and look very nice. However, the most unpleasant moment was the lack of passive noise isolation, making the headphones unsuitable for normal use while moving around the city. And let’s not forget some of the nuances with the comfort of long-term use.

If you are looking for wireless headphones with great sound and a nice design, you should pay attention to Marshall Minor II.

Pros:

  1. Good sound quality
  2. Modern Bluetooth 5 with aptX support
  3. Stylish look
  4. Unique control button on the remote with joystick functionality
  5. Long battery life – up to 12 hours

Cons:

  1. Lack of passive sound insulation

Tags: Marshall Minor II Wireless Headphones Review, Marshall Minor II Review, Marshall Minor II Complete Review, Marshall Minor II Wireless Headphones Complete Review

Specification: Marshall Minor II Wireless Headphones: A Complete Review

Brand
Play Time Range
Price Range
Rating Range
Product Dimensions 3.8 x 2.1 x 6.3 inches
Item Weight 0.79 ounces
Batteries 1 Lithium Polymer batteries required. (included)

Videos: Marshall Minor II Wireless Headphones: A Complete Review

Photos: Marshall Minor II Wireless Headphones: A Complete Review

1 review for Marshall Minor II Wireless Headphones: A Complete Review

5.0 out of 5
1
0
0
0
0
Write a review
Show all Most Helpful Highest Rating Lowest Rating
  1. Svein-Ole Nilsen

    Love this earbuds. They make the music swing. Having a good time with them. They are a comfortable too. Can’t understand why others find them uncomfortable? 12 hours of CD quality. I do not regret buying these earbuds.

    Helpful(0) Unhelpful(0)You have already voted this

    Add a review

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Marshall Minor II Wireless Headphones: A Complete Review
    Marshall Minor II Wireless Headphones: A Complete Review
    WirelessEarbuds.Best
    Logo
    Enable registration in settings - general
    Compare items
    • Total (0)
    Compare
    0
    Shopping cart