For the music or content inclined, one of the most important daily companions has got to be a quality pair of wireless A.N.C. earbuds.
Given the rate at which we consume content in the current zeitgeist, it’s something of a necessity.
With this in mind, it’s been truly remarkable to see the kind of massive strides being taken in this corner of the market-with manufacturers making continual advancements to the sound, comfort and the design nous of their in-ear offerings. Suffice to say, the accessibility (let alone affordability) of high output, high quality wireless earbuds is kind of crazy and is only bounding forward with each subsequent release- a fact that makes Marshall headphones such an intriguing prospect from the get-go.
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For those even remotely familiar, the name Marshall should instantly evoke wall to wall, tolex covered guitar amp stacks, that iconic script logo and a bold gold face plate. The revered British guitar amp manufacturer pioneered guitar amplifier design back in the 1960’s, and inevitably became responsible for some of the most legendary rock guitar tones of all time. Guitar deities from Jimi Hendrix to Eric Clapton, Slash to Jimmy Page, Angus Young to Noel Gallagher, have all sported walls of Marshall amps at some point in their respective careers and for good reason.
More recently Marshall have ventured into the realm of headphones, wireless speakers and earbuds, producing some cutting edge products each embedded with the signature Marshall sound and aesthetic. The latest offering from Marshall headphones are the new Motif II A.N.C. earbuds. Bringing some significant improvements from its predecessor, and for the same price is a refreshing statement that Marshall haven’t simply slapped on the same badge, tweaked the exterior and afforded themselves a price hike. These are well and truly a cut above their predecessor and many other headphones at this price point, for that matter.
From a performance perspective the Motif IIs have an impressive battery life of 30 hours with the case (A.N.C. enabled) affording the earbuds 6 hours of playtime on their own. This is increased to 43 hours total and 9 hours playtime for the earbuds when A.N.C. is disabled. Quick charging also adds the convenience of a 15 minute burst of charging producing 1 hour of playtime, which is awesome for commuters or anybody who struggles to remember to charge their devices (that’s me).
The Motif II’s run on Bluetooth 5.3 LE, providing superior audio quality, stronger connectivity, improved video sync and longer playing time and connection over the 10 metres range is solid as a rock. The active noise cancelling (A.N.C.) provides an impressive amount of cancellation and is easily enabled/disabled via touch sensitive control. This feature has seen improvements from the original model with an increase in wind noise performance which will no doubt be welcomed by users when taking the Motif II outside or when making phone calls via the inbuilt microphone. The transparency mode is also clear and defined and conveniently selectable via touch sensitive controls. I’ve personally become a big fan of this feature in earbuds whilst using them in an interactive environment, alleviating the need to constantly remove earbuds. Both the case and earbuds are water resistant, with a IPX rating of 4 and 5 respectively – fantastic for extensive outdoor use.
The overall performance of the Motif II headphones is indeed impressive. Their 6mm drivers boast a frequency response of 20Hz – 20kHz, in turn providing a detailed and crisp sound in the top end with plenty of clarity and extension in the lows. The driver sensitivity of 108dB with a 16-Ohm impedance allows for the Motif IIs to be driven pretty hard if required, whilst retaining nice and precise performance when listening at lower volumes. The customisable sound is a particularly nice feature to have, allowing users to sculpt the response of the Motif IIs to their personal taste, with plenty of control available via the Marshall Bluetooth app. The expected codecs such as SBC, MPEG-2, AAC and LC3 are all supported, so users can enjoy all matter of streaming platforms without any issues.
Being made of 70% post consumer recycled plastics, Marshall have shown a substantial commitment to a more sustainable product, which is a breath of fresh air. This sustainable initiative doesn’t come at the expense of build quality though, with the Motif IIs oozing the same quality construction one would expect from a brand who made their name manufacturing some of the largest touring amplifier rigs ever built.
A new release that is sure to draw plenty of fresh interest from those intrigued to see what the legendary amplifier brand can do in the in-ear headphone market, Marshall’s new Motif II’s are another impressive drop from a company that is fast becoming as well known for its consumer audio products as its guitar amps.
For more information on Marshall Headphones, contact Aqipa Australia.
This article was made in partnership with Aqipa Australia.
