Bluetooth headphones - a non-audiophile type headphone for a change

[JJB70]

For Christmas my daughter (11) wanted some headphones and expressed a liking for Marshall headphones (actually Zound, the Marshall bit is just a license agreement between the two companies). Having seen the Marshall Monitor BT model on Amazon for £98 I got her those. These are not the usual ASR fare, and I'm guessing they're not a model many of us would look at but for £98 I have to say they're pretty decent.

My daughter is still on the first charge, and has used them a lot since unboxing them on Christmas day. BT pairing was very simple and it is very reliable, the range is pretty impressive too. I gave them a try and although the tuning is weighted towards the low end and a bit bass heavy it isn't ridiculously bass heavy and is actually pretty enjoyable. They are not as detailed or revealing as my own headphones and the faux leatherette style is very plasticky but for £98 they appear to be a pretty solid and decent sounding pair of headphones.

The odd thing about them is they are sold as over ear headphones, now they are over ear for my 11 years old daughter but when I wear them they feel as much on-ear as over ear and are very small for a design marketed as over ear.

Trying them it struck me that even these headphones, which many audiophiles will just dismiss and deride, allow me to enjoy music and although I wouldn't swap my D7200s, PM-2s or MSR7s for these I do find they are very listenable. At their SRP I do think you can do better for less (there are some amazing offers on the last generation Sennheiser Momentum, and I've noticed some great offers on the Bose 35QCII, even the new 700 and Sony 1000XM3 if you want noise cancelling) but at the sort of price they sell for on Amazon these seem to be a very decent pair of wireless headphones.

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

It’s always nice when something you’d normally dismiss surprisingly exceeds expectations!

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[JJB70]

Indeed, all that really matters is that my daughter likes them, but being a bit of an audiophile I had to try them and was pleasantly surprised. The only real criticism I have at this price is the fact that for many adults they will be on-ear. When you think that headphones like this incorporate a battery, BT module and amplifier ( and include a canvass carry bag) it is incredible value. The folding mechanism is good, they went for the same simple collapse in mechanism as industrial ear defenders, it is simple and it works, reminds me of all those years when my Peltor H10 and Optime III ear defenders were my best friend in ships engine rooms and in power plants.

 

[anmpr1]

I recently bought a JBL bluetooth (400BT) headphone for workouts at the gym. They hold their charge, and mate with an older S6 Galaxy w/o any problems. I think for 'active' use they are OK. Not very heavy on the head. $70.00 (USD) Black Friday special.

 

[Loonabae]

I wouldn't trust a audiophile on consumer stuff opinion wise. Since they'll scoff at <$350 audiophile gear without trying them or use there sighted bias to bash them.

 

[Celty]

As it happens, Zeos latest review is:

 

[JJB70]

Typical entertaining Zeos review, thanks for linking! I noticed he didn't like the model I got for the daughter but c'EST la vie, I found them nicely put together and very listenable. Fairplay to Zeos for reviewing more prosaic headphones than his usual fare and giving them a fair shot.

There are lots of very decent and affordable wired and wireless headphones out there which offer perfectly acceptable sound quality. Company's like Sony, JBL and others (including Marshall) make some very good products which won't break too many banks.

 

[daftcombo]

In Paris underground, everybody has Marshall headphones. What do they sound like?

 

[anmpr1]

There are lots of very decent and affordable wired and wireless headphones out there which offer perfectly acceptable sound quality. Company's like Sony, JBL and others (including Marshall) make some very good products which won't break too many banks.

I wonder how much of this low end stuff is really conceived and executed by the companies involved? Or whether they simply choose designs out of an OEM catalog, pick out certain specs, and product is then created by a factory in Shenzhen? Do Marshall employees build headphones in the back of their amp factory?

 

[JJB70]

I wonder how much of this low end stuff is really conceived and executed by the companies involved? Or whether they simply choose designs out of an OEM catalog, pick out certain specs, and product is then created by a factory in Shenzhen? Do Marshall employees build headphones in the back of their amp factory?

In the case of Marshall they have nothing to do with the headphones that carry their name other than whatever provisions are in their license agreement with Zound to protect the Marshall name. They are Zound headphones, no idea which manufacturer in China actually built them.
Marshall is a Milton Keynes company, their factory in Bletchley is only about 4 or 5 miles from my house. I suspect one reason my daughter wanted them is she thinks they are made down the road, I haven't got the heart to clarify this for her.......

 

[anmpr1]

In the case of Marshall they have nothing to do with the headphones that carry their name other than whatever provisions are in their license agreement with Zound to protect the Marshall name. They are Zound headphones, no idea which manufacturer in China actually built them.
Marshall is a Milton Keynes company, their factory in Bletchley is only about 4 or 5 miles from my house. I suspect one reason my daughter wanted them is she thinks they are made down the road, I haven't got the heart to clarify this for her.......

JBL wireless phones are Chinese. It's what one expects at the price point-- representing good value for the dollar. My guess is that they are made in the same factory that makes Marshall. Wouldn't surprise me. What would surprise me is if JBL makes anything Northridge California, anymore.

 

[Dimitri]

In the case of Marshall they have nothing to do with the headphones that carry their name other than whatever provisions are in their license agreement with Zound to protect the Marshall name. They are Zound headphones, no idea which manufacturer in China actually built them.
Marshall is a Milton Keynes company, their factory in Bletchley is only about 4 or 5 miles from my house. I suspect one reason my daughter wanted them is she thinks they are made down the road, I haven't got the heart to clarify this for her.......

...although it will be a good opportunity to make the point of selecting a product on its merits rather than "brand recognition".
Most of yesterday's companies are no longer "the same company" JBL, Nakamichi, Infinity, Blaupunkt to name a few

https://www.audiophilenirvana.com/audio-companies/goodbye-american-icon-jbl/

 

[JJB70]

In Paris underground, everybody has Marshall headphones. What do they sound like?

I am afraid I am not much of a reviewer but based on having a try of the Monitor BT they are a bit bass heavy but not ridiculously so and a bit warm. They are not neutral or analytical but they do have a rather fun and enjoyable sound signature and overall they were much better than I expected. Very listenable.

 

[restorer-john]

@JJB70 The internal battery will be the first thing to go. Likely a LiPo (or NiMH) and one to three years if she's lucky. When the charge/run time shortens drastically, you'll know it's time to track down and buy a new cell pack.

Glad they sound better than you expected.

 

[LightninBoy]

Sorry to keep pimping these, but the Skullcandy Grind BT headphones are one of the best audio purchases I've ever made. And completely by accident. So I wouldn't be surprised if there are a lot of really good and practical bt headphone options in the 50-100$ range.

 

[JJB70]

@JJB70 The internal battery will be the first thing to go. Likely a LiPo (or NiMH) and one to three years if she's lucky. When the charge/run time shortens drastically, you'll know it's time to track down and buy a new cell pack.

Glad they sound better than you expected.

I had that with my Sony 1000X noise cancelling headphones, they didn't go gradually but just fell of a cliff. I have had the same experience with cell phones and laptops. So now I am loathe to spend much on battery powered devices unless they have user replaceable batteries.

 

[Fregly]

I've given regular consumer audio fare as gifts before without checking and found subsequently they were gastly. It's nice your daughter ended up with something pretty good.

 

[JJB70]

I think when giving gifts sometimes it's difficult to remember that others like different things. This year I bought my wife and son smart speakers, in the end I went with the Sonos One as it is a good speaker and has both Alexa and Google assistant and they were very happy but it was interesting that whereas I was interested in the speaker audio performance and have a high regard for Sonos audio performance they were really only interested in the voice activated digital assistant functionality and seem to think all these speakers sound the same anyway. If my daughter hadn't specifically asked for Marshall I suspect I'd have gone looking at offerings from Sennheiser, Sony, JBL and Audio Technica for her but ultimately it's what she wants and weirdly I suspect whatever I might have chosen wouldn't really have been any better than what she got.

 

[Asylum Seeker]

For Christmas my daughter (11) wanted some headphones and expressed a liking for Marshall headphones (actually Zound, the Marshall bit is just a license agreement between the two companies). Having seen the Marshall Monitor BT model on Amazon for £98 I got her those. These are not the usual ASR fare, and I'm guessing they're not a model many of us would look at but for £98 I have to say they're pretty decent.

My daughter is still on the first charge, and has used them a lot since unboxing them on Christmas day. BT pairing was very simple and it is very reliable, the range is pretty impressive too. I gave them a try and although the tuning is weighted towards the low end and a bit bass heavy it isn't ridiculously bass heavy and is actually pretty enjoyable. They are not as detailed or revealing as my own headphones and the faux leatherette style is very plasticky but for £98 they appear to be a pretty solid and decent sounding pair of headphones.

The odd thing about them is they are sold as over ear headphones, now they are over ear for my 11 years old daughter but when I wear them they feel as much on-ear as over ear and are very small for a design marketed as over ear.

Trying them it struck me that even these headphones, which many audiophiles will just dismiss and deride, allow me to enjoy music and although I wouldn't swap my D7200s, PM-2s or MSR7s for these I do find they are very listenable. At their SRP I do think you can do better for less (there are some amazing offers on the last generation Sennheiser Momentum, and I've noticed some great offers on the Bose 35QCII, even the new 700 and Sony 1000XM3 if you want noise cancelling) but at the sort of price they sell for on Amazon these seem to be a very decent pair of wireless headphones.

You should listen to the latest generation BT earbuds. Very decent SQ. Coupled with their convenience (i.e. size, weight and charging case) and they are winners in my book.