Marshall headphones, from their inception, have defied the gimmicky concept of invoking the look of the iconic Marshall guitar amps. Fashioning headphones and speakers this way could have been a great chance to skimp on actual audio performance in the name of creating a slick design piece, but these consumer audio products have consistently impressed us with their quality. Marshall has yet again produced a winner in the $119 Major II, an affordable, lightweight set of on-ear headphones. Not everyone will love its matte plastic design, but few will quibble with its wonderfully balanced sound signature, which is rich in bass and clear in the highs. Throw in a detachable cable, and it‘s enough to earn our Editors‘ Choice award for headphones in this price range.

Design
Visually, the Marshall lineup has always taken all cues from the guitar amplifiers it’s modeled after. The Major II ($199.00 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window)  is offered in black (with gold accents, like the amps), “pitch black” (which, as Nigel Tufnel might say, could be “none more black“), brown, or white. All of the models have their own identity, and they‘re all good-looking supra-aural (on-ear) designs. That said, the feel of the headphones seems a bit heavy on the plastic for the price. Once you go past the $100 mark, it‘s fair to expect a little less plastic and a little more metal or leather. Still, the Major II makes the most of its materials, with the plastic‘s matte surface providing an understated sense of cool. Furthermore, the headphones are exceptionally comfortable and light, thanks in large part to the plastic build. 

A detachable cable is included, adding to the value of the headphones (since you can easily replace a headphone cable if it frays or wears, which is more likely than the headphones themselves getting damaged). It connects to either ear, and includes an inline remote control and microphone. It‘s a single-button remote, so while you can control playback, track navigation, and manage your phone calls depending on how many times you tap it, you can‘t adjust volume. Not everyone will be in love with the cable‘s coiled section; it looks cool, but it seems a tad unnecessary, and can easily fasten itself to any number of objects on, say, a crowded train.

The Major II folds down at hinges on the headband for easy storing, but there‘s no included case or pouch, which is a bit surprising in this price range.

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Performance
On tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife‘s “Silent Shout,” the Major II delivers a rich, healthy dose of low-end, and it doesn‘t distort at top, unadvisable listening levels. Luckily, the deep lows are balanced out by a well-defined high-mid and high frequency response. 

See How We Test Headphones

Bill Callahan‘s “Drover,” a track with less in the way of deep bass, gives a better idea of the Major II‘s overall sound signature. The drums on this track are imbued with a lovely low-mid depth, sounding powerful but not overwhelming. Callahan‘s baritone vocals have enough richness in the low-mids on their own, and don‘t get overly boosted in that department here. Instead, they receive a pleasant amount of high-mid treble edge to help them stay crisp and in the forefront of the mix.

On Jay-Z and Kanye West‘s “No Church in the Wild,” the kick drum loop‘s attack gets enough high-mid punch to keep its sharp edge and slice through the layers of the mix. The sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the loop have serious rumble to them without sounding overly boosted, and the vocals get an ideal amount of high-mid and high frequency presence to float over the entire mix cleanly and clearly. This is a very well-balanced headphone pair, delivering robust bass working in harmony with the higher frequencies ranges, rather than overpowering them.

Orchestral tracks, like the opening scene in John Adams‘ The Gospel According to the Other Mary, illustrate this balance wonderfully: The higher register strings, brass, and vocals own the spotlight, but the lower register instrumentation gets a richness in the lows that adds some extra body to the mix. Those seeking truly flat response might find the added low-end a tad too much, but most listeners will welcome the measured-yet-full bass presence.

If you like the look, you’ll be very happy with the Major II. For $119, it’s an affordably priced on-ear option that puts out some truly excellent audio, earning it an Editors’ Choice award. If you‘re looking for a more flat response, purist-geared frequency response, the less expensive on-ear M-Audio M50 ($96.74 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) is aimed at recording engineers and enthusiasts, but works just fine in non-professional scenarios, as well. If you like the sound signature of the Major II, but not the plastic-laden design, the more expensive Harmon Kardon Soho-I is an on-ear pair that exudes class. And if you‘re looking to spend far less on a powerful on-ear pair, the Editors’ Choice Skullcandy Grind ($79.00 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) is a great value, while the less bass-heavy Shure SRH145m+ ($49.00 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) will appeal to purists seeking a budget on-ear pair.