The Marshall Monitor III A.N.C. is Marshall’s flagship wireless noise-canceling over-ear headphone, released in October 2024 as the successor to the Monitor II A.N.C. from 2020. Battery life reaches 70 hours with ANC on and 100 hours with ANC off, giving over a week of listening between charges. Bluetooth 5.3 supports LE Audio and Auracast, with multipoint pairing for switching between two devices. The signature Marshall rock-oriented tuning carries over from previous generations, with adjustable EQ available through the Marshall app.
Headphones perfect for a variety of use case situations
Battery life is the defining feature of the Monitor III A.N.C. in the flagship ANC category. A full charge delivers 70 hours with ANC active or 100 hours with ANC off, enough for a two-week international trip or a full month of commutes between plug-ins. A 15-minute quick charge on the USB-C port also delivers 12 hours of playback if you’re heading out the door with a low battery. Any USB-C wall adapter or laptop USB-C port works for charging.
Active noise cancellation is on par with what you’d expect from a $380 pair of flagship headphones. The Marshall app offers three modes: ANC on, ANC off, and Transparency Mode, which lets you hear outside sound while music plays. Marshall’s signature tuning has been carried over from previous generations, emphasizing bass and warm mids for rock, blues, and metal genres. Soundstage spatial audio is also on the newer feature list, virtualizing music as if it’s playing in a room around your head rather than inside it.
Physical controls power the Monitor III A.N.C. rather than touch surfaces. A multi-directional control knob on the right earcup controls playback, volume, track skipping, and call answering with clicks and pushes. The customizable M-button next to it triggers a Spotify Tap, a spatial audio toggle, or the voice assistant, depending on app settings. A separate button toggles between ANC on, off, and Transparency. Auto-pause detection also stops the music when you take the headphones off and resumes when you put them back on.
Build materials include vegan leather over the headband and ear cushions, with 66% recycled plastic in the frame from pre-loved electronic devices and CDs. The frame folds into an included hard case that resembles a miniature guitar amp case with red velvet lining. Wired listening uses a USB-C-to-3.5 mm cable included in the box, since the headphones don’t have a traditional 3.5mm input jack. Bluetooth codecs include SBC and AAC, with LE Audio and Auracast poised to become future audio-sharing standards.
Marshall has positioned the Monitor line at the top of its wireless headphone catalog since the original Monitor A.N.C. launched in 2019. The Monitor III A.N.C. brings the biggest updates to the line since the II arrived in 2020, with the extended battery life, Bluetooth LE Audio support, Auracast readiness, and Soundstage spatial audio as the main additions. At $230, down from $380, the discount takes $150 off the list price. If you’re a rock or metal listener looking for long-battery-life ANC headphones, this fits the bill.