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Over all I think the new Marshall Monitor 2 ANC’s are a great pair of headphones… but I specifically think they’re a great option for daily commuters if you can even leave the house that is. But today we’re going to see how the Monitor 2’s stack up against the Sony 1000XM3’s and the Bose NC 700’s.
Now I know that with this current quarantine, all of this uncertainty, and with how the economy currently is… buying a pair of premium ANC headphones might not be on the top of a lot of people’s list. But I think that with us being stuck in the house all day with family, some people might be looking for away to escape a little bit, so they might be looking into investing into a pair of ANC headphones. So with that being said, the Bose NC 700’s retail for $400, where as the Monitor 2’s retail for $320.
But now I want to address the Sony 1000XM3’s price. These headphones have a retail price of $350… but they’re typically on sale for $278 these days. And thats cause we know that the Sony 1000XM4’s are right around the corner, which you can learn more about here. But with our current global health situation I wouldn’t be surprised one bit if they end up getting delayed. Ultimately I do think its a real coin toss to pick up the 1000XM3’s today cause I think the 1000XM4’s are worth waiting for, but regardless the 1000XM3’s are a steal at their $278 price point. So if you want to pick any of the headphones mentioned in this video up they’ll be lined down below.
So first off lets go over cases, both the Bose NC 700 and Sony 1000XM3 come included with a hardshell carrying case. Where as the Marshall’s come included with a carrying pouch. Now like I’ve said in the past, whenever you’re paying upwards of $300 for a pair a headphones a hardshell case is to be expected. So personally I am a little disappointed in Marshall here. But you probably don’t need a hard case since you’re cooped up in the house all day anyways.
But what I really like about the Marshall’s is their build quality and design. I really like the Marshall’s classic design but the main reason why I like them so much is I cause they’re so low profile. Where as the Bose NC 700’s look elegant but their super round headband just make it look like you’re wearing a helmet. But then there are the Sony’s which do a more low profile headband which I like, but their ear cups do pop out a little more compared to the Marshall’s.
Now when it comes to build quality all of these headphones are decent, but objectively the Sony’s do feel the cheapest here. They’re mostly made out of plastic and the leatherette on these ear pads feel’s the most synthetic. But something that I have noticed recently is that when I extend their headband, I do feel that the clicking mechanism is starting to wear out and feel a little loss. Now granted this is after a year and a half of heavy usage, and I also quite a lot for these reviews in general. So I did want point that out.
But then there are the Bose NC 700’s which also have decent build quality, but what really makes them stand out here is how luxurious their leatherette feels. The synthetic leatherette on the Bose is second to only to the sheep skin ear pads found on the Sennheiser Momentum 3’s. And then what makes the Marshall’s stand out here is their durability compared to these other two headphones. Even though these headphones don’t come included with a hardshell case, I don’t think they need it cause they’re so rugged.
But all of that ruggedness does come with a price regarding fit and comfort. Now these headphones are comfortable to wear and they’re big head approved… but they’re also pretty heavy and noticeable weighing in at 320 grams. Where as the Bose NC 700 weigh in the 263 grams and the Sony’s weigh in at 255 grams. And usually lighter headphones are more comfortable than heavier ones. But more importantly lets talk about the ear pads on these headphones. The Sony’s do have the most cramped ear pads here. Even though these ear pads fit me just fine, if you have larger ears or ears that stick out a little then these ear pads might rest on your ears. Where as the Bose have the most spacious ear pads here and they should be able to fit all ear types with no problem. And the Marshall’s are a nice middle ground here, they’re more spacious than the Sony’s but they might not fit extra large ears or ears that stick out a lot like the Bose can. But something that I do gotta point out about the Bose is that they have the most clamping force here. They’re not going to squeeze your head like the Beats Solo pro do, but if you have a larger head like I do then you’ll might think these are a little tight. Personally I think the Sony’s are the most comfortable headphones here but depending on your head shape or ear type you’ll might be better off with the Bose or Marshall.
Now when it comes to tech specs, all three of these headphones charge via a USB C port and they all have decent battery lives. The Bose are good for 20 hours where as both the Sonys and Marshall are good for up to 30 hours with ANC turned on. But if you’re looking for the headphones here with the longest battery life then you’ll might me interested in the Marshalls cause they can go for as long as 45 hours with ANC turned off.
Now for those wondering, unfortunately you can’t use the USB C port on any of these headphones as a wired connection like you can with lets say the Sennheiser Momentum 3’s. So if you want to use a wired connection with and of these headphones then you gotta use the AUX jack.
Now when it comes to bluetooth connectivity, all three of these headphones are perfectly fine for watching videos or movies on your phone cause they all have zero latency across the board whether you’re using an iPhone or android device. But I do have to point out that the Sony’s can inly be connected to one device at a time. Which I think sucks and it just ridicules at this point.
Cause both the Marshall's and Bose can be connected to 2 devices at the same time. So you can easily hot swap from your phone to your computer which is always great for power users.
Now when it comes to listening to music with these headphones, the Sony’s are the crowd pleasers here. Since these headphones have a fully customizable EQ you can make them sound however you want. If you like a neutral sound signature you can do that or if you like a bass heavy sound signature you can also do that. And when you turned the bass up on these headphones they’re going to rattle your head a decent amount. So if you like to physically feel your music then the Sony’s are the safe bet here. Where as both the Bose and Marshall’s are better geared towards people who prefer a natural sound signature. Both the Bose and Marshall sound better than the Sony’s cause they both have a wider sound stage and better instrument separation. But the bass on both of these headphones is purely audible. This is why some people say that they don’t like the Bose’s headphones cause they sound flat. But in reality its cause they’re not rattling their heads. So with that being said the Bose do sound better than the Sony’s and they sound very balanced and they’re a good middle ground when compared to the Marshall’s cause the Marshalls put more of an emphasis on vocalist when set to their stock EQ. But they thing the Marhsalls have going for them is that even though they are a pair of neutral sounding headphones, they also have a fully customizable EQ unlike the Bose NC 700’s. But even though these headphones do have a fully customizable EQ like the Sony’s, unlike the Sony’s they still don’t physically rattle your head even if you were to raise their bass all the way up. So like I said earlier, the Sony’s are the crowd pleasers here cause they should satiate most people, but if you want better detail and a wider soundstage then both the Bose and Marshall are better options sound quality wise.
Now when it comes to actually controlling your music… both the Sonys and Bose are using touch pads. Now even though both of these touchpad are easy to use and they’re very accurate I gotta admit that using Marshall’s physical control knob is just easier and more direct. So if you just don’t want to deal with a touch pad at all then you could just go with the Marshall’s.
But now lets talk about the active noise cancellation on these headphones cause like I mentioned earlier during this quarantine time you might want to either block out your family members for a little bit or you just want to block the kids from the apartment 2 units down. Long story short, the Sony 1000XM3’s claim to fame is that they have the best performing Active Noise cancellation on the market but so that you can see for yourself we’re going to jump into an ANC test.
So like you may have just seen, even though the Bose NC 700 come close to blocking out a similar amount of noise as the Sony 1000XM3’s, the Sony’s still block out a touch more road noise and more importantly a touch more chatter which is what I think you’ll be more interested in during this quarantine. But more importantly the Sony’s block out the most amount of noise here and they do so with the least amount of cabin pressure. Where as the Bose have little more cabin pressure than the Sony’s but just by a little bit. Where as with the Marshall’s clearly they block out the least amount of noise here by comparison. But they also have the most amount of cabin pressure. I regularly find myself having to pop my ears whenever im using the Marshalls to either edit a video or when I'm watching something on my phone. So for that reason I only like to use the Active noise cancellation on the Marshall’s when I have to. Where as with both the Bose or Sony I don’t have to pop my ears even when im not playing music through them. So if you’re looking for the best active noise cancellation to isolate yourself the Sony’s are clearly the best option here.
Now when it comes to the ambient mode, all three of these headphones have very good ambient modes. They all sound natural, there’s no hissing in the background, they all do a good job of blocking out wind noise and they’re all adjustable so you can specify how much ambient noise you want to let in. But personally I do think the Sony’s have the best ambient mode here cause their ambient mode is active, meaning that they actively block out sudden spikes in loudness. Like lets say your dog starts barking while you’re wearing these headphones, the ambient mode on the Sony’s will automatically stop thus saving you from having this amplified bark playing through your headphones and saving you from jump scares.
But something that I do wish Sony would change on their headphones is their quick attention. On the Sony’s if you completely cover their touch pad they’ll lower the volume of your music and let in all of the ambient sound so you can talk to someone without having to take you’re headphones off like this.
But the thing is, you gotta keep your hand there like an idiot the entire time you’re talking. Sony should make it that if you keep the touch pad covered for over 2 and half second they’ll lock quick attention, and then when you touch the touch pad again they’ll resume playing. Cause both the Bose and Marshall do the same thing, but they don’t require you to keep you hand on an ear cup like this.
So yeah I think sony could improve how quick attention is activated through a software up date. But this now leads us to the microphone test on these headphones. And sadly the microphone on the Sony’s is pretty bad cause it sounds very muffled.
Where as the Marshall’s sound much better and they really put your voice front and center. The only critique is that they do sound a little static, but nonetheless the microphone on the Marshalls is definitely usable for phone calls.
But if you plan on making a lot of phone calls during this quarantine either cause you’re working from how or cause you’re calling family, the Bose NC 700 hands down have the best sounding microphone for phone calls.
But over all, if you’re looking for a pair of headphones to block out the most amount of noise here to help you during this quarantine then the Sony 1000XM3’s are still the best option here especially at their $278 sale price… the only wild card here is that the Sony 1000XM4’s could be right around the corner or they could not be. I really don’t know. So this could be something to take into consideration if you don’t want to suffer from buyers remorse. But if you want something with better sound quality then both the Bose and Marshall are better options. Now if you want something with better noise cancellation then the Bose are better than the Marshalls. Or if you want to save some money, or if you want to have some control over how your headphones sound than the Marshalls are the way to go. But keep in mind they do have some noticeable cabin pressure. But at the end of the day, not matter what headphones you decide to go remember to stay safe and wash your hands.