The Marshall name is easily one the most recognizable when it comes to speakers and earphones. When you go to a house party, chances are you’ll see it being used to blast music. Not to mention they look really cool too.
Today, we’re checking out a new pair of earphones from Marshall — the new Minor IV earbuds. And these being Marshall’s, they are a bit more expensive than standard.
For those unfamiliar, yes Marshall does wireless earbuds. In fact, they have been for a few years. But given the rise of new IEM makers, is the Marshall Minor IV still the top pick? Well, I suggest you read on to find out.
In terms of design, the Marshall Minor IV definitely looks the part of the Marshall family. The case for the earbuds is finished in the signature matte black textured design with the Marshall logo front and center.
At the bottom of the case, you’ll find the button to pair it with your phone. There’s also a USB-C port to charge the case.
The case itself is light and small, making it easy to fit my pockets. But because of the material used, it does feel a bit cheap. It doesn’t have the same feel as that of their headphones or speakers.
As for the earbuds themselves, they’re made out of plastic too. It feels like the same material used for the case. They feel very plasticky, and just like the case, doesn’t give off a premium vibe. Despite that, it is still IPX4 resistant.
Thankfully only the lower portion of the earbud is textured, and the part that goes into your ear is smooth. There is also a gold accent at the bottom or the stalk, and it looks good. You have the M logo too to give it the signature Marshall design.
There are no physical buttons on the stalk but you can adjust volume, pause/play, and skip or repeat music from the stalk. They’re not the easiest to use though since I ended hitting pause instead of adjusting the volume all the time.
Also, you can’t fully lower the volume by just swiping down. You have to do it in multiple increments, which means you’ll hit pause more times.
In terms of comfort, these earbuds adopt a shape similar to the current airpods. They do fit nicely, but over time they’re not the most comfortable. I had to take them off after 35 mins to let my ears rest while working at a cafe.
Overall, you can’t go wrong with the Marshall Minor IV design-wise. It definitely looks good, and it will easily match whatever you wear. But from my experience, they’re not the most comfortable. Although it’s possible that they’re just not accustomed to my ear.
But aesthetics and feel are just a small point for earbuds. What’s really important is how they sound. And despite the Marshall name, I wasn’t as impressed as I expected.
The sound stage on the Marshall Minor IV is great, but you need to have it fit your ears properly. I needed to adjust the buds a bit to get the fit properly. If the fit is off, it sounds really bad.
For earbuds, the Minor IV has nice bass along with the trebles. But that’s also a bad thing since it doesn’t blend too well with the weak mids. Depending on the song you’re playing you don’t get to hear the voices clearly since the bass overpowers everything. It makes the songs sound hollow.
If you’re playing something with a lot of bass, you won’t have an issue. But it doesn’t sound great if you’re playing Africa by Toto. Still, you do have a hard time listening to The Weeknd’s voice in Starboy.
I’m not sure if these earphones have to be burned in, but out of the box, they aren’t as great as I expected. There is an option to download the Marshall app for iOS and Android, which allows you to tune the output. Unfortunately, there’s no app available for Windows, which is what I used the earphones with the most. And as much as I wanted to adjust the output, I was stuck with the factory tuning.
One other thing that slightly bothers me is the lack of noise cancellation. Almost all earbuds nowadays have noise cancellation, and there’s no reason Marshall’s earbuds don’t have it. Even the most affordable earphones nowadays that cost under PHP 2000 have noise cancellation.
It doesn’t help that the fit isn’t great either. Because of that, there’s a lot of ambient noise that enters your ears while music is playing. It’s a lot worse too when the fit isn’t good.
The great thing about the Marshall Minor IV though is the battery life. It has one of the longest battery life in earbuds I’ve tried recently. For reference, I used these for a total of 5 hours without putting them in the charging case, and it still had battery life left after. So Marshall’s claim of 7 hours battery life isn’t too far off.
Now, we get to the price. The Marshall Minor IV currently retails at PHP 6,690, which is quite a lot of money. It does have the Marshall branding and looks very much like any other Marshall model available. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have the same quality the brand’s earlier products have.
The sound quality isn’t that great, and I’ve tried more affordable models that sound better. Not to mention they also have noise cancellation too. Still, there’s no doubt that the Marshall Minor IV looks really cool, and it stands out among the rest. Place it on the table, and people won’t have to ask what brand of earphones you’re wearing. And like I said earlier, it also matches whatever outfit you will be wearing. You could even hang the case on your bag to match and show it off.
So far though, what do you think of the Marshall Minor IV? Would you get these as your next pair of earphones or would you choose something else? Personally, I’d get something else. But if you’re someone who’s loyal to the Marshall brand and like their aesthetic, then you won’t be disappointed. Whatever the case, share your thoughts in the comments below.
What we liked:
* Cool retro design
* Long Battery Life
What we didn’t like:
* No noise cancellation
* Sound quality needs a bit of improvement
