Marshall Major V test: our full opinion –

Retro nomadic headphones par excellence, the Marshall Major V is aimed at music lovers who attach essential importance to design. Before being a comfortable or efficient Bluetooth headset, the Marshall Major is a beautiful object, with a recognizable visual identity, synonymous with live and rock sound. That’s all well and good, but is it enough?

Marshall Major V Technical sheet

This test was carried out with headphones loaned by Marshall.

Marshall Major V Recognizable among all

Design undoubtedly remains one of the strong points of Marshall audio products. The Major V, although similar to all other Major headsets marketed since 2010, has a strong power of attraction. All the ingredients are there: a charcoal color enhanced with a touch of white for the Marshall logo on each earpiece, and a touch of brass yellow with the power button.

Rest assured, the Marshall Major V may be supra-aural headphones and sit directly on the ears, but they are extremely comfortable. In addition to being foldable, this helmet is incredibly flexible at the headband, which, combined with its reasonable weight (186 g) and low inertia, makes it very pleasant to wear, especially since No mechanical noise bothers its use. The generosity and tenderness of the foam in the ear cups is obviously not unrelated to the pleasure we experience when putting on the Major V for hours on end. Big heads don’t have to worry, the headband can be extended enough.

No touch control area for this headset, which is controlled using only two buttons. The main one, made of aluminum and covered with brass-colored paint, happens to be a joystick. Besides turning on the headset and Bluetooth pairing, this button allows you to adjust the volume and change tracks. The second button, black and plastic, is used to invoke the smartphone’s voice assistant, as well as to switch from one equalization profile to another.

The connectivity is not limited only to the USB-C charging port, since a line input is present, which allows you to listen to the headphones with an analog source (walkman, headphone amp, etc.). Marshall also supplies a retro cable, with a coiled part.

In the absence of an ANC system, the reduction of surrounding noise is purely passive and linked to the thickness of the memory foam. At home, this is enough to protect you from domestic noise, but in the street, this passive insulation is insufficient. The Major V is not the most suitable headset for listening to music in transport, where muffled and shrill noises inevitably disrupt the experience.

Marshall Major V A rather limited equalizer

The control button falls naturally under the right thumb and can be operated without the slightest difficulty. To move from one song to another, simply push the joystick forward or backward. A movement up or down adjusts the listening volume. The behavior of the left ear button can be defined in the Marshall app where the choice is given between an equalization profile, activation of the smartphone assistant or the Spotify Tap function (automatic playback of a playlist for subscribers to the service).

The integrated equalizer is a little confusing, because although it offers five frequency bands to personalize the sound of the headphones, the choice of frequencies surprises (160 Hz, 400 Hz, 1 kHz, 2.5 kHz and 6.25 kHz ). The imposed choice prevents us from effectively impacting the behavior of the Marshall Major V in the bass (160 Hz is almost in the midrange) and 6.2 kHz is far too low to shape the treble. At least one key around 60 Hz and one around 12 kHz are missing to hope to fundamentally change the sound of this headset.

A battery charging optimization system is offered, which limits the charging speed in case of temperature rise, or limits the charging rate to 90% to preserve battery life.

Latest generation Bluetooth

The Marshall Major V’s Bluetooth 5.3 controller supports Bluetooth Audio LE technology, which should allow compatible smartphones to operate the LC3 low-power codec. This point is not crucial since the autonomy announced (and verified) is already staggering with any smartphone. Throughout this test, transmission was stable, even through thin walls or a floor. If you like to play headphones on your ears, be aware that the Bluetooth latency is noticeable (the sound arrives later than the image), without being too painful. In video playback, this phenomenon does not exist.

Marshall Major V A striking lack of balance

Marshall installed energetic transducers in the Major V which produce a powerful sound from bass to treble, with the only downside being too much emphasis in the high-mid frequencies. This accent gives Major V a very particular sound, nervous and (a little) rough, straight from the 70s/80s; a time when just about any headphone or speaker stood out for its power more than its finesse. You can listen to a title like The Whole Lotta Love of Led Zeppelin with the Marshall Major V to convince yourself: the cimbals ooze, the guitars squeak, everything seems rough. The auditory experience is truly seductive and whether you listen to rock, metal, or even blues and jazz, you should be satisfied. However, the tone audible in the high-midrange sometimes excessively colors the music listened to and pinches the voices. Duel of the Fate by John Williams is a test as the choirs are too high and, at high volume, tire the ears. In the same way Hypnotize by Notorious Big, a formidable test to validate the balance of headphones or speakers, is here a test for the listener; the sound is too metallic and harsh.

The response curve of the Marshall Major V is very disturbed in its upper part and the emphasis mentioned above results in a colossal peak in volume around 3-4 kHz (around 10 dB), which is equivalent to three times more than intensity. The dotted pink curve is the one obtained after equalization, by completely lowering the key by 2.5 kHz. However, this is not enough to eliminate all coloration, nor mask the high frequencies, which despite a large measured volume are in reality little heard. From this point of view, more EQ keys would have been welcome. As for the bass, it is present and its extension impeccable, but this is not enough to make a valid signature.

A line entry that says a lot

Since the Marshall Major V has a line input, it is possible to listen to it with an analog source with headphone output. Usually, the qualitative gap between this listening mode and wireless listening is slight. This is not the case here, the headset being much more dynamic with a wire attached. No need to use an audiophile portable music player or a USB DAC to be convinced, the headphone output of a smartphone or computer is sufficient.

The bass gains muscle and we also hear more details. How to explain such a difference ? Certainly not by the fact that in Bluetooth the sound is compressed while it is not via the line input; the dynamic gap here is far too marked for that. In fact, it is the amplification integrated into the headphones which seems to be the cause, because it was obviously chosen by the manufacturer for its low energy consumption – which is rarely compatible with very dynamic sound.

Dynamic behavior and soundstage

You will have understood, the Marshall Major V headphones are capable of putting the listener under pressure, but on the condition of using them with their analog cable. In Bluetooth connection, on-board amplification reduces the dynamic capabilities of the transducers. The sound lacks a little punch, and the maximum volume is below what the competition offers. In terms of spatialization, the strong emphasis on certain high-midrange sounds greatly reduces the dimensions of the soundstage; there is a suitable width, but the depth is narrow. The restitution is massive and the sound levels are compact. Finally, the maximum volume is not very high and if you like to shake your eardrums, you should preferably use the Major V in passive mode with its cable.

Marshall Major V Average call quality

The onboard microphone and the surrounding noise reduction algorithm are of average quality. During the various calls made, my voice was considerably degraded by overly aggressive noise reduction, and was also a little weak. It is therefore better to speak loudly to be better heard. Conversely, you can hear your interlocutor well, but, again, the coloring of the high-mid frequencies tends to harden your voice.

Marshall Major V Stunning autonomy

No less than 100 hours of battery life, that’s what Marshall announces for the Major V. At 50% volume, the headphones actually lasted around 96 hours on a pop/rock/jazz playlist during this test. That said, the volume obtained at 50% is moderate and lower than what I am used to hearing from competing products. If you like to listen loudly, you will have to go above mid-volume and the autonomy will necessarily be reduced a little.

Charging time is around 3 hours, whether with the supplied USB-C cable or using an induction charger. In the latter case, you must fold the headset and balance it on the right earpiece.

Marshall Major V Price and release date

The Marshall Major V headphones are available in black and available at a price of 149 euros.