We pushed our selection of Marshall headphones through a range of music genres - from bass-heavy bruisers, riff-filled wonders and gentle acoustic pieces to get a proper feel for what they can deliver. Victoria Marshall added: “With Marshall Group, the potential to further impact an ever-modernising music industry is a highly genuine one. Together, we will preserve the Marshall legacy and shape the future of ‘Live Loud’. Having worked alongside my father during his later years, I know he would be excited at this direction and the potential to reach a larger worldwide audience with innovation and passion which he always had in spades.” How we test Perhaps the biggest update Marshall has made to the Minor II headphones is that they now support Bluetooth aptX, which should give music a ‘CD-like’ level of quality. To turn the headphones on, you just have to hold down the control knob on the inline remote, after which you should hear a distorted guitar riff that tells you Bluetooth has been switched on - a nice touch that you can find across the Marshall headphone and speakers range.

It’s been ten years since Marshall released its first pair of headphones, the Marshall Major. Over the course of the decade, the Major series has dropped its 3.5mm cable in favour of a Bluetooth connection, but the basic premise remains unchanged: on-ear headphones created to reflect the renowned guitar amp manufacturer’s heritage. When it comes to testing the best Marshall headphones, we first and foremost took a dive into their audio delivery. As you'd expect with a product carrying the Marshall name, we have high expectations due to their legendary status in the music world and it was the obvious place to start. READ NEXT: The best headphones for every budget Marshall Major IV review: What do you get for the money?

Where these headphones fall down is in the bass department, with slightly rolled-off frequencies which bassheads probably won’t appreciate. We tried out James Blake’s ‘If The Car Beside You Moves Ahead’ to put the bass frequencies to the test, and found the usually-body-thumping bass drum was pretty underwhelming. However, for general use, the sound is warm and balanced enough to give you a great listening experience. Marshall Amplification was was formed in 1962 and remained under family ownership for more than 60 years until March 2023, when they were sold to Swedish speaker manufacturer Zound Industries. Marshall still own a 24% stake in the company, making them the largest shareholders in the newly-titled Marshall Group. The takeover deal covers Marshall Amplification and its subsidiaries Marshall Records, Marshall Live Agency and Natal Drums

A fair question, seeing as Marshall’s focus for decades was guitar amps. The answer is, at least for some models (the ones featured in this guide, basically), very. The brand channels a formidable live music legacy, and that plays a part in how they’re tuned and their distinctive style look. The same goes for Marshall speakers, too. Another attractive feature is the ability to share your audio using the included 3.5mm to 3.5mm audio cable. Plug the cable into the Major IV, connect it to any pair of headphones with a 3.5mm port and whatever you’re listening to will be played through the other device as well. A section of the cable stretches so you don’t have to worry about pulling the headphones off your head if one of you moves, which is a nice touch. Opportunities to take advantage of such a feature may not present themselves too often – particularly at the moment – but it’s a thoughtful and useful inclusion nonetheless. You’ll also be able to use this cable to continue listening to your music should the battery die. With a solid 30 hour battery life this won’t be something you’ll have to resort to too often; we had been using the headphones every day for a week before we had to charge them. Usability is good – one touch controls Play/Pause, two touches will skip you forward. The buds will Auto Pause when you take them from your ears. That being said, if your ears are (ahem) on the larger side, you may find the in-ears really comfortable, but as the casing size can’t be altered and Marshall don't provide any other sized ear tips in the box, they’re not going to work for everyone.Marshall and Zound first collaborated in 2010 in a deal that resulted in Marshall’s range of headphones and Bluetooth speakers. We also wanted to try music with a wider range of frequencies and timbres, so we had a listen to ‘A Day In The Life’ from The Beatles’ Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band, and we were really impressed with the depth and clarity of the bass guitar, as well as the warmth of the brass sections. For longer outdoor phonecalls you might find it preferable to use the microphone that’s built into the 3.5 mm cable that comes included with the headphones. Considering how good the sound quality is, and how stylish they look, it’s a crying shame that the Marshall Minor IIs are so uncomfortable - even wearing them for 30 minutes gave us pain in our jaw and temples, and they left our ears feeling really tender and sore. Not exactly what you would expect for the price tag. However, if you like to lend your ears to the Classical music genre you won't be quite so enamored with the sound imbalance.The Marshall Mids grab soaring high notes out of songs and stamp them down flat, ruining their impact.