Marshall Minor III headphones test: a very robust sound

With the Marshall Minor III, the specialist in sound amplifiers and speakers offers new open headphones. A format appreciated by ears incompatible with in-ear headphones, but which is not without some drawbacks. Are the robust sound made in Marshall and the promised ease of use enough to make the Minor III recommendable headphones?

Source: Tristan Jacquel for Frandroid

When a historic sound brand develops hi-fi headphones, it's always worth looking into. Marshall has a long history of performing and has been producing iconic PA amplifiers and loudspeakers for decades. Its foray into the consumer sound industry, although recent, is therefore worthy of interest. Why ? Quite simply because a brand like Marshall does not lightly put its logo on headphones. Their sound must match the house aesthetic and be clearly identifiable as atypical and realistic. That's what the Marshall Minor III headphones promise.

Marshall Minor IIIData sheet

Marshall Minor III

This test was carried out with earphones lent by Marshall.

Marshall Minor IIIDesign

Marshall audio products have a recognizable visual identity among all, where black predominates, accompanied by a few brass-colored touches. Their ovoid shell, made of shiny black PVC, is extended by a stem perpendicular to the marked graining - to facilitate gripping - and finished with a brass-coloured plastic cover.

The finish of the Marshall Minor III is superb // Source: Tristan Jacquel for Frandroid

The assembly quality is above all suspicion, the impeccable finish. Clearly, the Marshall Minor III headphones are an aesthetic success and do not leave anyone indifferent.

Comfort

I'm always apprehensive when putting on conventional (non-in-ear) headphones, as the fact that they don't rest in the ear canal makes wearing them unpredictable. The Marshall Minor III lift it immediately: they are easy to position and then do not move.

The Marshall Minor 3 are comfortable to wear, very unintrusive // ​​Source: Tristan Jacquel for Frandroid

Good point, this stability, largely due to the grained rod which presses against the bottom and the lobe of the ear, is accompanied by first-rate comfort, even while walking. Listening for several hours causes no discomfort. In short, the comfort is at the top.

A compact and sleek case

The Marshall Minor III earphones come in a vertical storage and charging case, in black PVC textured like exotic leather. Its valve opens from the top and the headphones are engaged by the stem and held by a system of magnets. The handling of the housing is simple and possible with one hand.

The Marshall Minor III headphones case is compatible with Qi wireless charging // Source: Tristan Jacquel for Frandroid

A pairing button is housed at the base of the case, alongside the USB-C charging port (cable supplied). Good point, the case is compatible with Qi wireless charging.

Marshall Minor IIIUse and Application

Marshall developed the Minor IIIs to be as easy to use as possible. Each earphone has a touch control zone, with identical and rather limited functions. One, two or three presses are possible, which allow you to pause or resume playback, change tracks (next, previous) and accept or reject phone calls.

To manage the volume, you have to use your smartphone or ask your voice assistant. Without a control app, the touch controls cannot be reprogrammed.

The Minor IIIs have a port detector to automatically pause and resume playback. We can nevertheless force the resumption of reading when an earphone is removed. Finally, these headphones are IPX4 certified and therefore resistant to bad weather.

The Marshall Minor III headphones are therefore pleasant to use, even if their almost non-existent passive isolation complicates listening to music in a noisy environment.

Strong Bluetooth connection

Pairing the Marshall Minor III headphones with a phone or computer is no problem. With an Android smartphone, the headphones are immediately identified thanks to the Google Fast Pair protocol, without the need to search for them manually. After validation, the headphones can be associated with all Android devices linked to the same Google account. If the headphones have already been paired, it is necessary to place them manually in pairing mode, by pressing the button on the charging case for a few seconds.

The stability of the Bluetooth connection proved to be excellent, the earphones working perfectly through two wooden floors and a distance of around 10 meters. No multipoint connection, however.

Marshall Minor IIIAudio

The Marshall Minor III headphones are equipped with 12 mm diameter dynamic transducers. A large format which pleads, a priori, a good reproduction of low frequencies. The Bluetooth 5.2 controller supports SBC, AAC and aptX codecs.

Test Setup

I listened to the Marshall Minor III with an iPhone 13 Pro Max (AAC), a Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G (aptX) and a Macbook Air M1 (AAC), from Apple Music (Lossless) and Netflix. I did not observe any significant differences between these different sources.

Marshall Minor III headphones are rather discreet to wear // Source: Tristan Jacquel for Frandroid

These headphones give off a slight background noise in a quiet environment, which becomes imperceptible when the music starts.

Signature sound

The Marshall Minor III have a lot of character, a strong, biting and generally attractive sound. Their strong point lies in the generous reproduction of the voices. The tonal balance emphasizes low and medium registers, to the detriment of high frequencies whose extension seems limited. To appreciate these headphones, you have to like the slightly dry tonal balances at the top of the spectrum.

Dynamic Margin

Large dynamic gaps are returned with satisfying energy, but small ones are less convincing. The restitution therefore lacks a bit of refinement.

sound stage

The width of the scene (horizontal axis) is limited and the depth in the center almost non-existent. The Marshall Minor IIIs therefore plant a massive stage, with little space between the sound planes.

Marshall Minor IIIMicrophone

The quality of the calls is good, as long as you are not in communication at the edge of a boulevard or in a noisy environment, because the absence of passive isolation is then a problem for the user. On the other hand, one is of course heard by his interlocutors.

Marshall Minor IIIAutonomy

Marshall announces 5 hours of autonomy for the Minor III, which the tests confirm, at 50% of the volume with an iPhone and Apple Music (5h10 measured). The earphones recharge in approximately 1h30 and can be recharged 4 times by the case. It recharges in about 2 hours.

Marshall Minor IIIPrice and release date

The Marshall Minor III earphones are available in a black color and priced at €129.