Marshall – Major IV Bluetooth Headphone with wireless charging – Black

Let’s start with the sound: Fantastic.
It sounds on par with much more expensive headphones. It has a very crisp sound, very neutral.
It has plenty of bass but it does not overwhelm the sounds.
It faithfully reproduces details that I can barely notice with other headphones.
Driven by a 40mm dynamic transducer.
Design: It’s very unique. These stand out in a good way. The headband is soft with a rich leather texture. The earcups are plush and soft. I can wear these for hours without discomfort. Note however that these are ‘over the ear’, which means they rest on your ears, not around them like bigger cans. Having well designed cushions makes a big difference here.
The outside of the caps are smooth plastic with the Marshall logo embossed in silicone.
The headphones fold in making them more compact to carry. They do not fold flat but also they’re not very big. They’re also very light compared to others.
Charging and battery: They’re rated for 80 hours, which is incredible. I’ve been using them all week without recharging them and the phone reports the headphones have over 65% battery left.
The connector is USB-C and comes with a long USB-A to USB-C cable. USB-C is so convenient now that it’s becoming the norm.
And, this is great, also supports Qi wireless charging: Place the right earcup on top of a charging pad and it has a small light that indicates it’s charging. Once I unpacked them they came mostly charged, but left them for a while on a portable wireless charger until full.
Controls: This is perhaps the most user friendly control I’ve used on headphones: It has a single tiny rocker button that works like a joystick: Hold it to turn it on and off.
Keep holding for pairing.
Once connected, press once for play/pause.
Push it up or down for volume control
Push it left or right for prev/next.
Hold it left or right for REV/FF (very few headphones do this).
Double click: Phone’s assistant.
Might sound too much, but no, it’s very intuitive. It comes naturally and took no time at all to start using it.
To answer and hang up calls, click on the button, or double-click to reject it.
There are no apps to install on the phone. It just works, and sounds great.
But there is one very nice quirk, I have not seen anywhere else: It has an audio connector on the right earcup. It comes with a long and partly coiled cable that can be connected to a computer or other audio source like an amp with headphones output, and this works well. The headphones can be used without using it’s battery (like traditional wired headphones), which can be a life saver in some cases. Recently had to use them with a computer by just plugging them in.
The really nice quirk is that while listening to music via Bluetooth, can connect any other wired headphones to these to share the audio, like when you want to share a song with someone near you that has wired headphones. Not sure how much I’ll use this personally but it’s nice to have.
Note that there wired cable has no mic nor phone controls, and that’s OK. (There are 3rd party cables that could do that).
It has no ANC, but the earcups cover up normal household noise just fine.
There is a single mic on the right earcup to take phone calls or use the phone’s assistant (Siri or Google). Nothing special here but it works just fine.
Overall I’m very impressed how well they sound and convenience like the best controls (to me) in a headphone, they’re light, ridiculously long battery life, wireless charging, they’re light and they look just great.

Slip on these lightweight headphones with the classic Marshall old school look and you will love the sound they deliver! And the joy will last for hours of listening since they are so comfortable and have an amazing battery life.
Founded in 1963, Marshall Amplification has become the best known designer and manufacturer of professional music amplifiers and stage speakers. Its classic “Marshall” script on the grill cloth is a guarantee that the equipment is top quality and will produce, as Pete Townshend noted, “sizzling sound with crunch!” Since 2010 Marshall has worked closely with Sweden’s top-rated Zound Industries to create consumer versions of its audio equipment. This review will focus on the latest of these collaborations, the Marshall Major IV wireless portable Bluetooth headphones, a surprisingly powerful unit with amazing sound quality and some great bonus features.
After extensive testing of the new Major IV Bluetooth headphones in a wide variety of applications my conclusion is that these very compact and lightweight cans have a superb combination of features, power and sound quality which far surpass the vast majority of its competitors in its price range.
First, consider that the Major IV headphones are packed with a great set of features and specifications:
• Marshall Major IV Bluetooth on-ear headphones (Model 1005773)
• 40mm dynamic drivers, 32 ohm impedance
• Frequency response range: 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz
• Total Harmonic Distortion of less than 1%
• Maximum sound pressure level (SPL) 99 dB (100mV @ 1 kHz)
• Bluetooth 5.0 SBC connectivity, 33 foot range
• Integrated microphone in each ear cup for phone calls
• Ergonomic textured vinyl cushioned ear cups, padded headband
• Ear cup fold clip collapsible design for compact storage
• Multi-function control knob (on/off, volume, play, pause, skip track, accept phone call)
• Lithium polymer battery life: 80+ hours playtime with Bluetooth
• 3 hour recharge time from full discharge; 15 minute recharge provides 15 hours playtime
• Wireless charging (Qi pad required, not included)
• 43” USB-C 5V-12V recharge cable included
• 78” 3.5 mm audio cord included for passive listening (no power required) or connecting a second headset
• Weight: 5.9 ounces
• One year warranty on parts and labor
For more than fifty years the iconic Marshall scrip on an amplified speaker has become emblematic of the quintessential rock concert experience. Those speakers always had old school black cabinets and big analog control knobs. When you saw them you knew that you were in for a night of rock ecstasy. The new Major IV headphones successfully combine that traditional look but are based upon modern technology.
Major IV headphones come securely packaged within a shock-resistant storage box. Included is a simple illustrated getting started brochure, the usual safety warnings, a USB-C charging cable and a 78” long 3.5 mm connecting cable for passive listening or to add a second headset.
When you open the box you will see how compactly the headphones can be collapsed, thanks to the ear cup fold clip. They easily fit within a 5 inch circle – just slightly larger than the diameter of a 2 liter bottle of soda.
The next change you will experience is the process for charging the headphones. While a nice USB-C cable is included and could be used to recharge the headphones, Marshall has added wireless charging capability. Just place the right ear cup on any Qi charging pad and the unit will recharge. The Zounds engineers have facilitated this by putting a thin black silicone border on the outside of the ear cup and crafting the “Marshall” scrip in silicone as well to provide slip-resistance on the charging plate.
Once fully charged it will be a long time before you need to recharge these headphones. They are rated for an amazing 80 hours of playtime! Even if you use them three hours every day that gives you nearly a month before they need recharging. And if you are impatient, just 15 minutes on the charger gives you 15 hours of use.
The Marshall Major IV headphones are much smaller than typical over-the-ear headphones (see photo for a comparison with one of my other headphones) and are technically “on-the-ear” headphones because they do not fully enclose your ears. But unlike most on-the-ear headphones the Marshall Major IV really give an excellent seal over your ears thanks to the generous and very soft padding on each ear cup. This insures that all of the sound produced by the 40 mm drivers is delivered to your ear drums.
The small physical size has another important benefit – light weight. The Marshall Major IV earphones weigh only 5.9 ounces, compared to 10.8 ounces for the over-the-ear headphones in my photos. You can wear these headphones all day in blissful comfort.
The controls for these headphones is a wonderful homage to the Marshall tradition. A single gold knob on the right ear cup controls volume (push up or down), tracks (push forward or back), power (press two seconds), answer phone (one tap), etc. It is all very intuitive. And the knob looks cool.
The Bluetooth connection is rock solid (what else?) well beyond the 30 foot range claimed. I would give it at least 40 feet. The codec used is the basic SBC rather than the more sophisticated aptX but the drivers are well-tuned for that codec.
I have always had a feeling that on-the-ear headphones are inferior in sound quality to a good over-the-ear headphone. I have several of both types and prior to testing the Marshall Major IV my personal experience justified that feeling. But after thoroughly testing the Marshall Major IV headphones I am prepared to retract that proposition.
I played some of my favorite rock, jazz, classical, country and vocal music albums through these headphones over the past week. In each case I found that the Marshall Major IV headphones have an outstanding ability to deliver a superb rendition of any musical source you may draw upon.
The drivers have been tuned to provide an accurate sonic image and are very responsive to music which has rapid shifts and extensive tonal range. They capture all of Janis Joplin’s soulful, “Me & Bobbie McGee” from the deep bass to the highest guitar note and never lose a bit of her ragged, breathy voice. The full majesty of Bach’s “Concerto for 2 Violins” by Anne-Sophie Mutter and the English Chamber Orchestra comes through undiminished. You will feel that you are truly “Live at Operation Breadbasket” as Cannonball Adderly plays “Walk Tall” feeling the thump of the bass and the sweet soprano sax. Play Garth Brooks through these headphones and you are standing right in front of the stage getting sawdust kicked in your face. And rock? Please, all you need to know about their ability to drive an electric rhythm backed up by a bass that sounds like Thor pounding his hammer, is to look at that “Marshall” script proudly blazing on each ear cup!
The headphones are exceptionally comfortable due to their feathery weight, the nicely padded headband and very generous earcup padding. You literally could wear these for hours and be aware of only the music they deliver to your ears.
I have several pairs of over-the-ear headphones which provide stellar music reproduction, automatic noise reduction and complete isolation, all of which have a cost two or three times the Marshall Major IV’s modest price tag. When you want to be alone with your music or desire isolation from ambient noise, they are an excellent choice. But they are all heavy and you do feel that your ears are being compressed so it is really not comfortable to use them for more than a couple of hours at a time.
No, the Marshall Major IV has no automatic noise reduction, but when was the last time you went to a rock concert to be isolated from your environment. The beauty of these on-the-air headphones is that you are still a bit involved in the world around you but the music dominates. It is like the difference between watching a movie alone in your home theater or going to a movie with friends.

If you want to be transported back to the musical glories of the rock era but don’t want to give up any of the technologic comforts of today buy these outstanding headphones. They have my highest and unqualified endorsement and you will crank up your cool quotient to 11.

My first impressions of these headphones out of the box is that the ear cups are small. They are definitely smaller than most headphones on the market these days. They fit and rest comfortably on my ears though. Build quality is excellent. The headband is flexible yet strong and is wrapped in faux leather that looks and feels like soft leather.. The ear cups themselves are small and to me look like tiny marshal cabinets. 😀
The padding is soft and squishy, very comfortable and do a great job of isolating sound and keeping music from leaking out ( except at max volumes ). They charge with a USB C cable which is included. They can also be charged wirelessly with the right ear cup. I’ve uploaded a picture of the ear cup sitting on my wireless charger. it works well, but you do have to balance them properly over the charger. I’m curious to see if they will magnetically attach to the new apple MagSafe charger later. They have a small nub joystick on the right cup that also acts as a power on / off and pairing button. It can activate Siri or Google Assistant and also control volume and skip, rewind and pause tracks. I personally really enjoy the joystick for controls because it prevents any accidental touches or swipes that are inevitable with touch controls.
Sound Quality : Impressive! Considering their small size and on ear fit.. they sound very good. I’d say they are well balanced although to my ears highs seem to come in at a slightly higher volume. Bass sounds good and doesn’t drown out everything else. The Highs seem to come in louder than Mids , but I usually prefer music tuned that way. Music remains clear with a nice hint of bass. Mids are still noticeable without sounding muddy. I tested them with a variety of music genres and everything sounded great to me. For some reason the Marshall Bluetooth app on my iPhone could not recognize these headphones yet so I wasn’t able to play with the EQ settings. Hopefully they will update the app later on. When using these headphones to watch videos , Movies and TV shows there was no noticeable audio lag to me. I enjoyed watching a couple shows and a movie with them. Voices are loud and clear while keeping the action and music well balanced. Battery life is excellent, after fully charging them out of the box.. I have used them for a few hours each day for the last three days and have not had to plug them back in yet. If you prefer on ear headphones over buds or over the ear headphones, then I think you will be happy with this headset. They have a beautiful classic design, sound quality is very good and battery life is excellent. The wireless charging feature is a nice touch although I still prefer to plug my devices in.

Being a guitar player I am naturally drawn to Marshall products. No too long ago Marshall mostly occupied the musician space. With the inception of their excellent bluetooth headphones and speakers, they have tapped into a whole new level of fans.
Sporting the classic Marshall logo and design, these headphones definitely have the vintage Marshall look. While the size is smaller than what most other manufacturers are going for with over the ear headphones, the sound is anything but small. I find the sound to be detailed, rich, LOUD, and full of bass given the smaller size. You can actually crank these to 10 and they don’t even break up. I don’t recommend doing that though as they get pretty loud. From guitar amplifiers to headphones, sound is the top thing I look for in any musical device. These headphones have a great balance of lows and highs and are crystal clear making them an all around excellent choice for all types of music. Not only are they a great every day headphone, being smaller and lighter, they would also make great travel headphones. The battery life is rated at 80 hours making this another excellent travel feature.
The bluetooth range from these is also excellent and much better than some of my other leading consumer headphones. I can easily leave my phone in the bedroom and walk through several rooms into my garage without a glitch. I think the rating is just over 30 feet, but I feel like they can handle more than that. Bluetooth setup was also very easy and connected on the first try with my Android phone.
The comfort level is also good considering the smaller size pads. There is enough padding to make them comfortable for extended periods. I don’t even get much crown fatigue with these since they are a smaller size and lighter weight.
There are also some cool optional accessories that you can get including a wireless charging pad. If the charging base and a case were included, I think this would be a full five star package. The package comes with a coiled 3.5mm cable in case you want to plug directly into your source or if you are running low on power. This cable will also allow you to link two Marshall headphones together and share music if you prefer. Also included is a USB-C charging cable. Both cables are high quality and should last a very long time.
The one thing I honestly don’t care for is the multi-function button. While the thought of a single button interface is a great idea, I find it is easy to skip tracks forwards and backwards when trying to turn the volume up or down. All functions including powering on/off and bluetooth pairing are performed with this single button.
Another thing that I would like to see in a future version is the ability to rotate the drivers so when the headphones are resting around your neck they will lay flat on your chest. Since the size is a little smaller than most headphones, this is a minor complaint.
All that said, these headphones (most importantly) sound incredible, they are a welcome smaller size, and they look really, really cool. If I could give them 4.5 stars I would.
PROS:
Sound is awesome
Battery life is awesome
Bluetooth range is awesome
Size, weight, and styling are awesome
CONS:
The single button interface can be tricky
Would love for the drivers to rotate and lay flat
No case