Marshall Major V

Marshall Major V – Wearing Comfort

The Marshall Major V are extremely comfortable to wear, which is mainly due to their lightweight construction and weight of 186 grams plus the very soft padding that covers the entire length of the headband and the ear cups.

As a result, these headphones feel snug without being bulky. They provide a secure fit that promises confidence when on the move. The ear pads can be removed and replaced with a twist. The fit makes them ideal for hours of listening sessions without uncomfortable pressure on the ears. In order to adapt to the shape and size of your head and your listening habits, Marshall has used a very flexible, bendable headband design and a fully adjustable, non-locking suspension that enables the ear cups to be tilted by 90 degrees. They hold their position on your ears even when your head is moving around a lot.

Thanks to the joint between the headband and the ear cup, which can be folded by more than 90 degrees, these headphones can be folded to a very small size, which makes them ideal for mobile use. The manufacturer has dispensed with a carrying bag.

In terms of sustainability, Marshall states that 86% of the headphones’ plastics are recycled. The artificial leather is said to be DMFa-free and water-based, which means it is PVC and solvent-free. The packaging is made from 94% recycled paper and the ink on it is made from soya beans.

Marshall Major V – Technical details

The battery life of more than 100 hours is record-breaking. After just 15 minutes of “refuelling” the battery with the included USB-C cable connected to a charger, you get 15 hours of playing time. Convenient wireless charging can be carried out by placing the headphones on an inductive charging pad, and this only reduces battery performance by two per cent.

According to the manufacturer, the Major V are the first headphones whose battery replacement is part of their repair programme (link).

Marshall is focussing on Bluetooth 5.3 including LE Audio with the high-resolution, energy-saving LC3 codec and Auracast support (see our guides “Bluetooth – explained simply and clearly” and “What is Auracast? “). For now, this has not really become widespread, so you will have to make do with the standard audio codecs AAC and SBC.

The built-in dynamic 40 millimetre drivers reproduced frequencies between 20 and 20,000 Hertz. Thanks to their very low impedance of 32 ohms and sensitivity of 106 decibels, their signal also came through well with low-power headphone outputs.

Pairing and an app for a few individual settings

Thanks to multipoint connectivity, the Major V can be connected to several devices via Bluetooth. As soon as the headphones are switched on with the bronze-coloured control button readiness for pairing is signalled by a flashing blue LED, and an Android or iOS device lists them. After confirming, you should download the Marshall app. In my opinion, the biggest advantage of the app is the five-band equaliser for customising the sound. In addition, the M button on the left capsule can be assigned to directly access Spotify, the equaliser or voice assistants.

How does the Marshall Major V work in practice?

Controlling streamed music is part of the convenience of using wireless Bluetooth headphones. You can start, pause, skip and “rewind” the music using the multifunctional button. You can also adjust the volume and accept, end and reject phone calls. I found the voice quality to be a little noisy, but still easy to understand. The M button was a particularly practical gimmick, as it can be customised via the app, and the direct access to Spotify will particularly delight some users.

The mini jack socket transmits the signal in Bluetooth mode and can therefore be connected to another pair of headphones with AUX-In.

If you prefer to listen to music and podcasts via cable with the Major V, then you can connect the included coiled cable with a 3.5mm jack plug to the right ear cup then hook it up to the headphone input on your mobile phone, tablet, integrated amplifier or receiver.

The sound of the Marshall Major V is a matter of taste

You cannot ignore the fact that Marshall gives the Major V’s drivers extra bass, a tendency that lends pressure and warmth to the sound without suffocating the instruments in low-frequency mud. When listening to Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams”, Stevie Nick’s voice rested on a backdrop of balanced bass that offered enough space for the guitars, keyboards and drums to be revealed. In Röyksopp’s “Sordid Affair”, this tendency also benefited the sequencer bassline that runs through the track, while the crystal-clear vocals presented themselves with a slight bite, creating a suitable contrast.

The drivers somewhat exaggerated the mid-high frequencies up to the super-high range, and this could sometimes overemphasise shrill tones and sibilants. I found this somewhat unpleasant when listening to Depeche Mode’s “Fly On The Windscreen”. I also noticed a general deficit in the mid and upper mid-range up to 1,000 hertz. The app provided some relief with its five-band equaliser. Thanks to the five pre-sets or the user-defined setting in the frequencies 160 Hz, 400 Hz, 1 kHz, 2.5 kHz and 6.25 kHz, I was able to adapt the sound in finer nuances to suit my listening habits.

Conclusion

The Major V are wireless Bluetooth headphones designed in typical Marshall style for use with iOS and Android devices that provide over 100 hours of playing time. This was supported by very pleasant wearing comfort and light weight. Their foldable size also makes them ideal for mobile use. The bass and treble sound was polarising. But the same applies to rock ‘n’ roll: you can only win fans by flying the flag.