BUILD QUALITY: Design wise these are on of my favorites of all time. The case is aesthetically pleasing, compact, light, and feels great in the hand. It has a two tone look where the top and bottom have kind of a faux leather material with the middle being surrounded by a rubber band. On the front you have a small LED that will turn on when you open the case to notify you of how much battery the case has (red for low, amber for medium, and green for high). It is very resistant to fingerprints (I notice none) and scratches. The lid has a little lip that you can feel making it easy to pop open without looking. It is held down by a strong magnet which makes it hard to open with one hand but also means it shouldn’t open in your pocket or bag. The earbuds themselves are also secured via magnets making it even more secure. Once you open the case you are greeted with the earbuds, along with an LED next to each one to notify you that they are charged and working. Last you also have a small brass button for pairing. The hinge is very smooth and feels high quality. But I’m afraid if you bore down on it would break. On the left side of the case, you have the USB C charging port. Top marks here. The earbuds themselves are also highly attractive, compact, and comfortable. They also have a two-tone look going on with them. The outside feels a bit rubbery for grip with the inside being more of a gloss black. It appears to be PBT into ABS plastic. There is a large M on the front with two small ports that I’m assuming are a microphone and port to allow for transparency mode. On the backside you have two pins for charging, a small sensor for it to register if it is in your ear or not, the word Marshall and R or L for right/left. When you put them in your ear, they make a jingle every time to notify you that they are paired and ready to play. Which I LOVE LOVE LOVE. It’s such a silly feature but makes it feel so much more premium. When you put them back in the case they snap into place via magnets and you have two LEDs that turn on to show you they are charging. This is another small feature that I love as it makes me fully aware of what my earbuds are doing without having to verbally tell me. When you take them out of the case they connect quickly to your phone. Usually by the time you put the earbuds in and they jingle they are connected. You have capacitive touch controls on the outside. I’m not a fan of them. They work probably 70% of the time. They are supposed to give a little tap sound to notify you it registered a click but that doesn’t always work. There is also a second or two delay when you press them making them feel unresponsive. Especially, when you don’t hear the tap sound as it leaves you in limbo, did it work, did it not. If you press it multiple times, it will freak out for a bit. It will activate if it comes into contact with anything (such as a pillow). If you have it out of your ear it continues to be active. Meaning you need to be very careful when you are putting them in, holding them in your hand, or adjusting them. Thankfully, they give you enough room and space to do that effectively as it is built into the ergonomics. Overall, I really like the design and fit but would prefer real buttons. Left earbud when you press it once activates transparency on/off. Two taps activates your voice assistant. Right earbud single tap plays/pauses, double goes forward, triple goes back. Then there are some controls for calls as well but I don’t know them off the top of my head. Microphone quality is adequate. It makes you sound pretty far off, I wasn’t in a noisy environment so I don’t know how much background noise it would pick up, my voice wasn’t horrifically treble focused and had some mids/bass to it and was clear. SOUND QUALITY: These get plenty loud. To the point that if you have them on max, they will likely damage your hearing. You can use one earbud at a time (either the left or the right). It will quickly disconnect if you put one in the case and quickly reconnect to each other when you take one out. However, I did notice some popping with them when connected to a laptop and Apple TV. When you power them off they give a quick guitar rift which is awesome. Overall, I had a good time listening to them even though they didn’t blow my socks off. Overall sound was solid. Some might even argue they sound great. There is just something that prevents me from giving that rating. As sounds were accurate but I think they lacked sparkle. Meaning it came across as clinical but muted. Highs, mids, and bass were balanced without one overbearing the others. Bass was very impressive for the size. To the point I think bass heads would really like them. Imaging was pretty good where I could pull apart different sounds (but when a lot was happening they would kind of blend together). Directional quality was adequate. In the end if I had to sum it up with a single sentence the overall sound is flat and neutral. In the Marshall app you have access to a 5 band EQ which does change the sound a bit. I left it on stock Marshall preset for my testing. Overall, I have no real complaints about the sound but nothing that really wow’s me either. TRANSPARENCY MODE: It’s not good. It works alright as you can tell it focuses on voices and tries to kind of mute everything else. It has surprisingly good directional quality to it. But if I’m wanting to be aware of my surroundings this doesn’t do it as I can’t really hear what is going on around me outside of voices. When I was talking to people, I could hear most of what they were saying but had to really focus. You can activate it by pressing the left earbud and it gives a little jingle. It took me a while to learn which jingle was which. Mostly because I honestly couldn’t tell when it was on or off. I’m also left perplexed that you have transparency mode but no noise cancelling. Especially, at this price point. CONCLUSION: These look great, feel great, and are very comfortable. The physical design, aesthetics, build quality and functionality are some of my all-time favorites. The little features of having them jingle when you put them in your ear, having an LED light when you put them back in the case (for each earbud) to show you they are charging or charged when you open the case is a very welcome feature, as is having a dedicated pairing button, and solid front LED light to notify you how much charge is left in the case is next to none. When you disconnect from them it will give you an awesome guitar solo which is great. But it doesn’t support multi pairing so to pair to a new device you need disconnect from the current device or go into pairing mode. Sound quality is solid but not great. The case is IPX5 and the earbuds are IPX4 which is good but not great. Touch controls are meh, transparency mode is meh, battery life is fine (4 hours or 24 hours with the case), microphone quality is fine/good, and I find it is priced in the premium tier while not delivering premium features. If they were in the $130 range, they’d be fire. At $180 it’s hard to recommend as you can get noise cancelling, better transparency, longer battery life, among other things for the same price if not a bit more. Leaving me on the fence. As each morning I pause at my wireless earbuds collection and have to decide do I want something that looks and feels awesome (in a totally separate league from anything else I own) but is average for everything else or do I want something more utilitarian that performs better (noise cancelling, transparency, sound, and battery life) but functionally isn’t as good? That’s a choice only you can decide.

The Marshall brand has been around since 1962. Primarily it is known for its line of guitar amplifiers. The brand in the past few years have decided to venture into the consumer space by launching Marshall branded bluetooth speakers and wireless earbuds. And for those who don’t know, Marshall Bluetooth speakers and wireless earbuds are manufactured by Sound Industries, a known OEM manufacturer for Bluetooth audio devices based in Sweden whereas Marshall is based in England. But that does not necessarily mean that Marshall speakers and earbuds are not good. So let me tell you why by reviewing the Marshall Mode II TWS earbuds. Let’s start with the build quality and design aesthetics. Overall, I like the design aesthetic of the Mode II earbuds. The charging case is small which IMO is good and generally made from plastic. But what I like most about the charging case is that it has a rubberized texture similar in feel to the housing of Marshall amplifiers and speakers. The iconic white Marshall logo is clearly pronounced in the case. The earbuds themselves are made from plastic with a rubberized coating with the white M is displayed. Clearly, this is branding in general. Highlights the status of Marshall. It projects itself as a lifestyle audio device which unlike others need to be touted heavily. But with the Marshall logo, it already speaks for itself. So now we have established that the Marshall brand is iconic. But what about its performance? First, it boasts of around five hours of continuous playback with an additional twenty hours provided by the charging case. While it’s true that other TWS earbuds can have more battery power, this really becomes moot since wearing earbuds for a five hour stretch is not realistic. You can argue about what about long flights. Still you won’t be wearing your earbuds all the time. You’ll also have a break in listening to music by either sleeping or watching a movie during the long haul flight. And twenty hours is quite sufficient for me since I can go on a work week without having to charge the case. Though I must admit thirty hours seems to be the norm nowadays especially for those so called “no name” brands which still carry their own weight. The Marshall Mode II can be charged either by USB-C which is pretty much the standard nowadays. And the charging case can also be charged wirelessly though I prefer to use a cable. But then again it’s nice to have and it is also becoming the norm for most earbuds at this price range. As for audio, I would say that the default or signature of the Marshall Mode II packs a punch. For the average person, the highs and mids are crisp. And bass is very decent. There is a downloadable companion app for both iOS and Android wherein you can customize the earbuds including the audio output though I am already happy with the signature sound. The companion also has a transparency mode, but unfortunately there is no ANC in the mode II. Do note that there are branded earbuds at this price range have ANC. As for call quality, it is a hit or miss for me. While overall the call quality is acceptable and the calling party’s voice is fairly clear (not crystal sharp), the mics are a bit weak. Often the other party complains about my voice. This is definitely one area Marshall can improve on. So, overall the Marshall Mode II TWS earbuds is a solid performer but due to the lack of ANC and mores the mediocre call quality allows me to remove one star on my book. But nonetheless if you want rock solid audio (and knowing the earbuds’ limitation), I’d still recommend the Marshall Mode II.

The Marshall - Mode II are pretty much what I would expect from Marshall. Let's face it they are known for putting out quality speakers with a quality signature sound and retro look. Look – Sticking with the Marshall black, gold and leather look, they look pretty tough. You do have the big ‘M’ Emblem on Each earbud, so know that going in, I dig it. Case - The case looks much like the outside of their speakers and amps. It has a tough Rubberized leather finish. This case when fully charged will provide you another 20 hours of listening. You get about 5 hours Before having to put them in the case for a quick recharge. The case has little LED lights that change from red, yellow, green to indicate charge capacity. You can also see the charge of each bud through the app. This case charges with USB C cord or wireless charging. Comfort – I have had fit problems in the past with many earbuds but not with these, they are so light and small that they stay in nicely. Comfort all day. Sound- With the proper fit (Find the best fitting ear tip, comes with S, M, L and XL) you get a fantastic audio experience. There advertising says you get a “rich audio experience with growling bass, natural-sounding mids and crisp treble” I would tend to agree with that statement for the most part. I do have a set of ANC earbuds from a competitor that has slightly deeper bass, but they don’t fit as well. Noise isolation – These are not noise cancelling but the noise isolation works so well. You have to find the right tips that fit your ears. Correct Fit = Great Sound. I went with the XL and got great isolation. I can even hear music just fine when cutting grass. You also get a transparency mode through the app. This provides a little amplification to hear things around you. The app – Super Basic. Here are the setting: -EQ – 5 band equalizer -Touch controls - you can only turn them on and off -Noise control change the amount of transparency from zero to 100% -On / Off button for the transparency mode Quite honestly, I set the EQ up and now I never touch it. Touch controls are listed below and are NOT customizable like many of the competitors offer. You can choose to use 1 earbud at a time, so know which one you prefer the functions on. As soon as you pull them out of your ear, the music will stop. One touch of the [right] bud will start playback. So, if you remove the right one, you have to control you music on your device. Left Earbud- 1 touch activates transparency mode 2 touches activate your phones native Voice Assistant 1 touch to receive / end a call 2 touches to reject the call Right Earbud- 1 touch to play / pause 2 touches to skip forward 3 touches to skip backward 1 touch to receive / end a call 2 touches to reject the call Taps are responsive to touch Calls – Sound are very good on my side. The call receiver has stated it was very good as well, but if they have to critique them at all, they state that the mics are also enhancing a little of the background noise. The IPX5 water-resistant earbuds can withstand running water, while the IPX4 water-resistant charging case can withstand being splashed with water Pros: Sound Loudness Fit Style Con: No ANC at this price App is basic No ability to assign function to each earbud. BOTTOM LINE – If you are on the market for a new pair of earbuds and desire excellent sound quality and load music, These will not disappoint in my opinion.

PROS: - Classic Marshall sound - Most comfortable fit buds I’ve found so far - visually pleasing in all aspects and details in design - EQ available in app to fine tune your sound - phone assistant compatible - easy pairing - small carrying case - IPX5 waterproof rating CONS: - Price seems high for what you get - no ANC - app lacks a lot of common and useful settings (at least an update could help) - touch controls are a bit slow to respond I’m a bit torn on these earbuds, I’m not sure if they’re the best buds I have or still lacking too much to be my daily use buds. On the one hand, they have the sound I was hoping for, they fit well, and they have good battery and range. But then I remember the cost ($179.99) and I wonder why they’re not about 50 bucks cheaper. Unfortunately, I think the higher price is more due to the Marshall name and not because of features. That said, as a guy who has a Marshall guitar amp and always loved that unique sound, I wanted to know if the Marshall buds really did carry that same grungy growl that’s hard to explain other than just “Marshall Sound.” In that aspect, I think they nailed it, and if you’re in search of that sound in your headphones and ok paying a little more for it, then you won’t be disappointed. There’s nothing wrong with these headphones that make me think anyone would be disappointed, but as soon as you compare them to similarly priced buds, you start to see some loss in price value. The app doesn’t have a lot to it, (yet) and mostly just shows battery life, connection and equalizer settings. Other brands will have more settings like touch control customization or settings for paired devices etc. The simplicity isn’t necessarily a problem though, if you’re thinking about a pair of Marshall headphones then you’re probably looking for more than fancy bells and whistles. You’re looking for sound quality and design. I think these earbuds sound really good, as I mentioned already, and have that signature sound, but that’s not to say I haven’t heard equal or better quality earbuds from other brands too. I think the true uniqueness of these buds is in the visual design. That may be enough for some people to buy a pair and I don’t blame them. The case has that signature rough texture of a classic Marshall Amp and the buds each have a classic Marshall “M”. Even the included USB C cord has a texture and branding on it. These buds are a statement to others around you and there is definitely a market for that appeal. If you don’t care about the look though, there is probably another pair of headphones with similar sound and price but also active noise cancellation and other features. The real question is what features you want. If the Marshall Mode II’s check all those boxes, I would definitely recommend them.

The Marshall Mode II True Wireless Earbuds are comfortable, customizable, easy to setup and use with the Marshall App (via Bluetooth). Fit and Feel – The Marshall Mode II True Wireless Earbuds are comfortable for just about anyone. They come with 4 sets of rubberized cones: Small, Medium, Large and Extra Large. (Medium cones are the default) For my ears I prefer a little smaller size so I went with Small, and the change felt better in my ear. I was on the treadmill, did cardio work and even walked to see how well the wireless earbuds fit. No slipping or adjusting was needed while performing those exercises. The wireless earbuds conformed to my inner ear. The wireless earbuds go back into the case magnetically locking them in so they will stay put. The Charging case has a rating of IPX4 which is less resistant to water small water splash. The wireless earbuds are more water/sweat resistant with an IPX5 rating. The case and earbuds are not waterproof, which is worth mentioning. Charging and Battery Use – When the 5 hours on the wireless earbuds run out, you can place then in their case which will recharge them up to 4 times of 5 hour battery use (25 full hours total). A USB-C/USB Type A cable connects to the case and once plugged in begins charging. I didn’t have to do this much because the case holds 20 hours worth of battery power and can recharge taking only 2 hours. A blue light on the front of the case lets you know that your battery power is fully charged. And the App has the exact charge individually for each wireless earbud which is pretty cool. Marshall App Pairing – If you want to use and have real options with the Marshall wireless earbuds, you will want to download the App. Once you have the Marshall App and answer a few questions, the wireless earbuds will be ready to pair. Opening the case reveals two blue flashing lights will turn white once a connection has been made. I opened the case and used Bluetooth on my phone to pair with the wireless earbuds. The case connection remembers up to the last 4 pairings with Bluetooth 5.1 and a distance of 30 ft. This makes any Bluetooth device easy to pair up with! To reset the Bluetooth connections open the case with the earbuds in their slotted places. You will probably have two white lights on, next to the earbuds. Hold down the brass button next to the right earbud in the case. The white lights will change to blue pulsing lights. It only takes a few seconds and then you can pair with a new Bluetooth device. Marshall App Listening modes – The Marshall wireless earbuds are set with the “Marshall Signature Sound”. If that doesn’t appeal to you, there two customizable settings you can control on your own or use any of the other preset Listening Modes which are: Rock, Spoken, Pop, HipHop, Electronic and Jazz. As a guitarist I have played many Marshall Amps over the years, which are some of the best sounding amps that are made. Unfortunately the “Marshall Signature Sound” fell way short of the very distinct Marshall Amp Sound. The drivers are 6mm and fit nicely in the small wireless earbuds. Larger drivers would have helped the sound overall, but would make the wireless earbuds larger. I think Marshall chose size over sound on this particular issue. I did however use the custom option and found a sound that was more pleasing to my ears. Marshall Wireless Earbud Controls – First let me say that the controls are very touch sensitive on the wireless earbuds and easy to use. This I found out to be a big plus because I didn’t struggle or have to memorizing a ton of options. The Right wireless earbud controls the Transparency (outside noise) through the mics (same as for phone calls), EQ settings that you can go through and a native voice assistant. The Left wireless earbud controls the Playback settings while either earbud can receive or hang up on any phone call. I found that the controls on the wireless earbuds made all those options easier to access without a lot of pressing on the wireless earbud in my ears. Marshall Wireless Earbuds Phone calls – The Marshall wireless earbuds can take or hang up on phone calls. This is a nice option if you are working out and don’t want to stop to take a call. I tried several phone calls with the wireless earbuds and have to admit that they were not the clearest I have heard. In the gym, which is loud, I had a little trouble hearing and being heard while on phone calls. Now, I could still manage phone calls, just not as well as I had hoped. Overall, the Marshall Mode II True Wireless Earbuds have great options for fit, listening modes, pairing and simple controls. The Marshall App is something you will want to use and is very helpful. Unfortunately the “Marshall Signature Sound” fell a little flat to my ears. But the wireless earbuds did redeem themselves with custom EQs and preset EQs located in the Marshall App. I really liked the battery life, rechargeable case, the App and some easy to setup and use options.