I have a pair of Marshall Monitors that I love, but I wanted something a bit lighter for exercising and working during the day. I really like Marshall products, my first guitar amp was, of course, a Marshall. So when I saw the Minors, I thought I'd pick them up and give them a try.
The Minor 2 is a basic, no frills wireless, in-ear set. These are not earbuds - there is a small cord that connect both sides of the headset together. On the right-hand side of the unit is the control box with a knob that controls volume (up or down), skip back or skip forward. The micro USB charging port is also located on the control box as well.
First off, why I love them - they're lightweight and easily fit into my ears. With most sets that have interchangeable cones, I usually use a medium one. The Minors do not come with other adjustable sizes, it's a one-size-fits-all approach. Thankfully, the in-ear components are designed and built in such a way that they don't juggle loose very easily. In fast, I was bopping all around the house the other day wearing them and they never shook loose.
They also advertise 12 hours of use - I've never had an occasion to listen to 12 hours of anything, so I can't say for sure if that's true. I did listen to music using them while I was cleaning out our van after a family trip to the beach (lots of sand to clean out) and they did great! They didn't move, get stuck on my neck, nothing.
Additionally, the copper "M's" on either bud are magnetized. You can take them off, pluck them together and whatever you're listening to will pause. No fielding around with your phone or whatever, just take off, pluck together and go about your business.
There are a few items that keep these from being a home-run product in my book. First, the cord that connects the buds is very short, with no clip option. So if you have a large neck, you'll probably have to wear them with the cord in front rather than behind your neck.
Second, for being so lightweight and compact, I was surprised to see that Marshall didn't include any kind of case to carry them in. You get the headphones, a USB charging cord, and that's it.
Finally, there's a fixed audio setting / equalizer. I included the picture of it from the back of the box. If you want to be able to control the settings based on the music you're listening to, then you'll be disappointed. Also, just like my Monitors', there's no app to customize the settings or sound field - these are straight, no frills, awesome sounding headphones. If you want to be able to customize aspects of the experience, then these aren't for you - if you don't care, then these are probably something to consider.
At the end of the day, I'm happy with them and I keep them in the same pouch as my Monitors for when I'm on the go.