Making The Rare Case For Premium On-Ear Headphones

Marshall’s Major headphones are now in their fifth iteration, an unusually long lifespan for the often-overlooked on-ear category. The original model launched the same year as the first iPad, and sixteen years later they’re still going strong — with one notable omission: active noise cancellation (ANC). That’s where the new Milton comes in. If the design looks familiar, that’s because it started life as an ANC version of the Major. Over time, it evolved beyond a simple update, becoming a distinct third pillar in Marshall’s headphone lineup, sitting between the Major and Monitor ranges.

The Milton enters an interesting space: premium on-ear ANC headphones. It’s a category that rarely gets much attention, but Marshall has over a decade of experience refining on-ears, and the user data that comes with it, I presume. The $230 headset comes with all the expected elements Marshall is known for — solid battery life, iconic Marshall design and a feature-rich companion app. The result is something that’s definitely category defining, just maybe not in the way you’d expect.

The Milton looks like a pair of Monitors squashed into the shape and size of the Major. That’s to say, the gold logo motif, rounded edges and the metal headband details are all borrowed from the Monitor. The general size and the square shape of the ear cups, that’s an obvious influence from the Major. If there is a word that fuses “understated” and “familiar” then that’s what the Milton is. Undermiliar, perhaps? You’ll find other unmistakable Marshall DNA in the tolex-like textured finish that mimics its amps and the ever-present, brass accented multi-purpose button.

Like the Monitor and Major before it, the Milton captures the spirit of the brand it represents without drifting too far into gimmick territory. I do think Marshall’s design language is more on the lifestyle side that will appeal to a younger audience, or one that wants to wear its rock/alternative/indie spirit on its sleeve (or, in this case, ears). If you don’t care two hoots about the aesthetic and are just looking for a lightweight, comfortable and well-made on-ear headphone, then the Monitor is also exactly that.

James Trew for Engadget

Inside the ear cups, a 32mm driver is running the show. Physical controls are sparse, with just the aforementioned multi-directional brass button on the right hand ear cup and a customizable button on the left which can be assigned to toggle ANC, EQ, Soundstage (spatial audio) or summon your voice assistant.

Although the Milton is a wireless headphone, there’s a USB-C to 3.5mm cable in the box for analog/wired listening. But you’ll still need to turn the Milton on for that to work, so sadly this isn’t a plan B should you run out of battery. You can also use a USB-C cable to connect to a phone or PC and listen that way, too. The Milton has a user-replaceable battery too, which should extend the prospective life of the headphones significantly. The ear pads are also removable and thus should be replaceable.

I’m going to come out and say it, Marshall’s companion app is maybe the best I’ve ever used. Headphone apps often feel like afterthoughts with clunky user interfaces. What’s worse, the features they include are often easier to just activate on the device itself. Marshall’s app is a trove of discovery and genuinely helpful.

For example, on the main home page, you can toggle between ANC, transparency mode or disable both. You can also do this with the buttons, but the app has an ANC “Level” option for deeper configuration. Below that is the EQ, where you’ll also find the adaptive loudness toggle. The app has some decent presets here, but you can make your own and save that as a preset too.

The software features just seem to stack up from here. The Milton supports Auracast, and it’s here in the app you can find and join broadcasts. Marshall has its own implementation of “spatial” audio called Soundstage and the app is where you can configure and activate it. Soundstage changes the audio so it’s more like listening to a speaker in a room, rather than the music being directly in your head. I can’t say I care for it myself as it often pushes the drums and basslines (aka, the best bits) down, but it’s a thing you can do if the more direct input of headphones is a bit overstimulating.

The Milton supports Spotify Tap via a double click of the M button. Press twice and you’ll be served up some music based on your listening habits. Sorta like an on-demand playlist for when you don’t know what to listen to. Either way, it’s here and there’s a section in the app to remind you how it works.

Other goodies you’ll find here include battery preservation tools, similar to the options in iOS that prevent an iPhone battery fully charging or lower the charging speed. You can also configure the power-off timer if you don’t like the factory defaults and want the Milton’s to go to sleep almost immediately after you stop using them — or up to eight hours later. As is increasingly common, the Milton’s support Apple Find My and Google Find Hub, and there’s a section in the app to guide you to set that up.

Marshall headphones tend to veer more towards the “fun and lively” type of sound over a flatter, higher-fidelity profile. That’s certainly what you get with the Milton, a slightly bass-forward, mid-scoop sound that works well for most popular genres. The good news is that EQ lets you neutralize the tuning almost instantly if it’s not your thing. Plus, configuring a sound profile to your liking is pretty easy.

The 32mm drivers feel pretty balanced to me, even when pushing everything to maximum. Bass never feels overcooked, and female vocals, hi-hats and other higher frequency sounds never sound shrill, sharp or sibilant. The flip side to that is, for my tired ears at least, it’s hard to find a huge amount of dynamic range in the sound on a European iPhone. When I listen to electronic music, for example, everything feels balanced and in tune, but perhaps a bit closer together on the gainstage than on something like Sennheiser’s HDB 630.

For an on-ear headphone, one that you will likely use as a daily driver in a variety of situations, Marshall probably made the right call in terms of making something that’s fun to listen to but also won’t tire your ears. If you were hoping for higher-resolution options, LDAC is included here, but you’re out of luck if aptX is your preferred codec of choice.

As for the ANC, the Milton is impressive but with a caveat. My apartment looks onto a fairly busy road in the center of a city. This road generates a fairly constant hum of traffic and engines which is usually a pretty good test of ANC. The Miltons do a great job of eliminating noise from the street, but there’s a certain extra quality I look for in ANC that’s harder to quantify. A stillness? A sense of calm as you activate it? That’s not quite present here, even if the factual noise reduction is decent.

This is likely because these are smaller, on-ear headphones with much less of a physical seal, so some perceptible ambient “vibe” may be perceptible even if it’s not straight up noise. By that standard, the ANC is impressive and probably some of the best I’ve experienced on this style of headphone.

It’s a bit awkward, because as I write this, the Miltons are still running off of the first charge I gave them with 10 percent still available. That’s after more than a week of daily active use. What I can say is that this lines up with Marshall’s claims of 50-plus hours of battery life with ANC enabled, and upward of 80 hours without noise cancellation. I’ve worn these for multiple hours, every day, in the gym, street and right now as I’m typing these words, and I haven’t had to charge them yet. I’ve had ANC active almost the entire time, too. That’s to say that the battery life on the Milton is good, even if you leave noise cancellation on.

The pool of premium on-ear headphones is pretty small. In the $200-plus category, you have the hi-fi-friendly Grado GW100x or the more gym-ready Beat’s Solo 4. Both very different headphones and lacking in ANC, but the Beats are closest to the Miltons in terms of price and sound. There are more style-conscious options around this price point, such as the Aiaiai TMA-2, but again, there’s no ANC option there.

If you’re looking for another on-ear option with ANC then JBL’s ​​Live 680NC are actually well regarded for the price (around $160) but offer a very different aesthetic. That’s to say that in the specific Venn diagram of feature-rich, branded on-ear headphones with ANC, the Miltons are pretty much category-defining at this point.

There are no surprises that the Marshall Miltons are fun, comfortable and feature-rich. The heritage of the popular Major line clearly has been put to good use here to make an on-ear headphone for the more discerning listener. The ANC capabilities are strong for the form-factor, even if they might be considered more mid-pack if they were over ears. The sound experience is classic Marshall: A little heavier on the low and and higher mid frequencies, but the full EQ allows you to steer it more to your taste.

Ultimately, $230 might be a little on the pricey side for on-ears, but Beats has been charging that for its Solo 4 without ANC for long enough that a little bit of competition from the Milton is probably a good thing.