Marshall Milton A.N.C. Headphones Review: Pure Attitude, Better Sound

Over a year ago, I reviewed Marshall's Major V headphones, the company's entry-level option, and they became my go-to pair whenever I wanted to listen to my favorite tunes, despite lacking ANC, Dolby Atmos, or other fancy features; they were all about pure, simple rock 'n' roll. While I often think about how I ditched my AirPods Max for them, I couldn't help but wonder what a slightly more premium version of the Major V would be like.

Fortunately, in mid-May, the company released the Marshall Milton A.N.C. It shares many of the qualities I appreciate in the Major V, but with significant improvements across the board. Over the past month, I've used these headphones relentlessly, and was even lucky enough to experience them alongside the release of Paul McCartney's "The Boys of Dungeon Lane."

With these headphones, Marshall promises up to 80 hours of battery life, ANC and Transparency mode support, Bluetooth 6.0 and LE, in addition to revamped interior design and bigger cushions to make the passive noise cancelling better. After spending hours upon hours with these headphones on, traveling to China with them, and getting to experience them with all kinds of tunes, TV shows, and movies, here's what you need to know about the good, the bad, and the in-between about Marshall's new $229 cans that became my new go-to headphones.

Marshall's Milton A.N.C. headphones follow a similar design to the Major V. They're on-ear cans with bigger soft faux leather and memory foam to improve usability during long hours. The company makes a few subtle changes, though, as the logo is gold instead of white, the main controller button is also gold, and the other one responsible for shortcuts also switches between ANC and Transparency modes.

What remains the same are the two wires around the headphones that give them that classic, timeless look. The band can bend without you really needing to worry about it breaking, and one of the biggest issues with the Major V — the lack of a carrying case — has been fixed, as the company now offers a stylish bag to protect these headphones. I mean, the bag is not life-changing, but it's better than nothing.

In my experience, Marshall's headphones are great even when they're worn for prolonged periods, and they sit very well on my ears. The only "issue" when compared to the most expensive AirPods Max is that during hot temperatures, the faux leather can make me sweat a bit more around the ears, making the headphones slightly sticky. In cooler weather conditions, though, everything is perfect.

Marshall's Milton A.N.C. features a new 32mm driver system that improves bass and treble extensions, which can deliver dynamic Hi-Res audio with richer details and a frequency range of 20Hz to 20kHz. It supports Bluetooth 6.0 and Bluetooth LE Audio and works with SBC, AAC, LC3, and LDAC codecs. Users can also enjoy a wired connection with a 3.5mm cable. When I first got these headphones, the first thing I realized was how much clearer the listening experience is.

Not that I had any issues with how the Major V sounds, but the Milton A.N.C. just brings a wider range of instruments and sounds. Tunes that I've relentlessly listened to in the previous headphones, like Blossoms' latest album "Gary," Sigrid's "There's Always More That I Could Say," and The Vaccines' "What Did You Expect From The Vaccines," sounded a lot better. These headphones are also great for consuming movies and TV shows, which I can't say about the Major V.

While Marshall addressed the lack of ANC and Transparency modes, it's still a shame the company chose not to support Dolby Atmos, one of my favorite features on the AirPods. Overall, I think Marshall's Milton A.N.C. continues to feature a heavier bass highlight, while also improving mids and highs. You can tweak the sound experience by playing with the EQ settings on Marshall's app, but the out-of-the-box experience is already pretty solid.

With its new Milton headphones, Marshall offers adaptive active noise cancelling. In everyday usage, having the ANC on means that I don't need to increase the headphone volume all the time to avoid outside noise. On a plane, the feature is good enough to ensure me a long, noiseless flight, whether I'm trying to avoid the turbine sounds, a crying baby, or people chit-chatting around me.

Since these ear cushions are bigger than the Major V, there's already a good enough passive noise cancelling that gets a lot better when the adaptive ANC is on. For music or streaming videos, customers will find a great experience. The Transparency mode, on the other hand, does just an OK job. The passthrough is not 100% crystal clear, but it also doesn't bring a robotic voice experience.

For example, I usually have ANC on while on the subway, but switch to Transparency Mode when I'm on the street to be more aware of my surroundings. In my daily experience, both modes work as expected, and I'm very satisfied with what Marshall was able to bring to the table. Besides that, I feel that the ANC helps me appreciate my favorite tunes a bit more, as I can note the songs' nuances, secondary voices, and that very creative bass line that only Paul McCartney can make.

Marshall's app is fundamental to setting up the headphones. Through the app, you can see its battery life, switch, and customize the noise control and transparency modes. The Equalizer allows you to use three different settings with ease, from Marshall's original sound to two customizable ones. The app also brings several other features, including the ability to use the headphones in Auracast, customize the M-button behavior, use Spotify Tap to start your music, get recommendations based on your listening taste, and even some tips and tricks to conserve battery life.

Among the options, users can enable or disable interaction sounds, understand how to preserve battery life (and change some settings), adjust how long Milton A.N.C. can be idle before turning off, and even add these headphones to Apple's Find My app. Even though you can spend a good time using the company's app, it's not required for the general experience.

Most of the time, I just connect the headphones to my iPhone and start enjoying my playlists on Apple Music. One thing these headphones do that I love is that I can connect multiple devices to them, so they can seamlessly switch between my iPhone, iPad, and Mac, depending on where I'm playing music. In general, the smart part of the headphones is easy to understand and pleasant to dive deep into at least once.

Marshall promises up to 80 hours of battery life with the Milton A.N.C. headphones. Not only does this fall short of the Major V's 100 total hours of battery life, but it can be less, depending on whether you have ANC or Transparency modes on. If you're blasting music at max with ANC on, then Marshall's Milton A.N.C. will "only" last for about 50 hours. Still, these headphones' autonomy is crazy.

I hadn't charged them before going to China, wore them for most of my flights, used them in the country, and then on my return flights. Only then did I decide to charge them, not because they needed it, but because it felt like I had spent a long time without doing that. As I mentioned, Marshall also has a few battery life tricks to improve general usage, so you're not spending precious listening time by leaving the headphones idle.

Besides that, these headphones have two major points that make them truly future-proof: Milton A.N.C. has user-replaceable batteries and ear pads. So in a few years, when you've gone through thousands of hours of listening time and worn out this pair, you can just replace the battery, get yourself new ear pads, and keep using the headphones for several more years. In general, the company is adding amazing value to not very expensive headphones.

Marshall Milton A.N.C. was released in mid-May for $229, $80 more than its Major V offering. Besides that, users can already find these headphones at a discount, making them an enticing upgrade. For over $200, you can get a beautiful, classic design, superb sound quality, and amazing battery life. While Dolby Atmos is still nowhere to be seen on Marshall headphones, the company is doing a terrific job with ANC, especially because it adapts to what you might need.

As with the previous release, the Milton A.N.C. has a clear view of who's buying this product: Rock lovers, audiophiles, those who prioritize a timeless appearance, fans of the brand, and anyone who wants an affordable pair of crisp-sounding headphones. As a very satisfied Major V user, upgrading to Milton A.N.C. just made me appreciate the brand more.

And while it's true that users who decide to spend a ton more for Apple's AirPods Max 2 will have better sound quality and obviously better ANC, I'd still be in the group with a much cheaper product, a more classic look, and pure and simple rock 'n' roll approach. For the longest time, Marshall understood who its audience was, and it has been tackling that demographic over and over with high-quality headphones, speakers, and even new soundbar products. The result is that the company just released yet another great product, which I highly recommend for anyone looking for a new, solid pair of headphones.