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Technology / Sat, 22 Jun 2024 India Today

Marshall Motif II ANC review: Attractive design, balanced sound

But at Rs 19,999, is the Marshall Motif II ANC worth buying? advertisementAttractive design, decent build qualityMarshall is known for offering stylish audio products and the new Motif II ANC is no different. Sound quality, ANC, call qualityThe Marshall Motif II ANC earbuds offer a balanced audio profile with well-defined mids and treble. Marshall Motif II ANC wireless earphones: Is it worth buying under Rs 20,000? The Marshall Motif II ANC is a decent pair of wireless earphones that you can consider buying if you are looking for balanced output.

The wireless earphone market is already saturated with countless options, catering to different needs of users. While not all of them offer value for money, the new Motif II ANC from Marshall promises to offer a premium sound experience to users under Rs 20,000. Marshall -- which is known for its iconic amplifiers -- has introduced this pair of new earphones with a pleasing design, ANC support, 30 hours of playtime and more. But at Rs 19,999, is the Marshall Motif II ANC worth buying? Let's find out in this review.

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Attractive design, decent build quality

Marshall is known for offering stylish audio products and the new Motif II ANC is no different. It aims to woo users with its aesthetic appeal. At first glance, it looks unique with its leather texture, but the excitement dies down quickly when you touch the earbuds case because of its plastic build. It feels underwhelming, especially considering the premium price it is selling at.

If you put the but about the plastic build aside, the case’s crushed-paper pattern in a textured finish is both visually appealing and practical, offering a good grip and making it less prone to showing fingerprints or scratches. However, despite its premium look, the case's plastic build doesn’t quite match the high expectations set by its design. It doesn't have a metallic hinge either. While the case offers a satisfying sound when opened or closed, it doesn’t come with solid build quality that anyone would expect from a product in its price range.

It comes only in black colour, which looks nice. The compact case and the lightweight design make it easier to carry and tuck in a jeans’ pocket. I liked that the case features a pairing button for easy connectivity, complemented by a tiny LED light indicating the battery status.

The earphones fit well in my ears and I had no issues using them for 3-4 hours at a stretch. However, people who are interested in buying these earphones should first try it in offline stores as everyone has a different ear canal shape and it may not be a good fit for everyone, something that also happened with one of my colleagues while using it. While I had no trouble using it, the earbuds gave a bit of trouble to my colleague when it started to hurt her ear even after wearing the buds briefly.

The Marshall Motif II ANC is water resistant up to a certain level, with the earphones having an IPX5 rating and the case featuring an IPX4 rating. They can handle water splashes, but one should avoid using them during rain to avoid damaging them. The earbuds support touch controls and one can control music/ANC using them. The touch panels are mostly responsive and there were rare occurrences of any errors. However, there are limited options to change touch controls. Also, there is no multi-device pairing feature, which allows you to be connected to both phone and laptop at the same time.

Sound quality, ANC, call quality

The Marshall Motif II ANC earbuds offer a balanced audio profile with well-defined mids and treble. The bass, while present, is more subtle and does not overpower the mix. The soundstage is moderately spacious, delivering good instrument separation and depth. While they excel in clarity and balance, those who love a deep, driving bass may find the low-end response a bit restrained.

The Marshall earbuds has support for Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), which blocks out most of the background noise and I am able to enjoy my music peacefully in the office. However, I have to mention that when travelling in a cab with windows down, the ANC is not able to completely cut the noises of construction machines, or crying babies. While travelling, I enabled Transparency mode to be aware of my surroundings and it works well. Marshall has added support for the in-ear detection feature too and it works well when I need to talk to someone and take out my earphones from my ears.

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Similarly, the call quality is also great and I heard from people that they were able to hear me clearly without any issues. The issue was only when I was in a very noisy environment and the voice was a bit muffled, but this happens with several wireless earphones.

Marshall app experience

The Motif II ANC’s sound experience is good, but the Marshall app’s performance leaves room for improvement. The pairing process is often sluggish, with issues in terms of loading the pairing page and connecting the earphones to the devices. Moreover, there have been rare but annoying instances of the earbuds disconnecting unexpectedly during use. But, this is something that can be fixed with a software update.

On the positive side, the app’s interface is straightforward and easy to navigate. There are options for adjusting ANC and touch controls. One can also use the app's built-in equaliser to customise their listening experience, and the details for the battery status are also available. So, most of the key functionalities are there in the app, and the only issue is that it operates at a very slow pace.

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Solid battery life

One of the solid traits of the Marshall Motif II ANC is its battery life. The wireless earbuds easily lasted for 4 days with ANC enabled. I used it for 3 hours every day to listen to music and for calls as well. With ANC disabled, it can last for 5 days easily. The case has support for wireless charging but because it takes a lot of time to charge, I mostly used my smartphone's wired charger to top up the battery quickly.

Marshall Motif II ANC wireless earphones: Is it worth buying under Rs 20,000?

The Marshall Motif II ANC is a decent pair of wireless earphones that you can consider buying if you are looking for balanced output. People who want a thumping bass experience will have to look for other options. While the build quality is not the best in its price range, the latest Marshall earphones offer an attractive design, solid battery life, an app with important features and good ANC.

One can also consider buying Sony WF-1000 XM5 earphones for a slightly better sound quality in a similar price range or go for Nothing Ear 2 if the budget is around Rs 12,000.

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