Marshall Major 2 Review, Gets A More Mature Sound!

Marshall received a lot of praise when they first introduced the Marshall Major. One of the first fashion / celebrity cans that actually doesn't sound bad and bloated compared to others. This year they finally updated it by releasing the Marshall Major 2 and we think that they did an even better job with it this time.

Marshall Major 2 review

Marshall Major 2 Specs

Type: On ear

Drivers: 40 mm dynamic

Impedance: 64 ohms

Frequency Response: 10Hz - 20kHz

Sensitivity: 100 mV

Others: Detachable double-ended coil cord with mic and remote, dual 3.5mm female jacks

Price: 4,650 Pesos

Unboxing / Accessories

Inside the box

What's included inside the simple packaging of the Marshall Major 2 are the detachable telephone cord like thick cables with mic, manuals and the unit itself. What I missed here is the inclusion of even just a soft carrying pouch.

Build Quality / Design

Removable cables! :)

The Marshall Major 2 is definitely one of the better designed and built headphone in this price point. It still maintained most of the design practice of the old Marshall Major with some hardly noticeable iterations.

The left and right markings is now easier to find

A look at the gorgeous detailed faux leather headband

While most parts are still made out of plastic, it isn't as bad compared other cans in the sub 5K category. It feels sturdy enough, doesn't have rough parts and made out of good quality materials. It still retained the high quality plug and thick telephone cord like cables here but this time it's now removable. Yes, that is the major improvement of this device in terms of build. You can now easily replace the cable with anything you want that fits in case it breaks or you wanted an upgrade.

Comfort / Isolation

The earpads

Comfort wise, at first the clamp is a bit too strong, but after some days of using it, it started to loosen and gave me the comfortable clamp I want. The pads used here by Marshall also pretty good quality, but still not as soft as some velvet like pads. It also tends to get hot especially when used in a non-air conditioned area. Fortunately, I used it most of the time in the office which I find comfortable to wear for more than 2 hours.

The soft headband pads on top

One of the main weakness of a non-full sized can is the isolation. While it can block most of the normal noise outside like the voice of your talking seatmate, it still can't block loud noises. It could be a con for some and a pro for some depending on your usage and situation. I won't still recommend to wear this one while crossing the streets to avoid accidents.

Sound Quality

Like what I said in the title this upgraded version of the Marshall Major 2 now has a more mature sound. Why? It's not all about the heavy sound, bass extension and piercing highs. While the old Marshall Major sounds decently at that type, audio purist often find them too heavy sounding that results to some bloat-ness in the mids.

I'm glad to say that most of those problems are resolved or lessen with the Major 2. It's now more balanced and refined sounding that gives clearer and better mids. The instrumental separation is now better and distinguishable. The soundstage is still the same, its now less bass boosted for the better and the highs is crisp and extends very well without being to piercing this time.

What I loved here now is the Marshall Major 2 is now a better all rounder compared before. It would now be decent even when listening to more instrumental tracks as well and most kinds of music.

Note: Another thing that I like here is it is not hard to drive. It will sound decent even with the use of your regular smartphone only. I was able to get the loudness I wanted using just 70% of my smartphone volume. However it is still best paired with dedicated music players and amps. It all depends on your preference in the end. :)

Pros - Detachable cables, more balanced sound signature, decent build quality

Cons - Slightly piercing highs, vocals could be cleaner, doesn't isolate so well

Verdict

For the style and price, Marshall was able to deliver a headphone that looks great and sounds decently good without the price hike! It may not be the best sounding pair in this price range, but it's one of the best looking and sounding mainstream budget headphones out there. Plus it's definitely more refined sounding compared to the older Major, and that is a great thing!

You can find this cool looking headphones at: Digital Walker and Beyond The Box.

GIZ Rating: 4/5 Stars