Marshall Marshall Motif II A.N.C Active Noise-Canceling Review

The Marshall Motif II A.N.C. has best-in-class battery life and a great mic, but its sound quality is shockingly bad. It scores in the 3rd percentile for audio. Only buy if looks and battery are your top priorities over music.

The Marshall Motif II A.N.C. earbuds are a classic case of style over substance. They look fantastic, with that iconic Marshall brass and black aesthetic, and they're built like a tank from 70% recycled plastic. The battery life is genuinely impressive, and the noise cancellation is solid.

But here's the thing: the sound quality is a major letdown. In our database, it scores in the 3rd percentile for audio performance. That means it's worse than almost every other pair of wireless earbuds we've tested. So you're getting a beautiful, long-lasting, and quiet shell that doesn't deliver the core experience you buy headphones for.

Let's be clear: performance is a mixed bag. The ANC is good, landing in the 89th percentile, so it does a decent job of blocking out the world. The battery is its star feature, hitting a perfect 100th percentile score. You'll get a full 30 hours from the buds and 43 with the case, which is top-tier. The microphone is also excellent for calls. But that sound score is a deal-breaker. The 6mm drivers just don't produce a rich or balanced sound, especially for music. It's thin and lacks detail, which is a huge miss for a brand known for audio.

At $170 to $220, the value proposition is tricky. You're paying for the Marshall brand, the looks, and the battery life. If those are your top priorities, you might feel you got your money's worth. But if you care about how your music actually sounds, this is a bad deal. There are cheaper earbuds that sound much better, and at this price, you're entering territory with some of the best-sounding buds on the market.

Compared to the competition, the Motif II A.N.C. is an odd duck. It destroys the Sony WF-1000XM5 on battery life, but the Sony's sound and ANC are in another league entirely. Against the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds, it's a similar story: Bose wins on sound and comfort. The Nothing Ear (a) and Anker Soundcore P31i are both significantly cheaper and offer more balanced audio performance, though they might not match the Marshall's build or mic quality. The Technics EAH-AZ100 is a reference-class audio product that makes the Marshall's sound signature look amateurish.

Skip these if you're an audiophile or even a casual music fan. The sound quality is this product's fatal flaw. If you want to get lost in your tunes, look at Sony, Bose, or Sennheiser models instead. Also, avoid them if wireless charging is a must-have feature for you.

Buy these only if you prioritize battery life, microphone performance, and the Marshall aesthetic above all else. They're a great pick for long commuters or frequent travelers who take a lot of calls and don't mind mediocre music playback. For everyone else, especially music lovers, there are far better options for your money.