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We've recently released our Test Bench 1.8 update for Headphones! Read the R&D Article to learn more.

Marshall MID ANC Wireless Headphones Review

Tested using Methodology v1.4
Review updated Apr 17, 2018 at 06:21 pm
Latest change: Writing modified Sep 29, 2021 at 09:58 am
Marshall MID ANC Wireless Picture
7.0
Mixed Usage
7.3
Neutral Sound
7.2
Commute/Travel
7.3
Sports/Fitness
6.8
Office
5.4
Wireless Gaming
7.0
Wired Gaming
6.3
Phone Calls

The Marshall MID ANC are good-sounding, mixed usage on-ear headphones with an efficient control scheme. They're lightweight yet durable and have good battery life and a great wireless range. They're also noise cancelling headphones, although their ANC is a bit weak when it comes to blocking out bass-range noise, and their on-ear design isn't as comfortable for all listeners.

Our Verdict

7.0 Mixed Usage

The Marshall MID ANC are decent for mixed usage. They have a good battery life, great wireless range, and a good sound. They're well-built, and they're a decent option for most uses. Unfortunately, like most Bluetooth headphones, they have too much latency for gaming, and their on-ear fit isn't the most comfortable for all listeners, especially if you wear glasses.

Pros
  • Efficient and easy-to-use control scheme.
  • Lightweight and decently durable design.
  • Good audio reproduction.
Cons
  • Mediocre noise cancelling.
  • A bit bright on treble-heavy tracks.
7.3 Neutral Sound

The Marshall MID ANC are decent for neutral sound. They have a well-balanced audio reproduction that packs a good amount of bass and isn't too forward or recessed with instruments and vocals. However, they can sound a bit bright on treble-heavy tracks, and their small ear cups and closed-back design doesn't create the best soundstage for more neutral listeners. On the upside, they sound good enough for most.

7.2 Commute/Travel

The Marshall MID ANC are satisfactory for commute and travel. They're lightweight, easy to use, and decently portable. Also, although their noise cancellation isn't the strongest, it should be good enough for public transit, especially if you're playing your music at higher than average volumes.

7.3 Sports/Fitness

The Marshall MID ANC are decent for sports and fitness. They're lightweight, breathable, and stable enough when jogging. Their wireless design also makes them less likely to fall, and they have a great and efficient control scheme. However, they're not the most portable headphones, and they'll slide off your ears during more intense workout routines.

6.8 Office

The Marshall MID ANC are alright for office use. They have long battery life and a good sound for hours of continuous listening. However, their on-ear fit might not be the most comfortable for all listeners, and they may let a bit of ambient noise and chatter seep into your audio because their ANC isn't as strong. They also leak a bit at high volumes, meaning that you may distract some of your colleagues in quieter conditions.

5.4 Wireless Gaming

The Marshall MID ANC aren't suitable for wireless gaming. They have a bit too much latency, a mediocre integrated mic, and no customization options. Also, they're not the most comfortable headphones to use for long gaming sessions, but at least they come with a versatile audio cable with an in-line mic that is compatible with most console controllers and PCs.

7.0 Wired Gaming
6.3 Phone Calls
  • 7.0 Mixed Usage
  • 7.3 Neutral Sound
  • 7.2 Commute/Travel
  • 7.3 Sports/Fitness
  • 6.8 Office
  • 5.4 Wireless Gaming
  • 7.0 Wired Gaming
  • 6.3 Phone Calls
  1. Updated Mar 24, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.4.
  2. Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
  3. Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
  4. Updated Apr 17, 2018: Review published.
  5. Updated Apr 15, 2018: Our testers have started testing this product.
  6. Updated Apr 15, 2018: Early access published.
  7. Updated Apr 13, 2018: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
  8. Updated Apr 11, 2018: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.

Compared To Other Headphones

Comparison picture

The Marshall MID ANC are fairly versatile headphones with a well-balanced sound. They have a decently durable design with great aesthetics, as well as a good control scheme that's easy to use, a good wireless range, and a decently long continuous battery life. Unfortunately, their active noise cancelling feature has an unremarkable performance, and they're not extremely comfortable.

See our recommendations for the best headphones for bass.

Marshall Major 2/Major II

If you want the convenience of a wireless and wired design, go for the Marshall MID ANC. However, if you only need a wired headset at a budget price, go for the Marshall Major II. The MID ANC are wireless and also noise cancelling, which makes them a more versatile everyday option. They also have a better-balanced sound quality and come with a cable, meaning that you can use them passively if the battery dies. The Major II are completely passive, so you do not have to worry about a battery in the first place. They also have a slightly more compact design but don't look or feel as premium as the MID ANC.

Beats Solo Pro Wireless

The Beats Solo Pro Wireless and the Marshall MID ANC Wireless are two decent pairs of on-ear headphones. The Beats have a noticeably better ANC feature that blocks out more noise and have longer battery life on a single charge. On the other hand, the Marshall have a more comfortable fit, and you can use them wired, even if the battery is dead.

Grado GW100 Wireless

The Marshall MID ANC Wireless are better headphones than the Grado GW100 Wireless. The Marshall are significantly better-built headphones and have an amazing audio reproduction. They also have a decent ANC feature to isolate background noise. On the other hand, they don’t have the openness of the Grado because of their closed-back design. The Marshall offer a much better value and are more versatile thanks to their design. They're noise cancelling and sound more neutral.

AKG N60NC Wireless

If sound quality and comfort are the most important criteria for you, the Marshall MID ANC are better headphones than the AKG N60NC Wireless. The Marshall have great audio reproduction, and their control scheme offers great feedback and is easy to use. The Marshall are slightly better built and feel like more premium headphones than the AKGs. On the other hand, the AKG's have better noise cancelling performance and can also connect to two devices simultaneously.

JBL CLUB 700BT Wireless

The Marshall MID ANC Wireless are slightly better Bluetooth on-ear headphones for mixed usage than the JBL CLUB 700BT. The Marshall have a better hard carrying case, much better controls, and an iconic retro design that some people may love. They also have a slightly better-balanced sound profile that's much more consistent among various users and better noise isolation thanks to their ANC feature, though it still works only decently well. The JBL have a much longer 55-hour battery life and a dedicated companion app that lets you customize their sound via a parametric EQ.

JBL Live 460NC Wireless

The JBL Live 460NC Wireless are slightly better on-ear headphones than the Marshall MID ANC Wireless. While both are well-built and comfortable, the JBL have a more neutral sound profile, which some users may prefer. Their ANC does a better job of isolating noise around you, and they have a longer continuous battery life, too. Thanks to their companion app's parametric EQ and presets, you can customize their sound profile to your liking.

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Test Results

perceptual testing image
Design
Design
Style
Type On-ear
Enclosure Closed-Back
Wireless Yes
Transducer Dynamic

The Marshall MID ANC are fairly stylish-looking on-ears. They look and feel more premium than the Marshall Major II but have the same design language, with a rugged textured coating on the ear cups reminiscent of Marshall guitar amps. They have small, square-ish ear cups that don't protrude much and a low-profile headband that fits the contour of your head well. They have a few golden accents for the branding logos and the control knob, which creates a great-looking contrast and makes them look a bit more high-end. They only come in a black color scheme, but the understated look will work for most.

7.0
Design
Comfort
Weight 0.5 lbs
Clamping Force
1.1 lbs

The Marshall MID ANC are decently comfortable headphones. They're not as tight on the head as on-ears we've tested, like the Beats Solo3 2018 Wireless. They're lightweight and decently well-padded, especially the headband. Unfortunately, the ear cup pads aren't as soft as the Bose SoundLink On-Ear Wireless. They also clamp your ears a bit which is slightly more noticeable when wearing glasses. It can get fatiguing during long listening sessions, but they're comfortable enough for most listeners.

7.5
Design
Controls
OS Compatibility
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use Great
Feedback Great
Call/Music Control Yes
Volume Control Yes
Microphone Control No
Channel Mixing
No
Noise Cancelling Control On/Off
Talk-Through
No
Additional Controls No

These headphones have a good control scheme that's easy to use and efficient. They have a multi-directional control knob on the left ear cup that's responsive and tactile, so you know exactly when you've triggered a function. Flicking the knob up and down changes volume levels, and left/right skip and rewind tracks. Pressing directly on the knob pauses and plays tracks, while holding it down will switch the headphones On or Off and enables the Bluetooth pairing mode. They have a noise cancelling switch on the right ear cup to enable and disable their ANC. You get a lot of auditory feedback when commands are registered. However, the layout is cramped and may not be as intuitive as the Plantronics Backbeat Pro Wireless 2014 or the Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2 Wireless 2016. They also lack a talk-through/ambient mode for their noise cancelling.

7.5
Design
Breathability
Avg.Temp.Difference 3 °C

The Marshall MID ANC are breathable headphones. Your outer-ear remains relatively cool, and since they're on-ears, they don't obstruct as much airflow as some of the closed-back over-ear models we've tested. They won't make you sweat more than average during casual listening sessions but won't be as good as in-ears when working out and exercising.

6.8
Design
Portability
L 4.3"
W 5"
H 2.1"
Volume 45 in³
Transmitter Required No

The Marshall MID ANC are decently portable headphones but won't fit in any pockets. They fold into a more compact format and come with a pretty great soft case, so you can easily put them in your bag. Unfortunately, they're still a little too large and cumbersome to comfortably carry around on your person if you don't have a bag or backpack.

7.5
Design
Case
Type Soft case
L 5"
W 5.9"
H 3"
Volume 90 in³

These headphones come with a premium-looking soft case that will shield them against scratches and mild impacts. However, since it's a soft case, it doesn't offer as much protection as a hard case against drops and water damage. On the upside, it doesn't add much bulk to the headphones, and the soft case is collapsible to save space.

7.5
Design
Build Quality

The Marshall MID ANC have a good build quality that feels decently durable. They're lightweight and have a metal headband that's flexible yet sturdy enough that you won't worry much if you accidentally drop the headphones once or twice. The ear cups also feel decently dense, but their padding doesn't feel or look as premium as the pad on the headband. Since they fold, they have a few more susceptible joints than the Skullcandy Grind Wireless, but the hinges are well-made and feel durable enough to last you a while.

7.0
Design
Stability

These headphones are stable enough to jog with but won't be the ideal option for more intense exercises. They're not as tight on the head as the Beats Solo3 Wireless, so they'll slide from time to time when tilting your head. They're wireless, so they won't get yanked off your ears because the audio cable got hooked on something. They also have a fairly low-profile headband and lightweight ear cups, so they don't sway as much as some over-ears when shaking your head side to side.

Design
Headshots 1
Design
Headshots 2
Design
Top
Design
In The Box

  • Marshall MID ANC headphones
  • Audio cable
  • USB cable
  • Manuals
  • Carrying case

Sound
Sound
Sound Profile
Bass Amount
1.17 dB
Treble Amount
0.56 dB
8.6
Sound
Frequency Response Consistency
Avg. Std. Deviation
0.28 dB

The Marshall MID ANC's frequency response consistency is amazing. In the bass range, there's barely any variance across our five human subjects, even for the one who wears glasses. In the treble range, below 10kHz, the maximum deviation is less than 2dB, which is also very good. This means that the Marshall will have a consistent bass and treble delivery across multiple users and re-seats.

Sound
Raw Frequency Response
7.9
Sound
Bass Accuracy
Std. Err.
2.9 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
10 Hz
Low-Bass
2.42 dB
Mid-Bass
3.46 dB
High-Bass
3.49 dB

The Marshall MID ANC's bass accuracy is very good. The LFE (low-frequency extension) is at 10Hz, and low-bass is within 1dB of our neutral target. This means that the Marshall have a deep and extended bass, with just the right amount of thump and rumble, making them suitable for bass-heavy genres like EDM, hip-hop, and film scores. Mid-bass and high-bass, responsible for the body of bass guitars, punch of the kick drums, and warmth of the vocals, are also flat and within 1dB of our target.

9.1
Sound
Mid Accuracy
Std. Err.
1.25 dB
Low-Mid
0.94 dB
Mid-Mid
0.38 dB
High-Mid
1.38 dB

The Marshall MID ANC have fantastic mid accuracy. The overall response is flat and even, indicating a clear and well-balanced reproduction of vocals and lead instruments. However, their mid-range is consistently recessed and underemphasized by about 1.5dB. This nudges vocals and lead instruments towards the back of the mix by giving more emphasis to the bass and treble ranges.

6.1
Sound
Treble Accuracy
Std. Err.
5.15 dB
Low-Treble
4.02 dB
Mid-Treble
2.23 dB
High-Treble
-0.21 dB

The Marshall MID ANC Wireless have mediocre treble accuracy. Their response is a bit uneven throughout the range. There are some dips present, but treble range overall is overemphasized and bright sounding. It's especially noticeable around 4kHz and 7kHz, which brings excessive emphasis to vocals and leads and could make S and Ts a bit sharp and piercing on overly bright tracks.

7.5
Sound
Peaks/Dips
Peaks
1.66 dB
Dips
1.14 dB
8.0
Sound
Imaging
Weighted Group Delay
0.23
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
0.65
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
1.75
Weighted Phase Mismatch
15.71

The Marshall MID ANC have a great imaging performance. Their weighted group delay is at 0.23, which is within good limits. The GD graph also shows that their group delay never crosses the audibility threshold. This indicates a tight bass and a transparent treble reproduction. In terms of driver matching, the L/R drivers of our test unit were very well-matched in amplitude and frequency response, ensuring accurate placement and localization of objects (voices, instruments, and video game effects) in the stereo image. But we measured a significant mismatch in their phase response. This could make the stereo image weak in the higher frequencies and give the sense that a hole is in the middle of the stereo field.

4.4
Sound
Passive Soundstage
PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.)
3.77 dB
PRTF Size (Avg.)
2.31 dB
PRTF Distance
7.71 dB
Openness
3.4
Acoustic Space Excitation
3.6

The Marshall MID ANC's soundstage is poor. They don't interact with the pinna that much and therefore don't activate its resonances like a loudspeaker does. You can also see this in the PRTF graph, where there's no activation below 5kHz, and there's no "10kHz notch" present either. This suggests that their soundstage will be perceived to be small and located inside the listener's head, as opposed to in front. The closed-back design of these headphones also means that their soundstage won't sound as open and spacious compared to that of open-back headphones.

0
Sound
Virtual Soundstage
Head Modeling
No
Speaker Modeling
No
Room Ambience
No
Head Tracking
No
Virtual Surround
No App
7.4
Sound
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
0.264
WHD @ 100
0.198
Sound
Test Settings
Firmware
Unknown
Power
On
Connection
Unknown
Codec
aptX, 16-bit, 48kHz
EQ
No EQ
ANC
On
Tip/Pad
Default
Microphone
Integrated
Isolation
6.6
Isolation
Noise Isolation
Isolation Audio
Overall Attenuation
-16.31 dB
Noise Cancelling Yes
Bass
-8.35 dB
Mid
-16.1 dB
Treble
-25.23 dB

The noise isolation performance of the Marshall MID ANC is adequate. With active noise cancellation (ANC) enabled, they reduce outside noise in the bass range by about 8dB, which is mediocre for cancelling the rumble of bus and airplane engines. In the mid-range, important for blocking speech, they achieved 16dB of isolation which is good. In the treble range, occupied by sharp S and T sounds, they reduce outside noise by more than 25dB, which is above-average. If you want a better isolating pair of on-ears, check out the Beats Solo Pro Wireless, although they won't be as comfortable.

6.9
Isolation
Leakage
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
40.35 dB

The Marshall MID ANC have an alright leakage performance. A significant portion of their leakage is spread from 1KHz to 5KHz, which is a relatively narrow range and will mostly consist of speech, leads, and cymbals. The overall level of the leakage isn't very loud either. With the music at 100dB SPL, the leakage at 1 foot away will average around 40dB SPL and peaks at 53dB SPL, which is the same as the noise floor of most offices.

Microphone
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
Yes
In-Line
Yes
Boom
No
Detachable Boom
No
Mic Yes
6.1
Microphone
Recording Quality
Recorded Speech
LFE
223.03 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
5.53 dB
HFE
3,517.32 Hz
Weighted THD
9.8
Gain
11.47 dB

The recording quality of the Marshall MID ANC's microphone is mediocre. The LFE (low-frequency extension) of 223Hz suggests that speech recorded with this mic will sound relatively thin. The HFE (high-frequency extension) of 3.5KHz indicates a speech that sounds noticeably muffled and lacking in detail. The response between the LFE and HFE is quite uneven, which negatively affects the quality of speech. However, it'll still be decently understandable in quiet environments since speech intelligibility mostly depends on the 500Hz-4KHz range.

6.1
Microphone
Noise Handling
Speech + Pink Noise
Speech + Subway Noise
SpNR
13.59 dB

The Marshall MID ANC's integrated microphone is mediocre at noise handling. In our SpNR test, they achieved a speech-to-noise ratio of about 14dB, indicating that this microphone is best suited for quiet environments and will struggle to separate speech from ambient noise even in moderately loud environments.

Active Features
7.7
Active Features
Battery
Battery Type
Rechargable
Continuous Battery Life
17 hrs
Additional Charges
0.0
Total Battery Life
17 hrs
Charge Time
2.4 hrs
Power-Saving Feature
No
Audio While Charging
Yes
Passive Playback
Yes
Charging Port micro-USB

The Marshall MID ANC have a good battery performance. These headphones have a continuous battery life of 17 hours when Bluetooth and ANC are enabled but last much longer if you use just the ANC or just Bluetooth. However, please note that battery performance can vary with real-life usage, and your experience may vary. Also, unfortunately, they take quite a bit of time to charge and don't automatically turn off when inactive. This means if you forget to switch them off, the battery will continue to drain as long as they're paired to a device, which is a little disappointing.

0
Active Features
App Support
App Name No App
iOS No
Android No
macOS No
Windows No
Equalizer
No
ANC Control
No
Mic Control No
Room Effects
No
Playback Control
No
Button Mapping No
Surround Support
No

These headphones don't have a dedicated app for added customization options.

Connectivity
6.7
Connectivity
Bluetooth
Bluetooth Version
4.0
Multi-Device Pairing
No
NFC Pairing
No
Line Of Sight Range
168 ft
PC Latency (SBC)
165 ms
PC Latency (aptX)
140 ms
PC Latency (aptX HD)
N/A
PC Latency (aptX-LL)
N/A
iOS Latency
367 ms
Android Latency
113 ms

They connect wirelessly via Bluetooth. Unfortunately, they can't pair simultaneously with multiple devices and don't have NFC support. On the upside, they're fairly easy to pair, thanks to their great control scheme.

The Marshall MID ANC have a bit too much latency with PCs for gaming and watching movies, but they perform better with the aptX codec enabled. They also have high latency with iOS devices, but on the plus side, you should be able to stream video on an Android phone without noticing a delay. Also, some devices seem to compensate differently for latency, so your experience may vary.

0
Connectivity
Non-Bluetooth Wireless
Non-BT Line Of Sight Range
N/A
Non-BT Latency
N/A
9.5
Connectivity
Wired
Analog Audio
Yes
USB Audio
No
Detachable Yes
Length 4 ft
Connection 1/8" TRRS
Analog/USB Audio Latency
0 ms

The Marshall MID ANC come with a non-OS-specific audio cable with an in-line remote microphone compatible with the PS4 and the Xbox One. This gives them a secondary connection option in case you don't want to use Bluetooth.

Connectivity
PC / PS4 Compatibility
PC/PS4 Analog
Audio + Microphone
PC/PS4 Wired USB
No
PC/PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
Connectivity
Xbox One Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
Audio + Microphone
Xbox One Wired USB
No
Xbox One Non-BT Wireless
No
0
Connectivity
Base/Dock
Type
No Base/Dock
USB Input
No
Line In
No
Line Out
No
Optical Input
No
RCA Input
No
Dock Charging
No
Power Supply
No Base/Dock

These headphones don't have a base/dock. If you want a versatile headset with a base that you can also use wired, check out the SteelSeries Arctis 7 2019 Edition Wireless.