Marshall’s new ANC headphones have one standout feature—and it’s not the noise canceling

The Marshall Milton ANC wireless headphones do something different from other audio products these days. Instead of covering your ears completely, the smaller ear cups sit up against your ears. This gives them a different fit and feel that some people might be looking for. 

The headphones incorporate active noise cancellation, have between 50 and 80 hours of battery life, and, of course, feature the company’s iconic styling. The most intriguing thing about these headphones, however, is their compact size. They feel minimal to wear and fold up to fit in the palm of my hand. Yet, they don’t sacrifice the audio quality.

If you need some headphones that fold up small for travel, or just don’t want overly bulky headphones, the Marshall Milton ANC might be a good option. I’ve been reviewing audio gear for over a decade, and I the more time I spend with the Milton, the more I like what they offer.

What can the Milton ANC do?

The Marshall Milton ANC are a competent pair of modern wireless headphones. They feature 50 hours of battery life or more. They use Bluetooth 6.0 with support for LE Audio. They have adaptive loudness, adjustable EQ, spatial awareness, and can even be located in Apple’s Find My app.

On the sound front, the Milton ANC have 32mm drivers. Even listening at less than 50% volume, the headphones are full and have lots of booming bass. Vocals are clear. Overall, they sound great for consumer headphones. They’ll make you want to dance if you're streaming something with a beat.

I think the way people feel about the comfort of the Milton ANC might vary heavily. I’ve used the headphones for several long durations, and I only had mild ear fatigue. I could easily wear these for a cross-country flight with a few short breaks scattered throughout.

What the Milton doesn’t have, unfortunately, is on-ear detection. The headphones won’t pause the music when you take them off your head. I always miss that when earbuds or headphones don’t have the feature.

Milton ANC should have good active noise cancellation, right?

Marshall has several good options for wireless headphones, including the Monitor III. But it’s the Major V headphones (on sale for $89) that are the most similar in design and function to the Milton ANC. The obvious difference is right there in the name: active noise cancellation.

It’s nice that these have noise-blocking capabilities because they can limit distractions around you. However, the overall performance is less than that of other headphones that completely cover your ears. Depending on how these sit on your ears, it may be hard to tell that there’s active canceling happening.

They will quiet household chatter and office distractions. They might help with daily train rides, in order to lower the environmental noise, so you don’t need to listen to music as loudly.

Just be aware, the Milton ANC aren’t built for airplanes. They won’t drop the noise around you to the level of other premium brands’ models. I found that toggling between ANC and transparency yielded a little difference, but not a ton. Because the Milton are so easy to put on and take off, I found it easier to just drop them to be around my neck when I needed to hear something.

Are the Marshall Milton wireless headphones worth buying?

There is a lot to like about the Marshall Milton ANC wireless headphones. But the primary reason to consider buying them is for their compact on-ear design. Most headphones can be a little bulky to travel with. These keep the size down.

If you do like the size and design, then the added ANC might be important. They don’t block noise as well as Bose, Sony, or Apple, but they do help quiet your environment to some degree. 

You’re just not going to find too many on-ear headphones with ANC, and if you do, they won’t have Marshall’s classic rock styling. That may make them worth the $230 cost. If you don’t need ANC, however, I would look at the Major V headphones, which have a lot of the features but have routinely been sold for around $99.