While earbuds are good, I much prefer the comfort level offered by over-ear cans and I don’t go anywhere without my trusty Marshall Monitor III. I’ve been using them for over a year and not a day goes by that I don’t listen to my favorite tunes through them.
But over-ear and in-ear aren’t your only options. There are also on-ear headphones.
Despite having just as much padding as over-ears, I’m usually not a huge fan of on-ear headphones — but the Marshall Milton ANC are changing my mind. For the last three weeks, I’ve been using these on-ears exclusively, and I’m in love with them.
The Milton ANC are the most comfortable on-ear headphones I’ve used, and on top of that, they boast outstanding sound quality and 80 hours of battery life. I awarded them a 4.5-star rating in my Marshall Milton ANC review, and for good reason too.
Here’s why I love them.
The gold standard for on-ear comfort
One of the things that usually stops me from recommending on-ear headphones is that they sit on your ears rather than around them, and can clamp a little too much. This, in turn, makes your ears hurt over time, and can make them too hot.
The Marshall Milton ANC fix this problem by employing spacious ear cushions made of soft memory foam. I’ve run out of reasons to not recommend on-ears now.
I’ve run out of reasons to not recommend on-ears now.
I’ve worn the Milton ANC a lot. I’ve worn them in a pressurized cabin on a flight. I’ve worn them on the bus to and from work. At my desk. At home. Everywhere. The longest I wore them for was nine hours straight, and not once did my ears hurt or feel like they were sweaty or too hot. Imagine my surprise at that! Of course, I had to adjust the height every now and then to ensure maximum comfort, but I do this with over-ears too, so it didn’t feel out of the ordinary.
Alongside the soft ear cushions, the Milton ANC uses a cushioned headband that relieves pressure you’d otherwise feel on the top of your head. The headphones weigh next to nothing too, at 7.06 ounces, so you don’t feel weighed down by them.
After the Marshall Monitor III, the Milton ANC are the most comfortable headphones I’ve tested — and easily the most comfy on-ears.
Wait, what about the sound quality?
I would never recommend spending any amount of money on a pair of headphones if they don’t make music sound fantastic and luckily, the Marshall Milton ANC do just that. These headphones pack 32mm dynamic driver and are tuned to deliver a bass-forward sound straight out of the box. This doesn’t mean that they sacrifice treble and mids — on the contrary, everything sounds harmonious, but all I’m saying is that you may want to tinker with the EQ in the app if the bass is a bit much for you.
In tracks like ‘Elephant’ by 070 Shake and ‘Cracker Drool’ by Goat Girl, the bass sounded exceptional. The distorted, wobbly bassline in the former engulfed me and I felt immersed, while the driving bassline in the latter gave the track a great backbone with plenty of low-end impact. As for vocals, ‘Everybody Scream’ by Florence + The Machine sounded phenomenal, with Florence’s all-encompassing vocals balancing beautifully against the chanting chorus.
Soundstage spatial audio on the Monitor III is one of my favorite features and I’m thrilled to see it make an appearance on the cheaper Milton ANC. Soundstage essentially creates a virtual room of sound which can be customized on a scale of ‘small’ to ‘large.’ Its prowess became apparent when I listened to ‘Let It Happen’ by Tame Impala. The synths sounded like they were swirling around my head, and I felt like I was at a concert.
Premium features, not-so-premium price
The Marshall Milton ANC sit between the flagship Monitor III over-ears and the popular Major V on-ears, and they borrow features from both sets of cans. You’re getting a bunch of premium features at a mid-range price point. For instance, the Milton ANC borrow styling cues (black with brass accents) from the Monitor III, as well as Soundstage spatial audio, Adaptive Loudness, and ANC. They inherit the Major V’s on-ear design but make it more comfortable, as I mentioned earlier.
They also feature long battery life: The Major V are rated for 100 hours but because of the addition of ANC to the Milton ANC, the latter are rated for 80 hours without ANC or 50 hours with ANC enabled.
Unlike the Major V and the Monitor III, the Milton ANC feature consumer-replaceable batteries, so all you need to do is twist off the left earcup and et voilà.
So, how much will all those goodies set you back by? The Milton ANC have a retail price of $229 / £179, so they’re a fair bit cheaper than the Monitor III. If you don’t want to spend $349 on the Monitor III, then the Milton ANC are a no-brainer — as long as you’re okay with the on-ear design, of course.
If you don’t want to spend $349 on the Monitor III, then the Milton ANC are a no-brainer — as long as you’re okay with the on-ear design, of course.
Admittedly, I still prefer the Monitor III’s sound profile, longer battery life, and better ANC. But it’s nice to have a competent pair of on-ears that I can swap to if I wish to. They set a new gold standard for on-ear headphones (and mid-range cans in general).
Check out my Marshall Milton ANC vs Marshall Monitor III face-off to see which headphones are right for you!
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