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Marshall Milton ANC review: A rare case for high-end over-ear headphones

It's as if the Major and the Monitor had had a baby.

Marshall's Major headphones are now in their fifth iteration, an unusually long lifespan for the often-overlooked over-ear category. The original model launched the same year as the first iPad, and sixteen years later, it's still going strong, with one notable omission: active noise cancellation (ANC). That's where the new Milton comes in. If the design looks familiar, that's because it started life as an ANC version of the Major. Over time, it has evolved beyond a simple update, becoming a distinct third pillar of the Marshall headphone line, sitting between the Major and Monitor lines.

The Milton enters an interesting space: premium ANC over-ear headphones. It's a category that rarely gets much attention, but Marshall has over a decade of experience refining ears and the user data that goes with it, I presume. The $230 headset comes with all the expected elements Marshall is known for: solid battery life, iconic Marshall design, and a feature-rich companion app. The result is something that definitely defines a category, but perhaps not in the way you'd expect.

Design and material

The Milton looks like a pair of monitors squashed into the shape and size of the Major. That is to say, the gold logo pattern, rounded edges, and metal headband details are all borrowed from the Monitor. The general size and square shape of the earcups is an obvious influence from the Major. If there's a word that merges "discreet" and "familiar", it's Milton. Sub-military, perhaps? You'll find another inimitable Marshall DNA in the textured Tolex-like finish that mimics its amps and the ubiquitous versatile brass-accented knob.

Like the Monitor and Major before it, the Milton captures the spirit of the brand it represents without drifting too far into gadget territory. I think Marshall's design language is more lifestyle oriented that will appeal to a younger audience, or one who wants to wear their rock/alternative/indie spirit on their sleeve (or, in this case, their ears). If you don't care about aesthetics and are just looking for a lightweight, comfortable, well-made over-ear headset, then the Monitor is also exactly that.

Inside the earcups, a 32mm driver runs the show. Physical controls are sparse, with just the aforementioned brass multi-directional button on the right earcup and a customizable button on the left that can be assigned to switch between ANC, EQ, Soundstage (spatial audio), or summon your voice assistant.

Although the Milton is a wireless headset, there is a USB-C to 3.5mm cable in the box for analog/wired listening. But you'll still need to turn on the Milton for this to work, so unfortunately, it's not a plan B if you're low on battery. You can also use a USB-C cable to connect to a phone or PC and listen that way too. The Milton also has a user-replaceable battery, which should significantly extend the life of the headphones. The ear pads are also removable and therefore need to be replaced.

Software and Features

I'll say it, Marshall's companion app may be the best one I've ever used. Headphone apps often seem like an afterthought with clunky user interfaces. Worse yet, the features they include are often easier to simply enable on the device itself. Marshall's app is a mine of discoveries and truly useful.

For example, on the main home page, you can toggle between ANC, transparency mode, or turn both off. You can also do this with the buttons, but the app has an ANC “Level” option for more in-depth configuration. Below that is the equalizer, where you will also find the adaptive sound volume toggle. The app offers some decent presets here, but you can also create your own and save them as a preset.

The software features seem to pile up from there. The Milton supports Auracast, and it's here in the app that you can find and join broadcasts. Marshall has its own implementation of "spatial" audio called Soundstage and the app is where you can configure and enable it. Soundstage modifies the sound to make it more like listening to a speaker in a room, rather than music directly in your head. I can't say I worry about it myself, as it often pushes the drums and bass lines (i.e. the best bits), but it's something you can do if the more direct headphone input is a little too stimulating.

The Milton supports Spotify Tap via double-clicking the M button. Double-tap and you'll be served music based on your listening habits. Sort of like an on-demand playlist when you don't know what to listen to. Anyway, it's here and there's a section in the app to remind you how it works.

Other benefits you'll find here include battery preservation tools, similar to the options in iOS that prevent an iPhone's battery from fully charging or reduce the charging speed. You can also set the power-off timer if you don't like the factory settings and want the Miltons to go to sleep almost immediately after you stop using them - or up to eight hours later. As is increasingly common, Milton supports Apple Find My and Google Find Hub, and there is a section in the app to guide you through setting it up.

Sound quality and ANC

Marshall headphones tend to lean more toward the "fun and lively" type of sound rather than a flatter, truer profile. That's certainly what you get with the Milton, a slightly bass-forward midrange sound that works well for most popular genres. The good news is that EQ lets you override the setting almost instantly if that's not your thing. Additionally, setting up a sound profile to your liking is quite simple.

The 32mm drivers seem quite balanced to me, even when pushing everything to the maximum. Bass never sounds overcooked, and female vocals, hi-hats, and other high-frequency sounds never sound shrill, high-pitched, or sibilant. The downside is that, at least to my tired ears, it's hard to find huge dynamic range in the sound on a European iPhone. When I listen to electronic music, for example, everything sounds balanced and in tune, but perhaps a little closer together on stage than on something like Sennheiser's HDB 630.

For an over-ear headphone, one that you'll likely use as a daily driver in a variety of situations, Marshall probably made the right choice in terms of creating something that's fun to listen to but also won't tire out your ears. If you were hoping for higher resolution options, LDAC is included here, but you're out of luck if aptX is your codec of choice.

As for the ANC, the Milton is impressive but with one caveat. My apartment faces a fairly busy road in the center of a town. This road generates a fairly constant hum of traffic and engines, which is generally a pretty good test of ANC. The Miltons do a great job eliminating street noise, but I'm looking for some extra quality in the ANC that's harder to quantify. Calm? A feeling of calm when you activate it? It's not quite present here, although the factual noise reduction is decent.

This is likely because these are smaller over-ear headphones with much less physical seal, so a noticeable ambient "ambience" may be noticeable even if it's not direct noise. By that standard, the ANC is impressive and probably one of the best I've experienced on this style of headphone.

Battery life

This is a bit embarrassing, because as I write this, the Miltons are still out of the first load I gave them with 10 percent still available. This is after over a week of daily active use. What I can say is that this matches Marshall's claims of 50+ hours of battery life with ANC enabled and 80+ hours without noise cancellation. I've worn them for several hours, every day, at the gym, on the street, and right now as I write this, and I haven't had to recharge them yet. I also had ANC active almost all the time. That is to say, the Milton's battery life is good, even if you leave noise cancellation on.

The competition

The pool of high-end over-ear headphones is quite small. In the category from $200, you have the Grado GW100x, compatible with the hi-fi system, or the Beat's Solo 4, more suitable for the gym. Both are very different headphones and lack ANC, but the Beats are closest to the Miltons in price and sound. There are more style-conscious options at this price point, like the Aiaiai TMA-2, but again, there's no ANC option.

If you're looking for another over-ear option with ANC, JBL's Live 680NCs are actually well-liked for their price (around $160) but offer a very different aesthetic. That is to say, in the specific Venn diagram of feature-rich branded over-ear headphones with ANC, the Miltons pretty much define the category at this point.

Conclusion

It's no surprise that the Marshall Miltons are fun, comfortable, and feature-rich. The heritage of the popular Major range has clearly been leveraged here to create an over-ear headphone aimed at the most demanding listener. The ANC capabilities are solid for the form factor, although they could be considered more midrange if they were above the ears. The sound experience is classic Marshall: a little heavier on the low and upper mid frequencies, but full EQ lets you bend it more to your liking.

Ultimately, $230 might be a little pricey on the ears, but Beats has been charging that for its ANC-free Solo 4 for long enough that a little competition from the Milton is probably a good thing.