Over all I think the new Marshall Monitor
2 ANC’s are a great pair of headphones…
but I specifically think they’re a great
option for daily commuters if you can even
leave the house that is.
But today we’re going to see how the Monitor
2’s stack up against the Sony 1000XM3’s
and the Bose NC 700’s.
Now I know that with this current quarantine,
all of this uncertainty, and with how the
economy currently is… buying a pair of premium
ANC headphones might not be on the top of
a lot of people’s list.
But I think that with us being stuck in the
house all day with family, some people might
be looking for away to escape a little bit,
so they might be looking into investing into
a pair of ANC headphones.
So with that being said, the Bose NC 700’s
retail for $400, where as the Monitor 2’s
retail for $320.
But now I want to address the Sony 1000XM3’s
price.
These headphones have a retail price of $350…
but they’re typically on sale for $278 these
days.
And thats cause we know that the Sony 1000XM4’s
are right around the corner, which you can
learn more about here.
But with our current global health situation
I wouldn’t be surprised one bit if they
end up getting delayed.
Ultimately I do think its a real coin toss
to pick up the 1000XM3’s today cause I think
the 1000XM4’s are worth waiting for, but
regardless the 1000XM3’s are a steal at
their $278 price point.
So if you want to pick any of the headphones
mentioned in this video up they’ll be lined
down below.
So first off lets go over cases, both the
Bose NC 700 and Sony 1000XM3 come included
with a hardshell carrying case.
Where as the Marshall’s come included with
a carrying pouch.
Now like I’ve said in the past, whenever
you’re paying upwards of $300 for a pair
a headphones a hardshell case is to be expected.
So personally I am a little disappointed in
Marshall here.
But you probably don’t need a hard case
since you’re cooped up in the house all
day anyways.
But what I really like about the Marshall’s
is their build quality and design.
I really like the Marshall’s classic design
but the main reason why I like them so much
is I cause they’re so low profile.
Where as the Bose NC 700’s look elegant
but their super round headband just make it
look like you’re wearing a helmet.
But then there are the Sony’s which do a
more low profile headband which I like, but
their ear cups do pop out a little more compared
to the Marshall’s.
Now when it comes to build quality all of
these headphones are decent, but objectively
the Sony’s do feel the cheapest here.
They’re mostly made out of plastic and the
leatherette on these ear pads feel’s the
most synthetic.
But something that I have noticed recently
is that when I extend their headband, I do
feel that the clicking mechanism is starting
to wear out and feel a little loss.
Now granted this is after a year and a half
of heavy usage, and I also quite a lot for
these reviews in general.
So I did want point that out.
But then there are the Bose NC 700’s which
also have decent build quality, but what really
makes them stand out here is how luxurious
their leatherette feels.
The synthetic leatherette on the Bose is second
to only to the sheep skin ear pads found on
the Sennheiser Momentum 3’s.
And then what makes the Marshall’s stand
out here is their durability compared to these
other two headphones.
Even though these headphones don’t come
included with a hardshell case, I don’t
think they need it cause they’re so rugged.
But all of that ruggedness does come with
a price regarding fit and comfort.
Now these headphones are comfortable to wear
and they’re big head approved… but they’re
also pretty heavy and noticeable weighing
in at 320 grams.
Where as the Bose NC 700 weigh in the 263
grams and the Sony’s weigh in at 255 grams.
And usually lighter headphones are more comfortable
than heavier ones.
But more importantly lets talk about the ear
pads on these headphones.
The Sony’s do have the most cramped ear
pads here.
Even though these ear pads fit me just fine,
if you have larger ears or ears that stick
out a little then these ear pads might rest
on your ears.
Where as the Bose have the most spacious ear
pads here and they should be able to fit all
ear types with no problem.
And the Marshall’s are a nice middle ground
here, they’re more spacious than the Sony’s
but they might not fit extra large ears or
ears that stick out a lot like the Bose can.
But something that I do gotta point out about
the Bose is that they have the most clamping
force here.
They’re not going to squeeze your head like
the Beats Solo pro do, but if you have a larger
head like I do then you’ll might think these
are a little tight.
Personally I think the Sony’s are the most
comfortable headphones here but depending
on your head shape or ear type you’ll might
be better off with the Bose or Marshall.
Now when it comes to tech specs, all three
of these headphones charge via a USB C port
and they all have decent battery lives.
The Bose are good for 20 hours where as both
the Sonys and Marshall are good for up to
30 hours with ANC turned on.
But if you’re looking for the headphones
here with the longest battery life then you’ll
might me interested in the Marshalls cause
they can go for as long as 45 hours with ANC
turned off.
Now for those wondering, unfortunately you
can’t use the USB C port on any of these
headphones as a wired connection like you
can with lets say the Sennheiser Momentum
3’s.
So if you want to use a wired connection with
and of these headphones then you gotta use
the AUX jack.
Now when it comes to bluetooth connectivity,
all three of these headphones are perfectly
fine for watching videos or movies on your
phone cause they all have zero latency across
the board whether you’re using an iPhone
or android device.
But I do have to point out that the Sony’s
can inly be connected to one device at a time.
Which I think sucks and it just ridicules
at this point.
Cause both the Marshall's and Bose can be
connected to 2 devices at the same time.
So you can easily hot swap from your phone
to your computer which is always great for
power users.
Now when it comes to listening to music with
these headphones, the Sony’s are the crowd
pleasers here.
Since these headphones have a fully customizable
EQ you can make them sound however you want.
If you like a neutral sound signature you
can do that or if you like a bass heavy sound
signature you can also do that.
And when you turned the bass up on these headphones
they’re going to rattle your head a decent
amount.
So if you like to physically feel your music
then the Sony’s are the safe bet here.
Where as both the Bose and Marshall’s are
better geared towards people who prefer a
natural sound signature.
Both the Bose and Marshall sound better than
the Sony’s cause they both have a wider
sound stage and better instrument separation.
But the bass on both of these headphones is
purely audible.
This is why some people say that they don’t
like the Bose’s headphones cause they sound
flat.
But in reality its cause they’re not rattling
their heads.
So with that being said the Bose do sound
better than the Sony’s and they sound very
balanced and they’re a good middle ground
when compared to the Marshall’s cause the
Marshalls put more of an emphasis on vocalist
when set to their stock EQ.
But they thing the Marhsalls have going for
them is that even though they are a pair of
neutral sounding headphones, they also have
a fully customizable EQ unlike the Bose NC
700’s.
But even though these headphones do have a
fully customizable EQ like the Sony’s, unlike
the Sony’s they still don’t physically
rattle your head even if you were to raise
their bass all the way up.
So like I said earlier, the Sony’s are the
crowd pleasers here cause they should satiate
most people, but if you want better detail
and a wider soundstage then both the Bose
and Marshall are better options sound quality
wise.
Now when it comes to actually controlling
your music… both the Sonys and Bose are
using touch pads.
Now even though both of these touchpad are
easy to use and they’re very accurate I
gotta admit that using Marshall’s physical
control knob is just easier and more direct.
So if you just don’t want to deal with a
touch pad at all then you could just go with
the Marshall’s.
But now lets talk about the active noise cancellation
on these headphones cause like I mentioned
earlier during this quarantine time you might
want to either block out your family members
for a little bit or you just want to block
the kids from the apartment 2 units down.
Long story short, the Sony 1000XM3’s claim
to fame is that they have the best performing
Active Noise cancellation on the market but
so that you can see for yourself we’re going
to jump into an ANC test.
So like you may have just seen, even though
the Bose NC 700 come close to blocking out
a similar amount of noise as the Sony 1000XM3’s,
the Sony’s still block out a touch more
road noise and more importantly a touch more
chatter which is what I think you’ll be
more interested in during this quarantine.
But more importantly the Sony’s block out
the most amount of noise here and they do
so with the least amount of cabin pressure.
Where as the Bose have little more cabin pressure
than the Sony’s but just by a little bit.
Where as with the Marshall’s clearly they
block out the least amount of noise here by
comparison.
But they also have the most amount of cabin
pressure.
I regularly find myself having to pop my ears
whenever im using the Marshalls to either
edit a video or when I'm watching something
on my phone.
So for that reason I only like to use the
Active noise cancellation on the Marshall’s
when I have to.
Where as with both the Bose or Sony I don’t
have to pop my ears even when im not playing
music through them.
So if you’re looking for the best active
noise cancellation to isolate yourself the
Sony’s are clearly the best option here.
Now when it comes to the ambient mode, all
three of these headphones have very good ambient
modes.
They all sound natural, there’s no hissing
in the background, they all do a good job
of blocking out wind noise and they’re all
adjustable so you can specify how much ambient
noise you want to let in.
But personally I do think the Sony’s have
the best ambient mode here cause their ambient
mode is active, meaning that they actively
block out sudden spikes in loudness.
Like lets say your dog starts barking while
you’re wearing these headphones, the ambient
mode on the Sony’s will automatically stop
thus saving you from having this amplified
bark playing through your headphones and saving
you from jump scares.
But something that I do wish Sony would change
on their headphones is their quick attention.
On the Sony’s if you completely cover their
touch pad they’ll lower the volume of your
music and let in all of the ambient sound
so you can talk to someone without having
to take you’re headphones off like this.
But the thing is, you gotta keep your hand
there like an idiot the entire time you’re
talking.
Sony should make it that if you keep the touch
pad covered for over 2 and half second they’ll
lock quick attention, and then when you touch
the touch pad again they’ll resume playing.
Cause both the Bose and Marshall do the same
thing, but they don’t require you to keep
you hand on an ear cup like this.
So yeah I think sony could improve how quick
attention is activated through a software
up date.
But this now leads us to the microphone test
on these headphones.
And sadly the microphone on the Sony’s is
pretty bad cause it sounds very muffled.
Where as the Marshall’s sound much better
and they really put your voice front and center.
The only critique is that they do sound a
little static, but nonetheless the microphone
on the Marshalls is definitely usable for
phone calls.
But if you plan on making a lot of phone calls
during this quarantine either cause you’re
working from how or cause you’re calling
family, the Bose NC 700 hands down have the
best sounding microphone 
for phone calls.
But over all, if you’re looking for a pair
of headphones to block out the most amount
of noise here to help you during this quarantine
then the Sony 1000XM3’s are still the best
option here especially at their $278 sale
price… the only wild card here is that the
Sony 1000XM4’s could be right around the
corner or they could not be.
I really don’t know.
So this could be something to take into consideration
if you don’t want to suffer from buyers
remorse.
But if you want something with better sound
quality then both the Bose and Marshall are
better options.
Now if you want something with better noise
cancellation then the Bose are better than
the Marshalls.
Or if you want to save some money, or if you
want to have some control over how your headphones
sound than the Marshalls are the way to go.
But keep in mind they do have some noticeable
cabin pressure.
But at the end of the day, not matter what
headphones you decide to go remember to stay
safe and wash your hands.
