Marshall's cool guitar amp-inspired design is the big sell here and for many of us, it's as close as we'll ever get to a backstage pass. But there's a lot more to like about the latest model than its good looks. A sturdy foldable design, excellent controls, a comfy fit, customisable noise cancelling and great all-round sound performance are sure to make these cans a big hit. At £270, they're not exactly cheap but not crazy expensive either. And as Marshall's most advanced headphones yet, you get a substantial amount of bang for your buck. If you like the Marshall look, and if you're reading this then we assume you probably do, then these headphones should go right to the top of your list.

Rock star design; Excellent, customisable controls; Slick folding design; Solid battery life;

Pricey;

It's hard to find anything to truly dislike about Marshall's ANC headphones. Their sound is enjoyable and fairly well balanced; they look smart; plus the collapsible design makes them a good travel companion. Other similarly priced headphones offer better sound – but for those who like a fashion-conscious pair of headphones, the Monitor II ANC push the right buttons

Great style; Entertaining delivery ; Collapsible design ; Impressive noise cancellation;

Treble could be sweeter ; Can sound lean;

The Marshall Monitor II ANC headphones are an excellent choice for those looking for comfortable over-ear cans with noise cancelling. They offer a well-rounded balance of design, comfort, features and performance at a competitive price.

Marshall’s made a great pair of headphones here, with ANC adding to the Monitor’s classy, balanced sound, while good comfort levels and impressive battery life rounding out the package.

Classic looks; Balanced and full sound; Solid ANC;

You’d better like it in black; Carrying pouch isn’t hardy;

From the $250 Apple AirPods Pro to the $400 Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700, the market for wireless noise-cancelling headphones has never been stronger. At $319.99, Marshall's new Monitor II ANC headphones are positioned between these two leaders in terms of price. Sonically, they perform well, with rich bass depth and crisp highs for a clear audio experience. When it comes to noise cancellation, however, they do a fine job, but fall short of their relatively high cost. Design The circumaural (over-ear) Monitor II ANC headphones have a black design with leather grain texture on the outer earcup panels and top of the headband, along with the familair Marshall amps logo. The earpads are heavily cushioned with memory foam, and the cups swivel for a comfortable fit that feels light even during long listening sessions. The right earcup's outer panel houses the multi-directional control button. This button can be pressed and pushed to control playback, track navigation, call manag...

The Marshall Monitor II ANC headphones deliver a solid audio experience and decent noise cancellation, but are priced a bit too high.

Rich bass depth and crisp highs; Easy-to-operate on-ear controls; Adjustable EQ and ANC in app; Customizable shortcut buttons

Overpriced; In-app EQ has some quirks; No AptX or AAC codec support

Thinking of buying a set of active noise canceling (ANC) headphones? In addition to the many excellent models you’ll find on our best noise-canceling headphones list, we now also recommend the $320 Marshall Monitor II ANC. These ANC cans capture the iconic Marshall design language while adding some cool features to create a stylish alternative to the headphones made by Sony, Bose, Apple, and others. But the competition is stiff — do the Marshall Monitor II ANC have what it takes to justify their hefty price? Let’s take a look. Props go to Marshall for creating packaging that at least tries to be sustainable. It’s mostly recyclable cardboard, save for a few bits of foam that will eventually need to be discarded in a landfill. Inside, you’ll find the Monitor II ANC, a USB-C charging cable, a coil-style 3.5mm analog cable, a quick-start guide, and a soft fabric carry pouch. Whether you dig Marshall’s guitar amp-inspired design language or not (I think it looks awesome), you’ve got to admi...

Signature Marshall style; Very comfortable; Good ANC and transparency; Very intuitive controls; Excellent battery life;

Pricey for what you get; No wear sensor or multidevice pairing; Narrow soundstage;

Rock star design; Excellent, customisable controls; Slick folding design; Solid battery life;

Pricey;

Wonderful-looking and fine-sounding headphones, but the ANC is somewhat lacking

Wonderful design; Adjustable EQ; Excellent sound quality;

Weaker ANC than the competition; No hard case;