Lately, headlines have been bulging with news of new products fretted with frills. That’s all well and good, but the audiophile in us is pleased to see sound quality take center stage every now and then. The Major 50 FX 50th anniversary headphones from Marshall sport a vintage black & gold finish, but the company hasn’t hung around for fifty years by dint of their designs. Their ‘phones tend to sound solid and these should be no different.
The new/old model is an update of the original Marshall Major. And we fell in love with the original. Our reviewer, Caleb Denison, had this to say about the classic cans: “The Marshall Major headphones offer an aesthetic appeal that is uniquely Marshall and bring with that look a very live sound that we think many listeners will appreciate. However, their tendency to compress sound when driven with lower quality sources and the long-term comfort problems we experienced hold us back from making them a recommended product. These ‘phones might best suit listeners that enjoy music in shorter spurts and don’t necessarily need to crank the volume to enjoy it.”
The update, however, appears aesthetic in nature. It’s clear there isn’t much ground being broken here, but with their trademark heavy sound and vinyl-clad, retro design, the Major 50 Fx model is shooting for one word — classic.
Ideally suited for guitar-gear addicts (you know who you are), this model features a 40mm moving coil dynamic drivers capable of the typical 20-20,000 Hz frequency response. As an added bonus, a remote, mic, and canvas carrying pouch are all included. We mention guitar-gear enthusiasts because Marshall was formed at the behest of Pete Townshend and Richie Blackmore, two men who know a thing or a million about the instrument.
The only thing that gives us a bit of pause here is the price. We expect they’ll retail for about $150, but the suggested price sits at $170. That’s a little on the pricey side, even for solid performance from on on-ear headphone. Still, you get some nice accessories with your purchase, and 50 years of sound doesn’t come cheap.
