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Marshall updates its Monitor headphones with a little help from Billie Joe Armstrong

Marshall Monitor III ANC worn by Billie Joe Armstrong.
Marshall

Marshall has updated its Monitor ANC wireless headphones, which are now in their third generation. The new cans keep the same overall design as previous Monitor ANC models, but now include Marshall’s Soundstage spatial audio technology and a much bigger battery for up to 100 hours of playtime. You can buy the Monitor III ANC for $349 — a $30 increase over the previous model — starting September 24.

Marshall Monitor III ANC.
Marshall

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To highlight the launch of the new model, Marshall has partnered with Green Day frontman and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, who’s a longtime user of Marshall’s guitar amps. Marshall says that the Monitor III ANC inject “some desperately needed rock ‘n’ roll into the monotonous world of noise-canceling headphones,” while Armstrong provides a slightly more punk perspective: “What better way to flip off the world than to put your headphones on so it’s just you and the music?”

Marshall Monitor III ANC.
Marshall

The Monitor III ANC have received several external and internal updates, according to Marshall. The headband has been “completely reimagined” for better comfort, there’s a new Adaptive Loudness feature that adjusts the sound based on your environment, and the company claims it has revised the acoustic design for improvements in sound, ANC, transparency, and voice calls.

The Monitor II ANC were no slouch on battery life with 30 hours of ANC (active noise cancellation) playtime and up to 45 hours without ANC, but the Monitor III ANC more than doubles these numbers. Marshall says the new cans will get an enormous 70 hours of wireless ANC playtime and 100 hours without.

The headphones are able to fold up into a very compact shape, and Marshall has introduced a new feature on its customizable multifunction M-button: the ability to navigate EQ settings, Spotify, and voice assistants.

They’re also compatible with Bluetooth LE Audio and Auracast, which will let you listen to shared audio from compatible devices (like Marshall’s newest speakers), as well as tune in to publicly available Auracast broadcasts as they become available.

Simon Cohen
Simon Cohen is a contributing editor to Digital Trends' Audio/Video section, where he obsesses over the latest wireless…
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