The Marshall name in music has been around for over 50 years, starting in the early 1960s when rock-and-roll pioneer Jim Marshall created a cutting-edge amp for local musicians. More than 50 years later the Marshall name – and more importantly, reputation – lives on as the company has expanded into additional music marketplaces, including consumer headphones.
Jim Marshall’s mission in music was to revolutionize rock-and-roll music, and the Marshall Minor Black headphones are designed specifically to produce the best sounding rock-and-roll music around. Though it’s clear Marshall knows what it’s doing overall, because the Minors sound amazing for all music types.
First, let’s go over the design and fit of the Marshall Minor Blacks. The Blacks look extremely sleek, with a nice matte black casing topped off with a shiny gold colored driver cover and rear disc. What you will notice immediately is these headphones are quite different from traditional in-ear headphones in that they lie in front of the ear canal instead of fitting inside the ear canal. Keeping in line with how they fit, the Marshall Minor Blacks come with three sizes of interchangeable earpads that allow a snug fit within the contours of your outer ear (you can see from the pictures below). I currently use the largest size of earpad; this enables a super comfortable fit even after using the headphones for all day. However, considering I’m only 5′ 6″ tall, the fact that I’m using the largest earpads may suggest a potential problem for much taller individuals – though I must point out that my fitted hat size is 7 1/4, and that’s big for someone my height, so maybe I just have a larger head and ears than normal.
The wires are wrapped in a fabric cord that is advertised as tangle-free. I must state unequivocally that the cords are the most tangle-resistant I have ever seen on a pair of in-ear headphones. The fabric cord produces almost no friction, which allows for easy unwrapping. This truly is a major plus for the Marshall Minor series, as tangle issues with cords are probably the main reason I usually stay away from in-ear headphones. But considering I have been using the Minors for over 6 months lets you know how great the cords actually are. As you can see from the pictures below, the cord has a clothespin-type connector that allows for tight locking down to a shirt collar. This worked great – for a few months until in completely broke off – so definitely be careful with your set. The cord also has a microphone that is clear and picks up sounds easily.
All right, so the design and build of the Marshall Minor Black headphones are good, but how do they sound? Well, all I can say is that the Marshall Minors are rockin’! I tested out several different music genres (rock, classical, hip hop, and progressive house) and the Minors perform well in all genres. The Marshall Minors have a more balanced sound than most other similarly priced headphones. Bass is present but not overwhelming at all (Marshall is a rock-and-roll brand, and these headphones are far from the well-known cosmetic brands). The Marshall Minors perform well among all music genres, but where they really shine are with rock-and-roll music.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise to you considering the history of the Marshall company. Vocals are really punchy, high ranges (like cymbal crashes) come in clear. But the best sound comes from the heavy and silky smooth sound of superb guitar chords and riffs, like those from Bruce Springsteen’s “Radio Nowhere” and Eric Clapton’s “Cocaine”. If rock-and-roll is your music, then the Marshall Minors will come up big for you.
Overall, the Marshall Minor Black headphones are some of the best I’ve ever reviewed, and considering they sell for only $45-$60, you should definitely consider picking up a set, especially if you listen to a lot of rock-and-roll music!
Marshall Minor Black Headphones – $42.87