Premium TWS earphones, the Marshall Motif II ANC are designed to provide “a huge sound in a tiny package.” The Marshall Motif II ANC earphones have been a staple in my life for a long now; they go with me everywhere—the gym, the house, the office, and on excursions. In India, the earphones are priced under Rs 20,000, making them difficult to get. Continue reading to see if this Marshall Motif II ANC review demonstrates how valuable the TWS are.
Rating: 7.5 / 10
Design and fit
With a traditional design akin to the Apple AirPods Pro, the Marshall Motif II ANC has a leather-like skin covering that offers a durable finish and a pleasant feel in the hand. Additionally, this design decision reduces the likelihood of scratches on the audio device, giving you piece of mind wherever you use or store the earbuds. The Marshall logo on the case, which has begun to rub off after usage, is one area where Marshall might have done better. Given the high nature of the brand, some people may find this to be a little off-putting.
Aside from that, the Motiff II ANC is somewhat bigger in comparison to AirPods Pro. The earbuds themselves don’t stick out of the ears too much, and the case is still quite portable. Speaking of the earbuds, their silicone tips and in-ear stem form make them comfortable to use in your ears. The buds stand out despite their common look because to their unique crosshatched stems and gold-plated end caps. Marshall’s recognizable “M” is carved onto the matte-finish outer shell of the earphones.
It fits perfectly for everyday use. I have utilized the Marshall Motif II ANC earphones while working out, however they do need constant monitoring and adjusting to keep them from falling out. If you’re not doing anything physically demanding, the TWS ought to fit you snugly and comfortably. To fit a wide variety of ear canal diameters, the firm offers interchangeable ear tips in three sizes: small, medium, and large.
Both the casing and the earphones have splash resistance certifications. The buds are rated IPX5, while the casing is IPX4.
Features
The Motiff II TWS earbuds from Marshall have a minimal feature set. As the name suggests, the buds enable Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) for a fully immersive listening experience. They also have touch controls for easy music control, call answering and ending, and ANC enable/disable. Transparency mode helps you be aware of your surroundings. The touch controls are rather precise, although I think they are a little too sensitive. Even the slightest touch would cause the buds to interrupt the audio, frequently when being adjusted.
Regretfully, there’s no option to modify how strong the touch is. It is possible to turn off the touch controls via the companion app, but doing so will prevent you from using several features.
To link the earphones with your smartphone and other compatible devices, use Bluetooth v5.2 support. With Bluetooth, you may have a respectable range of up to 10 meters. I did experience some connectivity problems, but they were resolved with a fast reset. Next, you may choose between the fundamental SBC and AAC codecs. Sadly, the Motiff II isn’t compatible with premium aptX and LDAC codecs. Multipoint pairing, inbuilt microphones, and wear detection are additional features.
Companion app
For iOS and Android smartphones, the Marshall Bluetooth app is a companion to the Marshall Motif II ANC. The software was installed on my Pixel 8 (version 3.1.1), and everything functioned well. The earbuds paired with the app without any problems, and I was able to easily adjust the EQ settings, the transparency and noise cancellation mode intensity, auto-play/pause, battery saving, and of course, the restricted touch controls.
Sound quality and ANC
With a 108db driver sensitivity, the 6mm dynamic drivers of the Marshall Motif II ANC earbuds are impressive. Now, the Marshall TWS seems inferior to the more costly Sony WF-1000 XM5 in terms of both ANC and audio quality. The latter isn’t as good at shutting out the outside world as the high-end TWS pair would be. With ANC switched on, the background noise was quite audible regardless of the volume selected in the app, which might be a deal killer for many. Nevertheless, the Marshall Motif II ANC performs admirably when using the transparency mode. You can easily hear your surroundings with a reasonable level of clarity.
The Marshall Motif II ANC delivers excellent audio quality. Although the earbuds’ soundstage isn’t very large, they nonetheless provide a satisfying listening experience for all genres. The mids and highs are perfectly balanced, and the buds really bring out the lows. This is seen in songs like Arjan Valley, where the bass is so strong that the vocals and other instruments can still be clearly heard across the whole song. O Maahi and less bass-heavy songs like Afterglow are also performed with extreme accuracy, never missing a beat or a note.
Battery life and call quality
With or without ANC, the Marshall Motif II ANC has a playback duration of six to nine hours on a single battery. The actual outcomes could differ according to your preferred volume and use. Nevertheless, I discovered that the battery life was almost exactly as stated. An extra 20–26 hours of battery life in the case means you’ll have plenty of entertainment before it has to be recharged. There are two ways to charge the Motif II ANC: cable and wireless. The wired method is much quicker. The earbuds charge in only fifteen minutes and offer an extra hour of listening. It takes around three to four hours to fully recharge the case and earphones from zero to one hundred percent.
Moving on, it seems that the Marshall Motif II ANC is a dependable option for managing voice calls. Voices were fairly effectively captured by the microphones on the stem, especially in quieter areas.
Verdict
Perfectly good TWS earbuds are the Marshall Motif II ANC. The significantly bulkier shape compared to competitors, early connectivity issues, and certain wear and tear concerns notwithstanding, the earbuds continue to be a comfortable fit for a variety of lighthearted activities. Touch controls and ANC are two features that improve the user experience overall. On the other hand, I wish the ANC and touch controls had more customizable and effective settings. The Sony WF-1000 XM5 (review), which I believe to be the greatest ANC TWS earphones to date, costs around Rs 5,000 more than the Marshall TWS, thus the Marshall Motif II may not be able to beat the premium competition in this regard.
