TechRadar Verdict
The Marshall Motif II ANC look like the moodier sibling of the Apple AirPods Pro.
That makes them a tempting proposition, especially if you want something a little different from the crowd.
But out of the box, these are good sounding buds.
If you like to be different, you’ll appreciate the Marshall Motif II ANC.
The price range of the Marshall Motif II ANC is a particularly busy field.
Also near to the price is the Sony LinkBuds S and the Beats Studio Buds.
They have the essentials you’d need while being consistently easy to figure out.
The same issue sometimes occurred when asking the Marshall app.
It’d only be an issue for a moment or two but it was a mild irritant.
The Marshall Motif II ANC has far better battery life than its predecessor.
With mixed usage, we found the figure landing somewhere in the middle.
It’s a decent length of time with up to nine hours via the buds alone.
The charging case charges wirelessly too or via USB-C so it’s convenient when the time comes.
It’s instantly more likeable than a plasticky case favored by others.
It has a great tactile feeling to it in your hands and is comfortably a little weighty.
The earbuds themselves have a long stem with the Marshall logo and another tactile surface on the bud part.
Controls are a matter of tapping on either earbud.
They’re reasonably responsive too without being overly sensitive to adjustments while you’re on the move.
The Marshall Motif II ANC still struggle against the likes of theApple AirPods Pro 2for canceling out sounding noises.
Walk along a busy road and you’ll still hear the cars go past.
It’s more subtle than without earbuds that have ANC there’s nothing exceptional here.
On the other hand, the Marshall Motif II ANC sound great when listening to music or podcasts.
Podcasts are crisp but the stand out is with music.
Instead, they’re quite balanced meaning more orchestral pieces shine here.
The classics like The Beach Boys' God Only Knows conveys all the right nuances at the key moments.
However, all this does take a little time.
Unusually, playing straight from the box feels wrong at first.
Despite its promises, the Marshall Motif II ANC feels quieter than you might think.
Like the marketing explains, the Marshall Motif II ANC’s focus is on offering a unique sound.
Value score: 4 / 5
Should I buy the Marshall Motif II?
This was conducted while listening to Apple Music as much as possible.
Here was my chance with Spotify and the occasional YouTube videos.
