Optimal alignment of the ear cups on the ears is ensured by the extensions, which can be pulled out in thirteen increments and snap-in tightly, and the ear cup suspensions connected to a combination joint. It’s clear that Marshall has taken a lot of care in achieving a well-balanced sound with the Monitor II ANCs, and they’re certainly the best-sounding Marshall headphones to date. It’s thick and styled like a guitar amp lead with the signature Marshall gold accents on its plugs meaning even if you do have to use it you won’t detract from the overall aesthetic of the headphones. On the bright side, this is fixed somewhat by switching to a different EQ profile in the app, but for the purposes of the review I left everything on the “Marshall” sound profile which is turned on by default.

The lack of balance in the Marshall Monitors isn't enough to impact many genres, but it does mean if you’re a fan of instrumental and classical titles you won’t hear these songs at their absolute best.

It's worth bearing in mind that though they offer good sound and design, for those who like to wear their headphones a few hours at a time, there is a chance that you could experience some discomfort and although it offers clear and crisp sound it's still not perfectly balanced. Pressing the button will immediately turn off the noise canceling and pause your music so that you can hear what’s going on around you. The headphones definitely add some bass to the mix where it doesn't necessarily exist, but not in such a dramatic fashion that things sound overly bass-heavy. However, battery life is very impressive at 30 hours with Bluetooth and noise cancelling enabled and 45 hours with ANC disabled. A sturdy foldable design, excellent controls, a comfy fit, customisable noise cancelling and great all-round sound performance are sure to make these cans a big hit.

The fact that the coating on the Monitor headphones isn’t real leather might be a positive for those uncomfortable with the use of animal products, but the rubber and plastic alternative that’s used doesn’t look or feel particularly premium. Both the brackets and their extensions and the ear cup suspension are made of robust metal and the matt-textured surface of the oval ear-cups almost feels like one of their legendary amps. If you want some of the premium feel of the Monitor II ANC, but with better ANC and codecs, check out the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 4 Wireless.I also have a set of Fostex T20s I bought in the late 1990s that I still use, although I have been through several cables on those.