Marshall Motif II

The cold truth is that Marshall needs a lot of surface area to convince the consumer that their unique aesthetic can make the difference and point a given consumer away from either AirPods or Galaxy Buds. It is, at least in part, the design that sets Marshall's products apart from the rest of the field, and the smaller something is, the less "room" there is for design.

With that in mind, it's easy to look at the company's in-ears, the Motif II A.N.C, and see their least compelling product. However, that's not the whole truth.

It's the same rubber coating that secures an IPX5 certification that's designed to look like leather, but it doesn't quite pull it off, especially when there's so little of it. However, it does mean that there is a nubby texture on the surface, and it's hard to call the Motif II downright ugly - quite the opposite. Also, while this is a more subtle visual profile than, say, their Major headphones, the case just has more personality than much else on the market.

There's wireless charging, thank goodness, a clear battery indicator and strong magnets for the devices inside, and together the devices and case give you six hours per use, and about 36 hours in total, which isn't bad either.

Inside the units, which are also a little more distinct in their visual design with a nice brass base and a distinct white Marshall "M", we find 6mm drivers that run in the frequency range 20Hz to 20kHz with a 16 ohm impedance. That's all perfectly fine, and there's also Bluetooth 5.3 and support for AAC and SBC. Together, this makes for a sound that's adequate, but as other reviewers have noted, the sound is drained of the warmth you get from Marshall's slightly larger Bluetooth speakers, and also their headphones. It's a bit of a shame, and paired with slightly disappointing active noise cancellation, sound quality isn't Motif's best quality.

That said, there's still a clear signature, an attitude, and it's still fair to say that nothing sounds like Marshall products, and that's true here too. Combined with a distinctive look, it's these distinctive features that make the products special.

The app is another win. You wouldn't think so, but Marshall's app is actually extremely functional, with clearly categorised categories, modes and presets, all of which help you create unique profiles for unique situations.

There are also pretty good calls in general, and the touch controls on the side of each device work better and more responsively than you'd expect. Look, it's not that simple, and even though the sound, and perhaps especially the active noise cancellation, is a little lacking here, Marshall still manages to deliver in broad strokes. It's just not a slam dunk this time.