Minor Upsetting... 🤦🏻‍♂️ Marshall Minor IV Review vs the BEST! (AirPods 3)

The biggest complaint I had about the Marshall Minor III was its bass and the inability to EQ them because it didn’t have app support. But the new Minor IV now does. You can tune its sound with EQ presets or manually and you can receive firmware updates on both iOS and Android. It also includes some customisable settings, like the long press gesture of the controls, settings to preserve battery life to extend the lifespan of the earbuds and AAC codec support instead of just SBC.

Speaking of battery life, it’s been improved from the previous model’s 5 hours in the buds to 7 hours, with up to 30 hours total with the charging case, instead of 25 hours before. Apart from that, the design itself is easy to recognise because it hasn’t changed at all since the early days. It is retaining the same gritty vinyl texture and brass accents, and even the design of the earbuds reflect the design of the old skinny AirPods. This ensures a super light fit as they hang in your ears. This textured surface is one of the best things about the Minor series, allowing you to be more carefree without worrying about scratches. So you can keep it in your pocket with your keys and coins without concern. As the lid has enough tension, you won’t even have to worry about dropping it or having your earbuds fly out of the case easily.

But my real concern is its bass, is it still weak? We’ll be discussing that along with its pros and cons, as well as comparing them to what might be best sounding open fit earbuds right now, the 3rd-Generation AirPods.

Microphone quality: Marshall Minor IV vs AirPods 3

In general, both are quite comparable in quiet conditions, although the AirPods sounds a little fuller and crisper. In noisy scenarios like the one you heard, they were cutting as much background noise. However, the background noise reduction was very aggressive, so at times, it sounds like my voice is cutting out. Just be sure speak a bit louder so the microphones can pick up your voice better above the noise. Additionally, if you’re using an iPhone, be sure to enable voice isolation mode.

Have a listen to the microphone quality sample.

(Mic pickup tested in both quiet and noisy conditions using loud cafe noise and wind noise.)

If you want to compare its microphone quality to other earbuds , becoming a member for $1 per month or more gives you full access to my personal comparison tool. This tool lets you compare headphones A and B at your own pace. Hundreds of people have joined, especially those who can't easily visit a store to compare headphones. They save time by cutting through all the marketing and comparing these products remotely. To become a member like them, click on this link to learn more.

Sound Quality Comparison

In terms of sound quality, frequency sweeps show that although the Minor IV has a somewhat stronger lower sub bass, you won't be able to hear it because these are open fit earbuds. The AirPods sound heavier and richer in the areas that really matter, from the upper bass to the lower mid frequencies. On the other hand, the Minor IVs have more emphasis in the upper mids and highs compared to the AirPods.

Have a listen to the sound quality samples.

Recommended EQ settings

While some people prefer louder upper mids and treble for added bite in the sound, I find that this makes the Marshalls sound a bit shrill by default, especially above 70% volume. However, the Marshall app allows for correction of this issue. After some tweaking, the Marshalls seem to sound more in line with my personal preferences for a smoother audio. How I accomplished this is by reducing the volume in all three of the bands save the lower mids and bass frequencies.

Overall, I think the AirPods 3 sounds richer, smoother, heavier and more detailed in the soundstage.

If you want to compare its sound quality to other earbuds, you can do it for free on loudnwireless.com/soundsamples.

Conclusion

There are a few compelling reasons to choose the Minor IV over the AirPods. For example, the gritty surface means you don’t have to baby them like the AirPods with its glossy, easy-to scratch surface. (You could get a case for the AirPods but this will add bulk.) The Minor IV stays small, offers multipoint pairing and app support for both Android and iOS devices, while the AirPods works best with Apple devices. Without an Apple device, you can't access extra features like seamless switching or firmware updates.

A big win for the Marshalls is their flexibility because I can connect it to my pc and my phone at the same time and switch the audio between them. With AirPods, you can only do that with Apple devices. However, the biggest reason to choose the AirPods is the sound quality, which is fuller, bassier, and less tinny at higher volumes. You’ll likely use these at high volumes since they don’t plug into your ears and don’t block out ambient noise.

The AirPods also fit better for me, as its rounder buds feel snugger in the conch of my ears. If you are deeply embedded in the Apple ecosystem, the AirPods are the better choice for features like Spatial Audio and Seamless Switching, which lets you take phone calls and listen to audio on any Apple device, provided they all share the same Apple ID.

Otherwise, go for the Marshalls if what you want is a flexible, carefree experience on both iOS, Android, and other bluetooth-enabled source devices.

So those are the reasons to get the Minor IV and some reasons to get the AirPods instead. What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments.

If you’d like to check the latest prices of the earbuds, click on the Amazon links below.

Check latest prices:
Marshall Minor 4 - https://amzn.to/4aFoiGO
AirPods 3rd Gen - https://amzn.to/3DKY6du

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