Review \ authentication of Marshall Major IV headphones

Review \ authentication of Marshall Major IV headphones.

With the dominance of wireless technologies, we have to change even things that we are basically happy with. I had to change the excellent SteelSeries Siberia 200 , since the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra can produce more or less decent sound, but there is nothing to listen to.

The choice fell on Marshall Major IV.

Despite its decent price for the common man, the problem was that it is very difficult to find original Marshall Major IV on the Russian market - most of them sell Chinese fakes. This process has penetrated deeply even into reputable stores and sellers are foaming at the mouth trying to prove that the fake is an official delivery.

I decided to take a chance, after first watching the videos and reading a little about the reviews of the owners, I went to the store.

To say that the box of the Marshall Major IV headphones is bad, but there are not enough stars from the sky. In addition, the sellers screwed the poor box so tightly to the anti-theft device that they dented it all.

The very first check of authenticity is the price. These headphones cannot cost less than $162 in Russia. There is no question of any marketplaces with a price of 10,000 rubles ($108.26) and, especially, 4,000 rubles ($43.31) on Aliexpress. I bought a shop at the CSN for 15,699 rubles ($169.97). Prices are for April 2024.

The back of the box shows the main features of the headphones.

The second check of authenticity is the presence of recycling marks and UK CA certification.

The third authentication was stupidly sealed with Russification from the store. Specifications should be printed in one column.

The fourth authentication check is the parts of the sticker free from glue. On the same side of the box there is a barcode with a number, which must match the barcode number of the sticker inside the headphones.

Cardboard comes out of the slot for hanging in the store.

The headphones are in a box made of cheap cardboard.

There is documentation at the bottom of the box.

There are: Instructions for use, Safety Warning and completely in Russian Appendix to the instruction manual. All documentation has sections with Russian localization.

A separate compartment contains: USB A - USB Type C cable and 3.5 mm audio cable, 2.15 m long.

Cable plugs are gold-plated.

The fifth authentication check is the presence of Marshall markings on both sides of the USB A to USB Type C cable.

The sixth authentication check is the presence of the M monogram marking on the 3.5 mm audio cable on both sides.

The seventh check is when, in a free, folded state, the ends of the bow do not touch each other, there is a sector.

The headphones have an original folding system for carrying.

Eighth authentication - on one of the headphones there is a small hole for a microphone.

The ear pads are small, but due to the fact that they are soft, they fit tightly to the ears and external sound does not pass through. After many hours of use, I did not experience any discomfort and my ears did not sweat.

The headphones are controlled by a brass joystick. The controls are intuitive: pressing for 2 seconds turns on/off, and the guitar sound is very pleasant; forward - next song; back - previous song; up - volume higher; down - volume lower; hold forward - fast forward; hold back - rewind; one short press - accept a call; double short press - hang up the call.

Despite the apparent fragility of the headphones, they do not fall apart even on a large head.

Ninth authentication check - the outer side of the headphones has a sticker that looks more like thick cardboard. The Marshall lettering is made of rubber and is soft when squeezed.

Tenth check - in the lower part between the ear pads and the bodies there are large bass reflexes in the form of slots.

You can play songs not only wirelessly, but also via a 3.5 mm cable. The headphones are charged via a USB Type C cable with a power supply voltage of 5 Volts and a current of 500 milliamps.

In addition, the headphones have wireless charging; just place the headphones on the charger with the outer side.

Eleventh check - when charging, the light from the LED should not leak into the USB Type C jack and the 3.5 audio input jack. The LED has a different color depending on the state of charge of the battery.

Twelfth check - there is a Roman numeral IV on the bow.

Thirteenth check - the locking latch spring is metal.

The place where the latch is attached must be perfect.

Russian localization must have a sticker with information about the manufacturer. This item was made in China. It is preferable to buy headphones made in Poland and in Poland if you have the opportunity.

On the headband, in addition to the name of the right or left earphone, there is an inscription with certificates.

The headband is soft, but securely holds the headphones on your head.

The headphones support Bluetooth 5.0. The Bluetooth version is not the latest from eight years ago, but what do new Bluetooth versions give us?

Bluetooth 5.0 (2016): range increased 4 times to 40 m, speed increased 2 times, up to 2 Mbit/s.
Bluetooth 5.1: it became possible to determine location and direction with maximum accuracy.
Bluetooth 5.2 (2020): allowed to dynamically optimize power between 2 devices, thereby improving power consumption; improving the convenience and quality of LE Audio sound transmission through the use of synchronizationby time and isochronous channels, as well as parallel transmission to several devices.
Bluetooth 5.3 (2021): setting connection parameters with minimal delays and collisions, increasing transmission speed, reducing power consumption.
Bluetooth 5.4 (2023): adding options sending encrypted notifications, increasing encryption security.
For a specific version of Bluetooth to work, both devices must support it. That is, if your smartphone has Bluetooth 5.1 and your headphones have 4.2, then Bluetooth 4.2 will be used for connection and vice versa.

To summarize, the main achievement of Bluetooth 5th generation is the use of the new LC3 codec, which provides lower power consumption at a higher data transfer rate. In addition, it became possible to connect to two devices simultaneously. Bluetooth 5.1 and 5.2 focus on improving the performance of wireless technology and minimizing its shortcomings.

In principle, if you don’t need new encryption methods, and you’re happy with the sound, then is it worth worrying about?

The wireless communication radius is a confident 10 meters. Marshall Major IV continues to lose even in those places where good earbuds stop playing.

SBC codec is supported.

Fourteenth authentication - on the headband, on the inside there should be the inscription EST. 1962, and there must be a space after the period.

The soft eco-leather on the headband and cups is not felt at all - as if it is not there at all.

Original ear pads.

Without a doubt, the Chinese could not ignore the legendary headphone model, so they produce ear pads and a headband.

You can change the color from black to brown and vice versa.

There are carrying cases.

There are speakers from Poyatu.

There are even gold-plated speakers.

Fifteenth authentication check - the ear pads must have bass reflex recesses.

Sixteenth authentication check - the sticker must be on only one earphone - the left one. It is interesting that in this instance the earpiece is marked L, that is, left, and the headband is marked Right, that is, right.

The ear pad is removed by turning it counterclockwise.

The headphones have a 2.0 sound circuit format, that is, there are no mythical 7.1 with two diffusers.

The closed type of acoustic design provides isolation from external sounds.

The diameter of the driver membrane is 40 mm, which is the standard for most headphones.

The declared frequencies, minimum 20 Hz and maximum 20,000 Hz, as I understand it, were simply taken from the ceiling by marketers - a diffuser for low frequencies, which has an increased mass, cannot reproduce what a small tweeter with its lightweight diffuser can.

Resistance (impedance) (Ohm) 32Ω.

Sensitivity 99 dB.

Seventeenth authentication check - the edges of the sticker should not reach the very edge. The sticker must have the UK CA symbol (for new copies).

Eighteenth authentication - the QR code number must match the numberon the box.

Nineteenth authentication - upon connection  to the device the phone writes about connecting the MAJOR IV device.

Twentieth authentication - if you connect the Type C charging cable while playing music, the headphones will continue playing music after the charging connection signal. The counterfeit does not work on the charger.

Twenty-first authentication - the headphones are charged wirelessly only if the wireless charger can provide the required charging current. A wireless charger, for example, will not charge from a watch.

Writing about the sound quality of these headphones is nothing to write about. When checking it out in the store, the sound was simply amazing - such powerful bass, as if you were standing in front of a large acoustic system. Just look at the numerous attempts to clone Marshall Major IV. The rush demand confirms the quality of these headphones.

Unlike modern Chinese models, which have two diffusers in each cup (high-frequency and mid-frequency) and a Bluetooth 5.4 version, these headphones, at first glance, do not look super advanced, but you need to look at things with sound as a whole. If you don't have everything together perfectly, the sound will be different, and in Marshall Major IV everything is done wisely.

What is it worth just up to eighty hours of continuous listening without recharging!

As a bass lover, these headphones simply shocked me. However, it is worth considering that you must have a good signal source. Reviews that these headphones are not impressive and have little bass have two reasons: 1. you got a fake 2. low quality of the source. An MP3 file compressed a thousand times cannot produce good sound, just as a cheap phone, for example, with an audio path for telephone conversations, cannot produce good music.

I am sure that even classical music lovers will see something fresh in familiar works and will be satisfied.

Great headphones!