Marshall Major IV Review: 80 Hours of Battery in the Classic On-Ear

The Marshall Major IV is the headphones equivalent of a leather jacket that fits: the styling is the point, the battery is the surprise, and the compromises are the ones you accept to wear it. The photo shows the full package, brown headphones beside the box, 80+ hours of wireless playtime printed on the cardboard. This review covers what holds up years into ownership and what the Major V fixed.

🏷 Marshall Major IV Buy on Amazon → · Major V with ANC →

The Battery: 80 Hours Changes Behavior

Eighty hours of playback stops battery anxiety from existing. Charge the Major IV at the start of the month and forget the cable until the next one. The Qi wireless charging on the ear cup means any phone charging pad tops them up overnight, and fifteen minutes on cable returns hours.

The battery is the single reason

to choose the Major IV over flashier headphones. Nothing else at this price touches the runtime.

The Design: Classic to the Point of Cliché

The textured vinyl, brass details, and script logo are the Marshall guitar-amp language, and the Major IV wears it without irony. The headphones fold into a compact shape, and the construction survives daily bag carry with scuffs that read as patina rather than damage.

The on-ear design is the dividing line.

The pads press against the ears: compact, light at 165 grams, and stable during walks, but with more ambient leak than over-ear designs and pressure that some ears notice after two hours.

The Control Knob: Better Than Buttons

The multi-directional knob on the right cup replaces the button row: tap to play and pause, rotate for volume, double tap for skip, hold for the voice assistant. It works blind, works with gloves, and becomes muscle memory within a day. Every headphone should copy it.

🏷 Alternatives and accessories Replacement Pads →

The Sound: Marshall Signature, Mids Forward

The Major IV tunes warm and mid-forward: guitars and vocals sit up front, bass is present but rolled, and the top end stays polite. Rock, punk, and indie, the Marshall catalog genres, sound right. Electronic and hip-hop fans will want more sub-bass than the on-ear drivers deliver.

There is no app EQ on older firmware, no ANC, and the passive isolation comes from the pads pressing against your head. In a cafe, the world stays audible. On a plane, bring earplugs.

Who should buy the Major IV?

Style-first listeners who want the Marshall look, hate charging cables, and listen to guitar music. The 80-hour battery and wireless charging cover the practical layer, and the design never dates.

Travelers who pack light: the fold is compact, the weight is 165 grams, and without ANC there is nothing to fail at altitude. The Major IV is the pair that lives in a jacket pocket.

Anyone torn between the IV and V: the V adds ANC, USB-C, and a reshaped fit for roughly 50 dollars more. Buy the IV for the price, the V for the features.

Verdict

✅ Pros:

• 80-hour battery with Qi wireless charging
• Multi-directional control knob replaces three buttons
• 165 grams, folds compact, survives daily carry
• Classic Marshall styling that never dates
• Warm, mid-forward tuning for rock and indie
• Discounted prices since the Major V launch

❌ Cons:

• No active noise cancellation
• On-ear design leaks sound and presses on ears
• No companion app EQ on older units
• Bass rolls off for electronic and hip-hop listeners
• Micro-USB on early units, USB-C only on revisions
• Plastic build feels lighter than the price suggests

🏷 Compare Marshall headphones Major IV vs V →

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