The much-loved British audio brand has added to its wireless headphone range with the Marshall Major III Bluetooth.

The obvious comparison is with the Major II Bluetooth. Although the styling only has minor variations, the new model is slimmer, lighter – by 24g – and rather better looking. The lighter weight, combined with softer ear pads, makes them more comfortable to wear. That said, the new model has maintained the same height and tilting degrees.

The controls have also been simplified, with a metal joystick at the bottom of the left phone taking over most of the functionality. Press once to play or pause, hold it for a few seconds to turn the set on or off. Press twice to load up Google Assistant or Siri. To skip the track or adjust the volume, you only need to tilt it left or right. It takes some getting used to, but once you do, you’ll realise what a little box of magic tricks this joystick is.

The Bluetooth connection supports atpX for higher fidelity and lower latency streaming. To pair with your smartphone, just hold the joystick for a few seconds when powering the headphones on.

The sound is great. The Major headphones have traditionally sounded better with rock or similar genres – however, the Major III’s suits a wide range of music types thanks to its good separation, direct sound and clear vocals.