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Apple AirPods 3 Bluetooth Headphones VS Marshall Minor III: Features, Differences and Prices

In the Apple catalog it is possible to find several models of totally wireless Bluetooth headphones (not counting those from the Beats by Dr. Dre brand, which also belongs to Apple). The 3rd generation AirPods are the most balanced, with a relatively tight quality-price ratio for the figures managed by the company.

However, they lack a function that is becoming increasingly important: active noise cancellation. And since there are much cheaper Bluetooth headphones that do have it, they are no longer the first option for many users.

If you were to compare them to other Bluetooth headphones that lack active noise cancellation, the Marshall Minor III They could be an option, although their RRP is noticeably lower than the bitten apple proposal. So if you were thinking about purchasing wireless headphones, and ANC is not essential, you may be interested in the Minor III, and we are going to put them face to face to find out their characteristics, differences and prices.

Features Apple AirPods 3 and Marshall Minor III

Specifications

apple airpods (3rd generation)

marshall minor iii

dimensions and weight

3.08 x 1.83 x 1.93 cm and weight of 4.28 grams

4 grams

SOUND TECHNOLOGY

  • Adaptive EQ
  • Apple Custom High Excursion Transducer
  • Custom high dynamic range amplifier
  • Spatial audio with dynamic head tracking
  • 12mm driver
  • Driver Sensitivity: 93 dB SPL (179 mV @ 1 kHz)
  • Controller type: dynamic
  • Frequency response: 20 – 20,000 Hz

SENSORS

Skin sensor, accelerometer with motion detection, accelerometer with voice detection and pressure sensor

Touch sensor for control

MICROPHONES

Two microphones with beamforming technology and inward-facing microphone

Yeah

CONNECTIVITY

Bluetooth 5.0 and H1 chip

Bluetooth 5.2 (SBC + aptX codecs)

CONTROLS

  • Press once to play audio, pause it, or answer a call
  • Press twice to go to the next song
  • Press three times to go back to the previous song
  • Press and hold to activate Siri
  • Say “Hey Siri” to listen to a song, make a call, get directions, and more
  • Control music
  • Receive, reject and end calls

Battery

  • Up to six hours of audio playback on a charge (up to five hours with spatial audio enabled)
  • Up to four hours of talk time on one charge
  • With the case up to 30 hours of audio playback and up to 20 hours of talk time
  • Up to five hours of playback
  • Up to 25 hours with the case
  • 15 minute quick charge equals 1.5 hours
  • Wireless charging

endurance

Sweat and water resistant (IPX4)

Sweat and water resistant (IPX4)

price

From 199 euros

129 euros

  • sound technology– AirPods 3rd generation have adaptive EQ, Apple’s custom high-excursion transducer, custom high dynamic range amplifier, and Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking. The Marshall Minor III have 12mm dynamic drivers and a frequency response of 20 to 20,000 Hz.
  • Sensors: Marshall’s proposal incorporates a touch sensor to control content and calls. The Apple one offers a skin sensor, accelerometers with motion and voice detection, as well as a pressure sensor.
  • Microphones– Both headphones have microphones. The AirPods are two with beamforming technology.
  • Connectivity: The Marshall Minor III connects to devices via Bluetooth 5.2 and the Apple ones have Bluetooth 5.0, with an H1 chip.
  • Controls– Touch controls on both earbuds for music and calls.
  • Battery: AirPods 3 have autonomy of around six hours per charge and up to 30 hours with the charging case, but if Spatial Audio is activated the battery is reduced. The Marshall Minor III offers five hours per charge and up to 25 hours with the case, in addition to wireless charging.
  • Endurance: IPX4 protection in both cases.
  • Price: from 199 euros for the AirPods and 129 euros for the Marshalls.

AirPods 3rd generation VS Marshall Minor III, which Bluetooth headphones to buy?

The 3rd generation AirPods are one of Apple’s best wireless Bluetooth headphones. At least, they are the most balanced. But are not since they have a fairly high price, they lack active noise cancellation and their compatibility is limited to Apple devices.

The Marshall Minor III also do not have ANC and their autonomy is slightly less than that of Apple headphones, but they attract attention for their design and sound. Let’s discuss some details in more depth. that can make the difference between choosing one or the other.

sound technology

As has already been mentioned several times, both models of Bluetooth headphones lack active noise cancellationwhich is a function as interesting as it is useful for users looking for greater concentration or disconnection in saturated or noisy environments.

However, it must be taken into account that the 3rd generation AirPods have Spatial audio with dynamic head trackingwhich is a function that puts the user in the center of the content being listened to, whether movies, series or even music, and that surrounds and follows them as they move their head.

The Marshall Minor III does not have functions of this type, but they are compatible with the aptX codec, which is a technology that allows you to improve audio quality significantly and enjoy higher quality wireless sound.

Compatibility

It’s no surprise that Apple devices are a bit complicated when it comes to compatibility. Between them they work perfectly, but when used with those from other companies, problems appear. And although the incompatibility is not complete as in the Apple Watch and Android smartphones, AirPods functions diminish when used with, for example, a Galaxy device.

This is something that does not happen with the Marshall Minor III since they are not designed to work with specific devices. They work with both Android or Apple phones and tablets, as well as Windows or Mac computers.

The price

It must also be kept in mind that there is a price difference between Bluetooth headphones. The 3rd generation AirPods start at 199 euros for those with the Lightning charging case, and a little more if you want them to have the MagSafe charging case compatible with Qi bases.

The Marshall Minor III are not the cheapest wireless Bluetooth headphones on the market either, but they are cheaper than Apple’s, and if the budget is tighteror you have devices from different brands and compatibility is an essential requirement, they are more suitable.

You can be up to date and informed at all times of all the news from the Apple world and SamaGame Selección offers on our Twitter, Facebook and Telegram profiles.

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Ξ TREND

Deal : Medion Life X61350 Bluetooth sound system in the test: great party box


Bass that makes your ears wobble, sound effects via performance pads, LED front panel with adjustable light show: With the Medion Life X61350, a huge party box will be available at Aldi from December 7th, which we have now tested.

Table of contents

  • Medion Life X61350 in the test: A colossus
  • No battery on board
  • Four speakers, true wireless stereo
  • Built-in light organ, performance pads
  • This is what the Aldi party box sounds like
  • Fan makes noise
  • Smartphone/tablet holder
  • Karaoke for singing talents – or those who want to become one
  • Aldi party box Medion Life X61350 in the test: conclusion

No matter whether it’s Christmas, New Year’s Eve or a birthday party: decent ones Party speakers bring every celebration to life. Things should really sizzle with the fat Medion Life X61350 (MD 44332) Bluetooth sound system, which the discounter Aldi will be offering nationwide from December 7, 2023. Features, volume and sound quality are great. The price? Violent. Compared to the competition, it’s a real bargain.

Medion Life X61350 in the test: A colossus

The Medion MD 44332 Bluetooth sound system is almost 1.10 meters high, around 40 centimeters wide, 40 centimeters deep and weighs around 25 kilograms. If you constantly move the party box from A to B, lumbago is inevitable. To prevent this from happening, it has two wheels with which the colossus can be moved at least to ground level without risking a herniated disc. It’s a shame: there’s no handle on the top for safe rolling, like on a suitcase – the recesses on the sides only help to a limited extent. The latter are more useful if you have to maneuver the giant roaring cube one floor higher. And that’s a real feat of strength – almost impossible to accomplish alone.

No battery on board

By the way: The Medion Life X61350 Bluetooth sound system does not have a battery on board. Instead, the box must draw energy from the socket. This limits the range of action somewhat – unless a cable drum is transporting energy from the last accessible socket to the barbecue area in the garden.

Four speakers, true wireless stereo

At the front, two tweeters and mid-range speakers with 85 watts of power each provide the audience with sound. Further down, directed towards the floor, there is a huge subwoofer for bass reproduction with 350 watts of power – according to the manufacturer. There is also a tweeter with an output of 20 watts fairly high up on the front. According to Medion, if you want to transform your garden into a festival area, you can connect two Life X61350s via true wireless stereo – the speakers can be a maximum of 10 meters apart.

Built-in light organ, performance pads

On the front, the X61350 has countless RGB LEDs that provide the necessary lighting effects at the party. They can be adjusted using the 16 performance pads. And these pads have another function: With the help of these performance pads, music playback can be enhanced or highlighted not only with visual effects, but also with acoustic effects – including drum effects, various sirens, animal sounds or audience laughter. However, wildly banging around on these performance pads can lead to the party abruptly ending – if the DJ moves out of sync. And that needs to be learned, because in the test it wasn’t that easy to add effects to the playing music in the right rhythm.

This is what the Aldi party box sounds like

But how does the XXL box sound? Depending on the recording, voices appear a little scratchy; if you stand too close to the speaker, you will only hear the bass as dull. You get the best sound from 3 meters away. If you turn the speaker up to full volume in the living room, you risk the complete failure of your eardrums – don’t even try it. The box is much better off outside at full steam – and only if you have legal protection insurance. In the test it reached the 110 decibel mark from a distance of 3 meters. It spread the sound throughout the entire neighborhood. The bass reproduction can be enhanced even further by pressing the “EX Bass” button. With songs that are already bass-heavy, this doesn’t always make sense and often ends in a dull drone instead of a clear and precise hammering. The Aldi Party box generally reproduced the midrange cleanly and pleasantly, but the highs could have had more presence. Of course, the box is not a jewel for music lovers, but as a comparatively cheap and robust sound system with a lot of power, it is completely fine.

Fan makes noise

There is a small fan under the top of the mixer, which is supposed to protect the sound technology behind it from burning out. It cannot be heard when playing music. However, if the box is switched on and doesn’t play anything, the fan still runs its rounds. This is incomprehensible. This is hardly noticeable outside on the terrace, but it is noticeable in a quiet living room or office.

Smartphone/tablet holder

Good for that: There is a wide slot on the top in which smartphones or tablets can be placed. And they can even be charged during playback. A USB charging socket is located below the input deck. Music can also be played via the second USB socket USB sticks or external hard drives and SSDs feed in, wirelessly via Bluetooth, for example from Smartphones, Tablets or Laptops, of course it works too. Music playback can be controlled using large buttons on the box.

Karaoke for singing talents

Medion also includes a microphone. Hobby DJs can give speeches and singing talents can present their skills to the audience. If the vocal power is not enough, the switchable echo effect spices up the performance. There are two small controls below the deck for the microphone volume, because up to two microphones (or a microphone and an electric guitar) can be docked to the Medion Life X61350 and controlled separately. Music can also be fed in via a 3.5 millimeter line-in input – for example from an MP3 player. For Record player There is an RCA stereo input available.

Aldi party box Medion Life X61350 in the test: conclusion

Big, loud, well equipped: The Medion Life X61350 party box impressed in the test – even if it has a few weaknesses. Aldi estimates a whopping 359 euros for the Medion Life X61350. That sounds like a lot. It is. However, compared to comparably equipped competitors, this is a real bargain: this is what JBL writes at PartyBox 710 almost twice as much on the price tag, devil prices his Rockster with over 1,000 euros. So the 359 euros for the Medion Life X6135 are completely acceptable. With its immensely high volume, the huge Aldi party box also fills a hall or the large garden – including the neighborhood. The sound quality is okay, the equipment with performance pads, LED light organ and the many playback options is impressive.