marshall x billie joe armstrong | the new rocking headphones
Marshall is turning up the volume once again, this time teaming up with Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong to launch the new Monitor III A.N.C. wireless headphones. Designed for music lovers who want more than just a listening device, the Monitor III A.N.C. brings immersive audio and a hefty dose of rock ‘n’ roll energy.
The standout feature? A massive 70 hours of active noise-cancelling playtime and 100 hours without it. Whether you’re mid-commute, on a long flight, or simply escaping the world, these headphones have you covered. With Marshall’s Soundstage spatial audio, it’s like having your favourite band playing right in front of you, no matter where you are.
One of the standout features is the inclusion of Bluetooth LE Audio and Auracast™ technology, making the Monitor III A.N.C. future-proof. On the design front, Marshall’s signature style is all there — lightweight, foldable, and portable, complete with a luxurious hard case lined with red velvet, resembling a guitar case. It’s a subtle nod to the brand’s rich musical heritage.
Marshall’s design director, Kenny Wong, highlights their focus on comfort: “We have reduced the weight, made the cushions soft as clouds and completely re-imagined the headband for long-lasting comfort.” That means these headphones are built not just for sound but for extended wear, without sacrificing style or substance.
Billie Joe Armstrong, who has used Marshall amps throughout his career, sees the Monitor III A.N.C. as an extension of his lifelong relationship with the brand. “Whether it’s a stadium or a club, a pub or a subway, rock ’n’ roll is not just something I do, I live it… all the time. Marshall is and has been one of my loudest copilots along the way.”
The headphones also feature an Adaptive Loudness function that adjusts to your environment, enhancing every detail of your music without compromising quality. And if you’re one to personalise your experience, the customisable M-button offers easy access to EQ settings and voice assistants.
Marshall’s audio & acoustics engineer, Nicolas Pignier Delafontaine, explains the technical upgrades: “We have completely revised the acoustic design to improve the performance on all fronts: sound, ANC, transparency and voice calls. Monitor III delivers a sound that is wide, well-balanced, detailed and enjoyable.”
With the combination of rock heritage, modern technology, and thoughtful design, the Monitor III A.N.C. brings Marshall’s classic sound into a new era.
Priced at £299, they’re now available at Marshall.com and select retailers.
Marshall’s latest limited-edition release makes a grand entrance into the Year of the Snake with its first-ever Lunar New Year collaboration. Known for its festival spirit and rock ’n’ roll heritage, the iconic audio brand now blends sound with symbolism in partnership with Chinese artist Dark Question.
Fans of Marshall will recall its ongoing reinvention of portable sound — think last year’s next-gen speaker line — but the Emberton III Lunar New Year Edition 2025 takes creative collaborations to a new level. Released under the name Woodsnake 2025, Dark Question draws from their signature “20s Firecracker” visual style for the speaker design, fusing the energy of psychedelic rock with vibrant firework motifs. The snake, a symbol of transformation, winds through the campaign’s imagery. “The goal was to tell a story about self-discovery through music — finding one’s unique voice, boldly expressing it, and achieving a sense of self-redemption,” the artist explains. The result is a merge of tradition and modernity in one striking speaker.
“For the Year of the Snake, we wanted to deliver something unexpected while staying true to our roots and connecting with those celebrating Lunar New Year,” shares Jeremy De Maillard, CEO of Marshall Group. “Just as the Emberton III embodies Marshall’s road-life heritage, this collaboration with the multi-talented Dark Question captures the essence of the holiday through a contemporary, artful lens.”
For the first time, the Emberton III will be available as a Lunar New Year edition releasing globally on 10 January 2025, both online and in selected retailers. Complementing the launch, the Woodsnake 2025 experience goes worldwide with events in China, Paris, and New York to mark the holiday and celebrate with local communities.
Marshall has just launched its latest updates to their popular portable speaker lineup, the Emberton III and Willen II. These new models continue the brand’s tradition of delivering powerful sound in compact, rugged designs, perfect for music lovers on the go.
The Emberton III, the larger of the two, offers an impressive 32+ hours of battery life and is both dustproof and waterproof, making it ideal for any outdoor gathering. This speaker is equipped with Marshall’s signature True Stereophonic technology, a unique multi-directional sound experience that fills any space with rich, immersive audio. True Stereophonic provides stereo sound like never before, delivering a superior spatial and binaural experience exclusive to Marshall products. The Willen II, though small in size, packs a punch with its improved acoustic performance and a longer battery life of 17+ hours. The slightly larger frame of the Willen II allows for enhanced bass and balanced sound at any volume, ensuring that every note and beat is heard clearly.
Both speakers come with an IP67 rating, making them resistant to dust and water. They can even be submerged in up to 1 meter of water for 30 minutes without any damage. Additionally, these speakers are Bluetooth LE Audio-ready, preparing users for the next generation of wireless audio technology. With Auracast™, a new feature enabled by this technology, users will soon be able to share audio with multiple Emberton III and Willen II speakers simultaneously, creating a synchronised listening experience.
Hanna Wallner, Product Manager at Marshall, expressed her excitement about the release, stating, “As always, with our iconic design and Marshall sound in focus, we’ve created something unique in the portable speaker category. The biggest update is on the inside, where we’ve prepared these products for the future of Bluetooth technology while still delivering surprisingly heavy sound for their size, especially with the Willen II.”
To celebrate the launch, Marshall has partnered with three musical innovators — Suki, Kelvin Krash, and Bohan Phoenix — who embody the brand’s rock ‘n’ roll ethos. Each artist shares their journey and creative process, giving fans a glimpse into their lives through stories available on Marshall’s website.
You know the saying — sleep is for the weak. In reality, sleep is integral to our health — both physical and mental — to ensure we’re giving our body and mind time to rest and recuperate. It’s why the creators of Aura Circle wants to make sure everyone — whether you sleep “like a rock” or easily wake up through the night — can help discover a good night’s sleep. Aura Circle has worked and researched with experts within the field to create a sleep mask that, when used during your escape to dreamland, can help soothe you as you rest.
Inspired by founder Andy Chow after his own desire to finally have a good night of rest, the Aura wireless sleep mask was created to provide those suffering with sleep to find serenity and relaxation. But, how exactly does the mask do it? From a 100% blackout feature that ensures all external light is blocked to a 3D hug eye cushion, a memory foam eye cushion that attaches to the mask magnetically. Best of all, the mask can be used alongside the Aura dreamscape app which contains a curated library of zen-infused calming soundscapes and light therapy sessions.
To discuss Aura Circle, Schön! chats with founder Andy Chow about the inspiration behind the mask, product features, what’s upcoming for the brand, and more.
eye mask. Aura Circle
eye mask. Aura Circle
Credits
What first prompted you to start Aura Circle? Did you want to create something to help yousleep better?
At Aura, we believe wellness and harmony are essential for a better life and a betterworld. We spend one-third of our lives sleeping yet sleep is often taken for granted. Sleepis a basic necessity that is essential for everyone to be re-energized, refreshed, and ready for thenext day.
Getting enough sleep is crucial but what matters more is the sleep quality. I have been sufferingfrom insomnia for many years and have tried numerous sleep products but to no avail. That’s whywe made our first Aura. Our mission is to deliver a seamless sleeping experience to our userswith superior comfort and ease of use.
According to the National Institutes of Health, 70 million Americans have a sleep disorderand 30% of adults have insomnia. Why was it important for you to create something tocombat this?
As I have been down this road before, I am no stranger to the stress of not getting enough sleepand how sleep deprivation negatively affects work productivity. In the 21st century, the majority ofthe world’s population gets less than 6 hours of shut-eye on a daily basis, making sleep becomethe ultimate luxury.That’s why we made our first Aura. Our mission is to deliver a seamless sleeping experience toour users with superior comfort and ease of use.Having a good night’s sleep will not only promote your mood but your health as well as productivity.We hope everyone can benefit from Aura and continue the positive influence circle for a betterworld.
3D eye cushion. Aura Circle
3D eye cushion. Aura Circle
Credits
eye mask. Aura Circle
eye mask. Aura Circle
Credits
When designing the mask, what things did you have to consider?
What we are doing is revolutionary by redefining Sleep and we put safety as our first priority. We spent a lot of time on trial runs, and lab tests in order to meet industry standards. Aura is certified withFCC, IC, CE, UKCA, and RoHS regulations, so users can rest assured that Aura is safe to use. Another consideration is the weight distribution. Given that Aura is a wearable product, we need to make sure it is lightweight (less than 130g) without causing any unnecessary burden on the face, making it comfortable to wear all night long.
The mask has a very minimalistic design with a 3D eye cushion. What inspired thisdesign? What was the process when designing?
The inspiration is actually from me and Adrian. As a sleep mask frequent user, we are veryconcerned about sleep hygiene, that’s why from the very beginning we specifically requested our3D hug cushion to be detachable and washable. We worked tirelessly with our French ID designer to guarantee 100% blackout once our 3D Hugcushion is snapped onto the eye mask, blocking 100% of light even in broad daylight.
eye mask. Aura Circle
eye mask. Aura Circle
Credits
eye mask. Aura Circle
eye mask. Aura Circle
Credits
Can you explain how light therapy helps you fall asleep faster and wake up refreshed?
Our Aura sleep mask features a signature design called Glow – a light beam that sits comfortablywithin the mask. It serves 2 purposes:
The Glow feature
This syncs with our meditation content in order to deliver the ultimateexperience to our users. Imagine doing a guided breath-work session, as you hear the yogainstructor’s voice to “Breathe in, Hold and Breathe out”, our Glow feature simultaneously“Glow; Hold and Dim”, which can create an immersive experience for relaxation withminimal distraction.
Sunrise wake up
Imagine being in complete darkness for 7-8 hours, it is difficult for your eyes to adapt to the light ina room environment when you take off the mask. This is where our Sunrise wake-up featurebecomes helpful. Our Glow beam will gradually light up with gentle hues for a few minutes beforethe alarm kicks in, easing your mind to welcome a brand new day, a brand new adventure.A lot of feedback from our trial run users pointed out that this feature really improved their wake-upexperience and from our data, over 85% of users who selected the Sunrise Wake-Up featureseldom snooze back.
What is the Aura Dreamscape App? How does it work?
Our Aura Dreamscape App allows users to choose their favourite audio content and personalize abedtime sequence that is tailored only for you.The Aura app is available for free on both iOS and Android platforms.Once you pair the app with the aura sleep mask via Bluetooth, you are able to unlock all the appfeatures and audio content.
You can craft your own dreamscape sequence selected from our audio library, such as ASMR;Live Nature Sound, and Guided Meditation, then you can adjust the light therapy option; set youralarm clock, and even control the audio duration that fits your sleep routine.It is very user-friendly and once the dreamscape has been set up, simply put on the mask andpress the start button on the mask to begin your sleep journey.Users can also write a diary on the Aura app before bed and keep track of their emotions afterwaking up, helping users to become more aware of their inner thoughts and emotions.
eye mask. Aura Circle
eye mask. Aura Circle
Credits
eye mask. Aura Circle
eye mask. Aura Circle
Credits
Other than sleep, how can the mask be used?
As a stylish wearable product, the usage is limitless, the most common practice will beusing it for power nap; guided meditation, and breath-work exercises.
What does Aura Circle offer customers compared to its competitors?
In terms of product design and features, the first thing you are going to notice is that it isvery lightweight and is made with breathable materials. The built-in audio is seamlesslynestled within the eye mask that does not cover your ears for better comfort and it isoptimized for side-sleepers. We also offer our Aura app to access exclusive Dreamscapesaudio content. In terms of product innovation, Aura’s Glow, Audio Balance, and SmartDuration are exclusive features that are not available elsewhere in the market. Aura isdesigned to give our users the ultimate sleep experience they deserve.
Do you plan on creating any more products in the future in regard to sleep solutions?
We have a clear road map and a series of aura products worth waiting for. As a healthcare wellnessstartup, our next goal is to step up our sleep algorithm to measure accurate sleep biometricstracking. This will trigger real-time responses to enhance the sleep experience, including but notlimited to deep sleep extension and potential health diagnosis.
eye mask. Aura Circle
eye mask. Aura Circle
Credits
Learn more about Aura Circle by checking out their website and Instagram.