We Are The Ampy 'uns

If you want some affordable headphones to go with your Metallica T-shirt and skull tattoos, it’s got to be Marshall or Orange. Let Stuff help you pick a side…

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1 Bohemian wrap steady Orange’s cans fold away into a carry-case, which is not something you get with the Marshalls. It’s hard plastic and feels pretty robust.

2 Two visions The headband features images of Britannia and Pan, borrowed from the heraldic-style crest that’s adorned Orange amps for over 50 years.

3 Qi want to break free USB-C instead of creaky old micro USB means the Marshalls are already a step ahead on tech, and they also support wireless charging.

4 A twined of magic The 3.5mm jack input can also work as an output for sharing your music with a friend. Just make sure it’s someone you don’t mind being shackled to.

LONDON SQUALLING: LEGENDS OF BRIT ROCK

In 1963, a London music shop owner called Jim Marshall tried to make a copy of an American guitar amplifier, but he didn’t have the right parts so it came out a bit wrong. And thus, rock was born.

OK, it may not have been a total accident that the first Marshall amps sounded so fierce, but that raspy roar turned out to be the foundation of heavy rock and metal everywhere.

Another London company, Orange, came along in 1968 with its own brand of high-powered noise – and those two names remain the twin pillars of British rock tone to this day.

Marshall began branching out into consumer audio in 2010, Orange joining in with its first cans in 2016. The battle of loud rages on.

Orange Crest Edition

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