ErikaSzabo
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ElizabethS
By now, everyone knows what an influence Bob Marley was to people all over the world. His commitment to forge a better world through passion, love and responsibility transcended time and space. Now, even after his death, his ideals and principles have turned into something even grander than before – into products that ignite our senses and inspire different methods of product development and distribution. They inspire more profound ventures into creativity and, most of all, they inspire one of the greatest gifts of all: music.
The House of Marley is an exciting new step into the way we listen to music in our day-to-day lives. The collection consists of various high quality on-ear headphones and earphones, meant to suit everyone’s particular needs while also being totally eco-friendly. Future Shop recognized The House of Marley’s high development standards and message, inviting them into their home of products.
I was lucky enough to test out this fine new collection of products for your convenience, and so far the experience has been top-notch in both performance and message. It’s amazing to see passion this strong prosper, while still establishing high performance standards. It’s even a little bit unreal.
Earphones
Of The House of Marley earphone collection, I tested out the following: Freedom Collection Redemption Song, Jammin' Collection Smile Jamaica and Freedom Collection Conqueror.
The House of Marley Freedom Redemption Song is the high-priced model in the range of earphones from the brand. As usual, there is a focus on eco-friendly craftsmanship with the inclusion of FSC-certified wood and recyclable materials. The earphones also feature a durable cotton braided cord, grip notches and a 3-button microphone for easy use, whether listening to music or answering a phone call. In terms of design, the Redemption Song is extremely minimalist, maintaining a professionally sleek look sure to turn some heads. They’re also incredibly comfortable to wear thanks to the interchangeable silicone tips included in the package. Sometimes earphones can be finicky, but these are anything but.
In terms of performance, the Redemption Song provides a good level of noise cancellation and don’t leak out much sound either. The volume levels jump surprisingly high when you least expect it, so be careful of the spike at around the 75 percent volume mark. Despite the slight short-coming, the Redemption Song displays crisp, clear vocals as well as impeccable bass for your listening enjoyment -- thanks in part to its 9mm driver. Prepare to be amazed, no matter what genre you’re listening to.
You can find the Freedom Collection Redemption Song earphones on Future Shop’s product page.
The Jammin' Collection Smile Jamaica is probably one of the most colourful earpohone collecitons in The House of Marley. While this collection is lower-priced, they’re still made with high quality, featuring FSC-certified wood, recycled materials, braided cord, grip notches, various silicone tips and 3-button microphone.
The design in particular is the highlight of this collection, featuring colourful yet clean colour combinations. In terms of performance, these earphones offer similar performance as the Redemption Song with clear sound and strong bass. Unfortunately, the volume spike seems to be a reoccurring trend, but it rarely will cause problems as you quickly become accustomed to the volume levels. The sound quality also isn’t quite up to par with some of the higher quality collecitons due to its lower, 8mm driver and lesser construction quality, but the Smile Jamaica is still impressive considering it’s part of the budget collection. At the low cost of $49.99, Smile Jamaica is practically a steal.
You can find the Jammin' Collection Smile Jamaica earphones on Future Shop’s product page.
The Freedom Collection Conqueror, similar to the Freedom Collection Redemption Song is yet another high-quality earphone with meaty bass and clear sound quality thanks to its 9mm driver. It yet again includes FSC-certified wood, recyclable materials, 3-button microphone etc. providing the utmost in craftsmanship. The design goes above and beyond the other earphones, in my opinion, with its intuitive, bulbous form, providing the most comfort and quality.
Sound quality is up to par with the Redemption Song, yet still suffers from the volume jump mentioned before. Even so, the Conqueror depicts the perfect quality and style for a high-quality earphone.
You can find the Freedom Collection Conqueror earphones on Future Shop’s product page.
It’s not always feasible to carry a hulking pair of on-ear headphones around, despite impeccable bass and sound quality. Thankfully, The House of Marley earphone collections mentioned prove there are other options in order to achieve the same performance. Each coming in different shapes and sizes, these earphones are sure to suit everyone.
On-Ear Headphones
Of The House of Marley on-ear headphones, I tested out the following: Jammin' Collection Revolution, Freedom Collection Stir it Up, Freedom Collection Exodus and Jammin' Collection Positive Vibrations.
The House of Marley’s on-ear Jammin' Collection Revolution follows the same tradition as the other collections with its high quality and eco-friendly design. The Revolution is part of the high-priced crowd but with some impressive features for its steep, yet appropriate cost of $109.99.
The Revolution features recyclable aluminum for a subtle sleek look and also includes the 3-button microphone, a comfortable yet non-adjustable over-head band and some well-padded ear pieces that are perhaps a little too snug, but once you wear them in they become incredibly comfortable and stay firmly on your head.
The 40mm driver makes for some great sound quality with just the right amount of bass and sound clarity. While the large size of these headphones is certainly not for everyone they are extremely stylish and maintain the same high quality standards The House of Marley built their company off of.
You can find the Jammin' Collection Revolution on Future Shop’s product page, in one of two styles here and here.
Next up is the Freedom Collection Stir it Up which is probably one of the nicest on-ear headphones I’ve seen yet. The design is top-notch with a beautiful FSC-certified wood finish on the cups and the headphones feel incredibly sturdy and well-built, not loose and unstable like many other on-ear headphones out today.
The adjustable over-head band and the ultra soft leather ear pads are well padded and very comfortable, not nearly as tight as the Jammin' Revolution on-ear headphones. They also don’t feel too heavy on the head, yet still offer the same sort of support as before. In addition, the detachable 52-inch braided cord comes with the headphones, including the 3-button microphone as usual. The cord and controls are of the same quality as before and are as durable and intuitive as ever.
The sound quality is probably the best out of the on-ear collections with well-balanced sound quality thanks to its 40mm driver. It really doesn’t matter what genre you’re listening to either, the sound is amazing no matter what.
The price point for these headphones is a little high, but compared to other headphones at a similar price, the Stir it Up is one of the best. The sound and design quality really shows so rest assure that this pair of headphones is worth every penny.
You can find the Freedom Collection Stir it Up on Future Shop’s product page.
The Freedom Collection Exodus is probably the most unique pair of headphones in The House of Marley with its classy and eco-friendly birch wood and leather design. This mid-range pair of on-ear headphones includes the usual 3-button microphone, 40mm driver and usual fabric cord.
The sound quality is once again great, but not as high-quality as the Stir it Up. The comfort level is once again high with no discomfort on the ears or head. The unique double adjustable over-head band is also a nice touch to the usual design. Another great addition to the collection.
You can find the Freedom Collection Exodus on Future Shop’s product page.
Much like the Smile Jamaica, earbud line, the Jammin' Collection Positive Vibrations is colourful yet sophisticated and are the budget models in the on-ear collection. The 50mm driver ensures some pretty impressive sound quality for the price. Certainly not the best seeing as how sound quality isn’t always balanced or up to par with several of the other collections, but still an overall success.
The design is nice, but the headphones are about as tight as the Revolution so it will take some time to wear these headphones in. It’s also a shame that the on-head band isn’t adjustable for added fit. The quality of the design is not as high as some of the high-priced headphones, but that doesn’t come as necessarily a big surprise.
You can find the Jammin' Collection Positive Vibration on Future Shop’s product page, in one of two styles here and here.
Sometimes, all you really want is a nice pair of on-ear headphones for that added depth in your music. Considering the price and quality of The House of Marley on-ear collection, these headphones are a steal and come in various shapes and sizes made to suit just about anyone’s tastes.
Overall, The House of Marley is impressive. Both the earphones and on-ear headphone collections come with a few hiccups here and there, but seldom do they dramatically affect the overall quality of the products. This important new line in the audio industry is one we should all be keeping our eyes on.
Mentioned were only a few of the many headphones available. Check out The House of Marley website for more of their amazing products!
