House of Marley Get Together Bluetooth

I've been on a personal quest to find the "perfect" Bluetooth speaker.  This time, I get to check out one unit that struck me with handsome good looks from

The Marley Get Together Mini Bluetooth speakers are the latest toys from The House of Marley - an audio firm based in the United States with licensing rights to the late reggae music icon Bob Marley - to hit Singapore. Read more at straitstimes.com.

One love, one heart Let's get together and feel all right Hear the children cryin' (one love) Hear the children cryin' (one heart) Sayin' give thanks and praise to the Lord and I will feel all right Sayin' let's get together and feel all right (opening lyrics from Bob Marley's One Love) Bob Marley was a legendary musical artist that inspired his listeners with his unique style and lyrics. Sadly Bob Marley was taken from this world at age 36 in 1981, yet he lives on through his music that brings happiness to anyone who listens to it. If you have listened to his music, you can feel his love and passion for togetherness and even though he moved on, his message holds as much power today as it did when he first created the music. AndroidGuys is far from a site that takes a politcal stance, yet with all of the tragedies that have occurred in 2016, you would hope that people listened to his music and learned to use love over violence to solve the world's problems. Bob Marley also lives on through a company called House of Marley, which was founded by the Marley family to spread Bob's values of equality, sustainability, and charity. It continues to carry on the message through electronic accessories like headphones and speakers, and from my experience, does a pretty great job. I've been using the House of Marley Get Together wireless audio system, and it is my new One Love when it comes to portable speakers. Let's check it out. Sustainable design The House of Marley Get Together speaker isn't something you would expect when you think of Rastafari and Jamaica which is what we associate with Bob Marley. Instead the Get Together speaker is more of a modern design. It has a clean front and back made from bamboo, surrounded by an eco friendly exclusive fabric called REWIND which is made from cotton, hemp and recycled plastic bottles. Out of the box, the first thing I noticed was how heavy the speaker is weighing in at six pounds. Looking at the speaker you can see why it is so heavy - it has two 3.5" woofers with two 1" tweeters installed in what looks like half an inch of bamboo at the front. The exterior is neatly covered in gray REWIND fabric with four touch controls at the top right. The controls include the +/- symbols for controlling the volume, a Bluetooth button for pairing to your favorite device, and a power button. There is also an LED indicator which lets you know if you're paired to a device and powered on. On the back of the Get Together is a bass port, DC in charging port, USB out, and an auxiliary 3.5mm audio input. The Get Together is a typical speaker in design, but it uses environmentally friendly resources to build it. House of Marley used responsibly harvested certified wood, and recycled materials to minimize the environmental impact which is a rarity amongst manufacturers who make disposable electronics. It typically requires much more planning and engineering to use eco friendly materials, yet House of Marley engineers did that while keeping the cost in line with similar spec'd devices at $199.99. Usage What you notice first about the Get Together audio system is its incredible look. The gorgeous bamboo front and back, mixed in with the REWIND fabric give this speaker an ultra modern look that sets itself apart from the crowd of silver, black and white speakers we are all accustomed to. What I love about the high quality bamboo is that no two speakers will ever look alike. All wood grain has unique characteristics, and this speaker looks like it belongs in a penthouse loft. At six pounds, this speaker isn't quite as portable as ones that you can throw in your back pocket. The weight has a purpose where it has two 3.5" drivers with two full tweeters at the corners that give the Get Together sound that even Bob Marley would be proud of. While many speakers today put a lot of emphasis on bass, House of Marley opted to focus on clear and detailed sound versus going with overpowering lows. The bass comes from the bass port in the back, so if you want to hear more bass in your music, all you have to do is put the back of the speaker closer to a wall and the bass will reflect. The lack of protective grills for the 3.5" speakers is another sign this speaker isn't designed to be taken with you on all of your excursions. It's made for picnics, hanging out at the park, or outdoors at a party. While it isn't as portable as pocketable speakers, it uses that weight and size to pump out very loud sound that is crisp and balanced, but detailed at low and max volumes. When I compare the sound to the identically priced Bose Soundlink Mini II, it is a sound that is worth carrying the extra five pounds for. The Get Together was made to enjoy with friends, whereas the Bose Soundlink Mini II is more of a personal speaker. If I was stuck with one speaker for the next five years, I would take my $200 and spend it on the House of Marley Get Together 10/10 times over the Bose Soundlink Mini II. Classic rock, reggae, country, jazz, rap, R&B and even classical all sound fantastic on the Get Together. It's a speaker made for all music, and is one that will be my goto over all other portable speakers unless I need one that is rugged and waterproof. The USB out port on the backside of the speaker can also charge your phone while it streams music through the speaker. I've consistently averaged eight hours of battery life at 50-75% of the max volume. Overall I couldn't be more pleased with the House of Marley Get Together speaker. Conclusion In a world of disposable electronics, I love that House of Marley is focused on taking care of the environment by using sustainable materials. And in a world of tragedies, hate, violence and poverty, I love that House of Marley uses the name and brand to give back to children through its 1love charity. Bob once said, “The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.” These are the family-run charities dedicated to that idea. Bob Marley's passion for making this a world a better place lives on through his music and the gadgets that House of Marley makes like the Get Together speaker. As I've been listening to music from Bob Marley while I write this review, I could imagine him being very proud of his family for representing him the way he would have wanted. The Get Together not only looks unique and luxurious, but it also sounds fantastic. Highs and mids are extremely detailed from the 1" tweeters, and lows are deep but not overpowering. If you have $200 to spend, you won't find a more well rounded speaker than the Get Together. You can pick up your own House of Marley Get Together at www.thehouseofmarley.com, Amazon.com, Best Buy, and B&H Photo.