House of Marley have been steadily making a name for themselves on the music scene over recent years thanks to their products’ ability to drive warm-sounding audio into the lugholes of listeners around the world.
The company was founded by Bob Marley’s son Rohan and they have sustainability at the heart of everything they do, with the Get Together Solo speaker made from sustainable materials including bamboo and recycled materials. But does it deliver when it comes to audio?
I tested the House Of Marley Get Together Solo speaker using Apple Music through my iPhone - listening to tracks in both lossless and hi-res lossless formats.
Read on to find out what I thought of this wireless desktop speaker.
Design
House Of Marley create all their products with sustainability in mind, and the Get Together Solo is no different and has been made using bamboo and Rewind fabric - a blend of 30% reclaimed organic cotton, 30% reclaimed hemp and 40% recycled PET.
The woven material surrounding the speaker is tactile and textured enough that you won't easily drop it, while the eye-catching bamboo face looks fantastic. There's a small House Of Marley embossed logo under the drum and I particularly like the no-frills, clean look of the speaker.
The top of the unit is as simple and uncluttered, featuring raised buttons for volume, Bluetooth and power, with two lights for power on and Bluetooth connectivity.
Weighing in at 1.68 kg, it's also easy to pick up with one hand and with compact dimensions measuring 24 x 15 x 19 cm, it's a great size for desktops or shelves - and it really does look fantastic when placed on a wooden surface.
Features
When it comes to features for the House Of Marley Get Together Solo speaker, there's not a great deal to get stuck into - but I think that's also why I like it so much. Getting it up and running straight out of the box was a breeze, and I had no issues with pairing the device with my iPhone: Just press the volume down and Bluetooth buttons simultaneously and you're away.
With their green credentials mentioned above, House Of Marley go another step by using Bluetooth 5.0/with BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) which lowers power consumption.
Battery life is a decent 25 hours and the speaker can also be paired with another Get Together speaker or House Of Marley's popular Stir It Up turntable.
To pump out its rich and warm sound, the Get Together Solo utilises 3.5 and 0.75 inch drivers which allows you to "fully immerse yourself in the sound and feel the beat like you were meant to.”
The rear of the speaker features a USB C port for charging, along with an Aux In input and right and left line in connections.
Sound
I've mentioned House Of Marley's support for sustainability above, and while they are to be congratulated on the work they're doing, does the Get Together Solo speaker actually deliver on sound? Thankfully, the answer is yes - although there's a caveat.
That's because House Of Marley's dedicated app I use for my Redemption 2 earbuds doesn't support the Get Together Solo, but I understand the company are adding other devices.
The first album I tested the speaker on was Pearl Jam's Dark Matter on Dolby Atmos, Lossless via Apple Music. The galloping React, Respond sounded good - although the bass was a touch heavy for my tastes. Again, app integration would make tweaking settings a bit more natural. That said, the guitars on Wreckage shone and Eddie Vedder's vocals came through beautifully.
A track I just can't stop listening to at the moment is Drab Majesty's Photograph - a song taken from the soundtrack to Jane Schoenbrun's film I Saw The TV Glow. That was on (repeat) next and even without any EQ tweaking, this sounded... well, majestic! The snappy drums and warm balanced audio sounded magical through the Get Together and I couldn't resist cranking it up to an obscene level. No crackle or audio slip ups were noticeable - and proved that the Get Together Solo can easily deliver room-filling sound.
All About Eve’s wonderful Scarlet And Other Stories was the first CD I ever bought all the way back in 1989 when I had nothing more than a double tape-deck ghetto blaster with a top-mounted CD player. Even with this battered black and silver plastic unit, I remember being completely blown away by the way in which Mark Price’s drums came through on the album - so for fun (and nostalgia) I put it through the Get Together Solo. Again, I was rewarded with crystal clear audio with no blemishes - and yes, the drums on Road To Your Soul still sound immense.
The alternatives
With portability in mind, there are a couple of speakers I recommend if the House Of Marley Get Together Solo isn't quite your thing.
First up is the Marshall Emberton II which is a rock solid choice. It sounds great, has more than 30 hours of music playback from a full charge, is water resistant and it's also small enough to be chucked in a backpack if you’re off on your travels.
Another Bluetooth speaker worth checking out is the JBL Charge 5. This one has 20 hours of battery life and comes in a variety of colours. It has more of a cylindrical design (a bit like my old ghetto blaster) and will also keep you dancing out on the patio as it's also waterproof.
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