The House of Marley - Positive Vibration XL - Wireless Headphones
Quick Verdict - 4 out of 5
Overall the Marley XL headphones are exceptional. The cup size is snug but does not cover large ears completely but are still comfortable over long periods. The headband fits over a large head without squeezing too hard. The sound quality is loud and clear with decent connectivity and range. The metal and wood construction of the headphones scream quality and the overall design is tasteful and minimalistic. For $150 Australian dollars, there are not many brands in this price segment that comes close for the value for money.
To purchase these headphones, go to thehouseofmarley.com
Testing
I have owned other pairs of headphones. I won't say what other brands I have owned previously but can say the others do not compare to the current Marley XL headphones I now own.
I use my headphones a lot. Living in close quarters surrounded by other people in a small apartment can be problematic when trying to listen to anything including Youtube, videos, movies, and other sources of entertainment.
To avoid disturbing other family members, headphones have become a frequent companion. As a result, my previous headphones were used repeatedly, everywhere. At a cost of about $240, you would expect them to be relatively hard-wearing and durable.
Unfortunately, the plastic material the headphones were constructed from was not as resilient as anticipated and over time, small hairline fractures grew across the headband ultimately resulting in the headphones snapping in half.
These headphones were returned to the manufacturer as per the warranty, and a replacement pair was sent. Unfortunately over the next few months, the same breakage occurred again.
I was extremely disappointed with the purchase especially as the brand is well known. I did not expose the headphones to any excessive treatment that may have caused the failure and assume this was an unseen design fault.
Disheartened, I checked the internet to select a replacement, and by chance discovered the Positive Vibration XL Headphones.
“For $150 Australian dollars, there are not many brands in this price segment that comes close for the value for money.”
Material Quality
The main advantage of these particular headphones is the actual construction material which is wood, aluminium and stainless steel. I have used these headphones for approximately 6 months and have not suffered any breakages or material failure. You can feel the quality of the metal cups that are heavy and durable. They have not suffered from scratch marks and the fabric covering the inside of the headband has not been discoloured.
Sound Quality
The sound quality of the headphones is loud and crisp with adequate bass. when you plug directly into the music source with a hard wire. The volume unfortunately lowers slightly when listening with Bluetooth activated.
Design
The design of the headphones is simple and elegant and the finishing in various colours are complimented with wood decorative inserts in the outer sides of each ear which is a nice touch.
Connectivity
Bluetooth connectivity has a range of approximately 15 metres depending on the walls and surrounding obstructions to obscure the signal.
One complaint is the difficulty to connect to a mobile device with the headphones using Bluetooth.
I'm not sure if the fault lies in the headphones or the mobile phone I was using to connect, but after experimentation, I found the fastest way to link was to activate Bluetooth on the source device to search for the headphones, then power up the headphones straight after, resulting in a quick connection. (Mobile phone used was Samsung Android)
Battery life
Battery life is 24 hours as stated by the House of Marley. I use my headphones every day and the battery time is accurate.
Overall, these headphones are extremely good value for the price. For further information visit website - thehouseofmarley.com
