Chant Mini – House of Marley has built a strong reputation among consumers and reviewers for providing products with unique, eco-friendly designs, great sound and affordable prices. So of course I jumped at the chance to check out their Chant Mini Bluetooth speaker.
I’ve been playing with the Chant Mini for a few weeks now and I have to say I love it. The speaker is great for its size – at just 4.25″x5.5″x4.35″ this thing is very portable – and I have to admit the unconventional design has grown on me.
Chant Mini
Uncontroversial is the name of the game with House of Marley. The company says its products are “soulfully” designed using earth-friendly materials such as hemp, organic cotton and Forest Stewardship-certified wood, and its packaging is made from recycled paper-wrapped and plastic.
House Of Marley Chant Mini
The Chant Mini I’ve been using is green in colour, wrapped in House of Marley’s Rewind fabric and bamboo. It has Bluetooth 4.1 (EDR, A2DP mono audio), a built-in microphone for speakerphone calls, and a built-in lithium-ion battery good for about 6 hours of play. At the bottom left you will find a Micro-USB port for charging (cable included) and a 3.5 mm input for connecting other devices. In particular, both are protected by a plastic cover for extra durability.
Control of the speaker is done through a simple group of buttons on the front of the device. Here you can turn the song off and on, start Bluetooth pairing and turn the volume up and down. The buttons are well made, easy to press, and due to their size and placement, are always close at hand.
Admittedly, I came to the test with some skepticism. I’ve used many Bluetooth speakers over the years, some of which produce great sound, so I didn’t think a small ~$50 speaker from an indie manufacturer would make enough to move the needle. But you can’t compare this to bigger and more expensive speakers. This is a completely different thing.
In my practice, I found the Chant Mini to work best in small spaces. The speaker can be loud – very loud – but the sound quality starts to drop significantly past the 3/4 mark. Some of my most enjoyable experiences were using it in my office to play music, using it to listen to podcasts while on the treadmill, and using it in our backyard to play background music for a small gathering.
House Of Marley Chant Mini Review
I’m by no means an audiophile, but I found the Mini’s sound quality to be pretty good at the settings mentioned. If pressed, I’d say the music isn’t as sharp as I’d like (maybe too mid-heavy?) and there’s almost no bass, but again, I don’t think you’ll buy this speaker because he is better than all other speakers. You buy it because it is good for its price and size.
And don’t underestimate the last part, size. You don’t realize how handy a smaller speaker like this is until you take it somewhere. It barely takes up an overnight bag or briefcase, fits nicely in a car cup holder or golf cart, and is small enough that it doesn’t look slim sitting next to your iPad on a picnic table or in an airport. This is a speaker I wouldn’t mind traveling with.
If you’re looking for negatives, I don’t have many, and the ones I do have are mostly borne out of comparisons with larger speakers (wanting crisper sound, better battery life, etc.). I’ll admit that I wasn’t particularly impressed with the call quality while using the speakerphone feature, but since I don’t get good wireless service at my house, I can’t pin that on the Chanten. And to be honest with you, I use the feature so often that even if that were the case, I wouldn’t be disappointed.
Anyway, as you’ve probably guessed by now, I have no problem recommending the Chant Mini from House of Marley to people in the market for a smaller Bluetooth speaker. If you’re interested, you can find it on Amazon for $59.
House Of Marley Em Ja007 Sb Marley Portable Audio System Chant Mini
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