We’ve reviewed House of Marley before and have been pleasantly surprised, as they offer very affordable audio products that are higher quality, not represented in the price. They are also a favourite of ours because of their business values. They use a lot of recycled materials in their products and packaging. They sent us their new Bluetooth speaker, the Chant BT. Let’s see if it’s any good.

The Chant BT is a Bluetooth speaker, just like any other. You can link your mobile device to the speaker and stream your favourite audio. There isn’t much more to say but below is the spec for this little music box.

  • Bluetooth 4.1 + EDR, A2DP mono audio
  • 1 x 5W – 2” driver + passive radiator
  • Built-in microphone allows for use as speakerphone
  • Up to 8 hours of wireless play
  • Rechargeable lithium-ion battery
  • USB charging cable
  • Blended bio-plastic, silicone and recyclable aluminium housings
  • Carabineer clip

The speaker comes well packaged in a cardboard and plastic box, with the traditional rustic look that the entire HoM range has. In the box is the speaker, a USB cable for charging and a carabiner clip incase you want to attach the speaker to a bag or something. Taking the speaker out for the first time, you are greeted by a very fun, vibrant texture covering the surround. The speaker is wrapped with a ‘denim’ like material and has a wooden trim at the top. There are a variety of material and wood combinations to choose from. The driver is at the top of the speaker, along with four buttons, volume up and down, Bluetooth toggle and power on. You can also find the microphone here for hands-free calling. At the bottom are the speaker vents, a headphone jack and a USB port to charge. Overall, it looks pretty cool and would appeal to a younger audience over the tech savvy Dads.

Charging the speaker doesn’t take long at all and the battery life is reported to be around eight hours. Over the few days I tested it, the battery didn’t die. I would estimate I had it on for around five hours. Setting up the speaker is very simple. Simply turn the speaker on, press the Bluetooth toggle button and it will become available to your phone or Bluetooth enabled device. Once set up, I started playing some of my favourite tracks.

The speaker can go incredibly loud! Unfortunately too loud and at the very top end, it loses a lot of its sound quality causing a rumble and crackle. This shouldn’t put you off, as this speaker isn’t designed to fill a room for your 21st birthday It’s for on the go, outside gatherings. Turning the speaker down to mid volume, I enjoyed a well balanced sound that did in fact fill my office. I listened to a few genres of music, and didn’t really find any type of music to stand out. I really enjoyed listening to a mixture of tracks.

The speaker is great for on the go as it’s light, portable and relativity small in size. It has a decent battery life, good sound quality at low to mid volumes and is very affordable. Other than losing the sound quality at the higher volumes, the speaker has quite a loud and a little annoying on/off jingle, which I’m not really a fan.

The speaker retails at £59.99 but I’ve found it cheaper online. They also offer a ‘mini’ version for around £30. For more info or to purchase visit the official House Of Marley website.