Today, I’ve got these, the Zion earbuds from Marley, and they’re quite refreshing. Why, there is no lid, and the case is transparent, a bit like what one of those phone companies does. Anyway, I’ve been using them as my daily buds for the last few weeks, and here are my thoughts.
Out of the box, I instantly love the look. The buds come in this clear plastic case, allowing you to see some of the inner workings where the USB port is, which I love. There’s a section of black, some subtle branding and overall, lightweight & compact. The earbuds themselves sit within the case quite securely thanks to a couple of small but strong magnetics, and when you want to take the buds out, you just slide them up. There is no lid, so you could argue no protection to the buds and/or risk of one of the buds, or both, being removed somehow without you wanting them to. The buds themselves are shaped and moulded, with a bamboo wood stem section, as you’d expect and like many other buds on the market. There are no rubber tips, so they just sit in your ear, which you either love or hate. I have the black version here but a cream version is also available. In the box you get the buds and case, a USB cable and some instructions.
Spec & features, Marley is advertising these as ‘comfort first’ earbuds offering a non-occluding, lightweight design. You get 16 hours of playtime total with the case, 4 hours actually within the buds. Bluetooth 5.3, a 2 year warranty and they’re made from sustainable materials.
The buds have touch-sensitive controls and commands are detailed in the instructions. A single tap on the left will decrease volume, and that on the right to increase. Double tap will play pause, hold down for two seconds to change track and it’s similar gestures for taking calls, pairing and so forth. The controls actually work really well, they’re really easy and you know when you’ve tapped correctly as you’ll hear a beep.
In terms of audio quality, they performed as expected, if not slightly better, given the retail price of just £50 here in the UK. I listened to various genres of music over the weeks, and it was all very enjoyable but I didn’t go wow, they didn’t blow me away. It’s a fairly balanced sound profile, it’s quite bright, it lacks a bit of bass and unfortunately, there are no sound or EQ options with these to customise to suit your preferences and the music you’re listening to.
In terms of comfort, for me, I thought they were very comfortable. You can easily put them in your ears and adjust them to find a comfy fit, but then with that, comes a worry of security. Walking, or sitting on a train, I found them secure enough and never had a problem with them falling out. However, using them while cycling, they would fall out if I didn’t keep checking and adjusting. So with that in mind and depending on if you want to use these while exercising, you might want to think twice.
Battery life is good, four hours is enough in the buds for me, for my commute or work. 16 overall is fine, it does mean I have to charge them more often than some of the other buds but I’ve just got to remember. There is no wireless charging of the case which is a shame.
The microphone quality is fine, I made and received a few phone calls with them and had no complaints on either end.
Overall, I think they are a pretty solid pair of earbuds. Audio performance is more than good enough at this price point. They’re comfy, they look good and they’re very easy to use. There is no ANC, which is popular now and for a very good reason. If you looked elsewhere, you would be able to find a pair of buds for the same price that will include ANC. At £50, I don’t think you’d be disappointed, I’m not. If you want something with a little more punch and more specs, have a look around, you will find something for the same price or just slightly more, that might tick some of those missing boxes.
For more info and to purchase, head over to the official Marley website.
