No Bounds Bluetooth Speaker Review
Reviewed by Kelvin Tebbs
When it comes to Bluetooth speakers, there is a lot of choice available on the market. With popular brands like Bose, Sonos and Sony, along with various designs to pick from, it all comes down to an individuals’ requirements for use and purpose which influences and determines the device that they wish to purchase. Many people have a small speaker built into their voice activated devices like Alexa, Google Home hub, but unfortunately these aren’t portable resulting in the majority of people still needing another device. With the nice weather we’ve recently had and with holiday season upon us, portability is essential for someone who can’t bear to go without tunes whilst on a long walk in the forest, relaxing by a pool or heading to the beach for a BBQ with friends.
Whilst most people are familiar and recognise the ‘Marley’ name which is synonymous with music, some people may not be aware that there was a brand created inline with Bob Marley’s mission: ‘sustainability and respecting the carbon footprint of mankind’ called The House of Marley. This brand has been developed and 2 of his children are major influences within the brand and what it stands for.
The House of Marley have created a number of audio products including the No Bounds Bluetooth speaker which is their smallest portable audio speaker. Their website displays all the various products available which can be found at the following address; www.thehouseofmarley.co.uk
I was excited to receive my No Bounds Speaker which was delivered via Royal Mail. Unfortunately, I was not in at the time of delivery and this was a ‘signed for’ delivery but the postman kindly left it with a nominated neighbour.
The speaker packaging came in an opaque plastic parcel bag. The speaker box was made of cardboard (recyclable), measuring 12cm (w) x 12cm (h) x 7cm (d) in dimension so is unable to be posted through the letter box. The size of the speaker packaging is almost identical to the size of the speaker itself, although it’s round in shape, something I can only describe as a large hockey puck design.
The cardboard case has an impressive plastic window with a magnetic flap, which enables you to open the flap to view 3 aspects of the speaker which is contained inside, from the front, side and back angles. The product is deigned in the USA but made in China.
On the front of the packaging are 4 icons. These specify some important features i.e. that the speaker is graded at IP67 referring to its resistance to both water and dust, as well at its 10 hour play time. On the side it also states that the purchase of the product will help to plant 1 tree. The House of Marley contribute each year to the ‘One Tree Planted Foundation’ which is dedicated to global reforestation. On the back of the packaging is further information highlighting that the speaker is actually buoyant, as well as including the technical specification for the speaker.
One of the most appealing features of the speaker is its design and attractive colour choice. The speaker is currently sold in 4 colours including; black, red, blue and white. My speaker is the red version with a burgundy hue.
When unpacking the device, you’ll be presented with an instruction manual, along with a matching coloured carabiner embossed with the word ‘Marley’ and a matching coloured USB A to micro B cable. One thing to note is that it doesn’t come with a plug adapter, luckily most people could potentially use their mobile (cell) phone adapter which tends to have a USB port.
There is a woven loop of material found on the side panel of the speaker and along with the supplied carabiner allows for it to be conveniently hung on a door handle or backpack, rather than always being laid down when in use.
Looking at the speaker, the first thing you’ll notice will be the speckled, coloured detailing on the side of the speaker, something I personally love. The speaker also has a unique cork bottom, helping with its buoyancy in water – something I will come back to later. The underneath also has a rubber ring built into the cork to help provide grip should you decide to lay the speaker down onto a flat surface.
The speaker face has the gold House of Marley logo displayed, as does the cork on the reverse of the speaker which helps to identify the brand of the speaker. One final added detail is a small cotton, Rastafarian tab, which is located at the rear of the speaker, again reflecting the Bob Marley link to this brand and this is a very nice touch.
All the controlling buttons (5 buttons) including volume up, volume down, play, pause, on and off, along with the Bluetooth pair button can be found on the silicone side of the device. One of the very few negatives of this device has to be the fact that the buttons have been made the same colour, so although they blend in for aesthetic purposes, I found that in low lighting it was difficult to distinguish between the controls.
Between 2 of the buttons is a flap, labelled Marley, whereby when opened reveals a micro USB b port, for charging your device, as well as an auxiliary (AUX) input for wired device. I believe that this speaker supports dual speaker wireless pairing although this is not written on the packing, so should you be fortunate enough to own more than one device or if you’re with people whom also own one of these, I understand that the device has the capability to pair but I have not been able to test this myself.
The device also has a built in microphone for voice calls. Should you happen to receive a phone call, by pressing on the play/pause button, you can answer the call without needing to touch your phone handset. Whilst the sound quality was crisp and clear, the one negative with this function was the apparent lack of voice activated dialling, so I was unable to make an outbound call solely from the speaker.
As mentioned previously, this portable audio device is IP67 water resistant and thus can be dropped into up to 1 meter of water and can withstand being submerged for a maximum of 30 mins. Due to the cork bottom, it floats perfectly which is an added bonus if you’re relaxing by the pool on holiday or heading to the beach. Therefore, this brings some comfort that the device won’t get damaged if splashed or should it accidentally fall in water.
Having tested the products buoyancy and sound quality during a bath, I personally found that the sound quality and volume appeared to have deteriorated when and after being submerged in water. Although, thankfully the sound returned to normal once it started to dry out.
I would rate this device 4/5. Whilst it does everything I require from a portable speaker, I feel that it’s only marginally superior in sound quality to many built in smartphone speakers and I would have liked to have heard a greater depth of base and for voice activated dialling/controls to be built into the speaker. However, I am more confident in this device being exposed to the elements rather than my smartphone (which costs a great deal more!). I personally may look to test the next model in The House of Marley range of speakers, the ‘No Bounds Sport,’ in the hope that for the increase in cost, it may offer a deeper base quality and richer 360° sound.
Rating: 4/5
RRP: £49.99
For more information or to buy online visit www.thehouseofmarley.co.uk.
