House of Marley is a company that was founded by Bob Marley’s family. It is only fitting that the company’s value directly reflects his primary beliefs. Bob Marley was a musical icon, whose unique style put reggae on the map. As a notable Rastafarian, Bob Marley valued equality, sustainability, and charity. House of Marley’s Get Up Stand Up speaker truly reflects all of Bob Marley’s value with its sustainable design and sound quality.
Sustainability is an important factor to consider when it comes to limiting our footprint on this world. The amount of waste humans generate is only increasing, so finding ways to minimize our environmental impact is imperative. My roommates and I try to be responsible inhabitants of Earth by minimizing waste and recycling, but our trash cans still fill up quickly. That’s with only three people, can you imagine the waste created by all seven billion people in the world?
Sustainability is extremely important in the tech world. Lately, it seems as though the majority of consumers are upgrading their devices every time a new phone or tablet comes out. I know people who even upgrade their laptops every year.
Tech-related waste is especially harmful to the environment because of their components. Toxic metals and non-recyclable materials find their way into off-site locations such as Ghana. E-waste is only increasing with the amount of technology we have at our disposal and it is a problem we cannot ignore anymore.
Build
The package includes the Get Up Stand Up speaker, power cord, and remote (batteries included).
The Get Up Stand Up speaker addresses the environmental issues facing our planet by going with a sustainable design. The front of the speaker is made of FSC-certified birch wood with a walnut finish. The speaker sports two dual 4.5 inch woofers and two 1 inch tweeters.
House of Marley went with simplicity when it comes to the controls. There are only four buttons located at the top of the speaker. The small remote control allows all the same options as the physical buttons on the speaker with the addition of dedicated buttons for skipping and rewinding music.
The back of the speaker features a recycled plastic enclosure. There is a bass port on the side to let the large woofers move air in and out allowing for a fuller sound. Red and white stereo auxiliary inputs, and a 3.5 mm auxillary input are located on the back to play music from devices that do not have Bluetooth. The addition of a USB port allows charging of various devices even while the Get Up Stand Up speaker is turned off.
Sound
The premium build of the Get Up Stand Up speaker is accompanied with high quality audio. This is due to the aptX technology which uses a unique compression algorithm to produce higher sound quality over Bluetooth.
I found this speaker to offer well-balanced and detailed sound. The highs were incredibly crisp due to the presence of the dual tweeters. The bass has a warm and full presence that doesn’t overpower the complete dynamic range. Most wireless speakers feature only one driver which tends to muddle up the highs and lows, but with four, this speaker manages to sound very clear.
The location of the speaker also had a huge impact on how it sounded. I played Black Beatles with the speaker next to a wall and the bass sounded incredibly rich, deep and punchy. In open space, the Get Up Stand Up speaker has more of a balanced sound. Even at the lowest volume, the vocals were clear and wasn’t overpowered by the highs or lows.
Due to the well-balanced sound, this speaker is exceptional for most genres. The versatility of the speaker was evident being able to play reggae all the way to pop. John Coletrane’s saxophone sounds incredibly detailed on the Get Up Sound Up. I had to put on Get Up Stand Up in honor of Bob Marley, and I could feel the soul emanating from the speaker. When I closed my eyes, it really felt like he was right in front of me performing the song. It was such a great auditory experience even though reggae is not the type of music I normally listen to.
Usage
The Get Up Stand Up Home audio system is not a portable speaker. There is no battery in the device so it needs to be plugged into an outlet. However, due to its heavy frame (15.6 pounds) I couldn’t imagine why you would want to move it around frequently.
The pictures of this speaker do not do it justice. It is absolutely beautiful with its rustic and wooden design. The attention to every aesthetic detail and premium wood finish looked almost too good for my apartment. It’s like seeing a classic 1955 Chevy Bel Air next to your used 1998 Honda Accord. The best part comes from the conscientious decision of using a sustainable product that will have minimal impact on the environment. You don’t have to sacrifice quality, sound, or design for the sake of the planet.
I primarily used the speaker in the living room and connected it via stereo audio auxiliary input into my television. I previously had a sound bar connected to the television and this speaker blew it out of the water. Those people who don’t want to invest in an expensive surround sound system can opt out for this less pricier option. It was effortless to connect my phone via Bluetooth and play Spotify from the comfort of the couch.
Conclusion
Bob Marley’s legacy is present in the vision of House of Marley. The company reflects the values of equality, sustainability, and charity derived from the music legend. Bob Marley truly cared for the planet and it is echoed in the Get Up Stand Up Bluetooth Audio System. In an industry that produces a great deal of waste, it is refreshing to see companies like House of Marley taking an initiative on the e-waste issue.
This is a premium speaker that you can be proud to own knowing that you are actively making an impact on reducing e-waste. The Get Up Stand Up speaker is made from FSC-certified birch in the front and a recyclable plastic enclosure in the back.
The use of multiple woofers and tweeters leads to a well-balanced sound that is versatile with any type of music. This is a speaker you want to display proudly with its rustic and wooden design that is a nice fit for any home.
The Get Up Stand Up speaker is only $329.99 on House of Marley or $294.00 on Amazon with free shipping. The speaker is an investment into a technology that will be with you for many years to come. If you eventually decide to upgrade to another device, you can be comforted knowing that this was designed to have a minimal impact on the environment.
For those unfamiliar with the ONE plan, we’ll remind you it’s a pretty controversial plan by T-Mobile. In theory users get unlimited LTE data, talk and text as well as free roaming in Mexico and Canada for $70 (for one line). However there are a few catches. The plan comes with unlimited tethering – at max 3G speeds (according to T-Mobile’s page). If users want LTE tethering they will need to pay more.
As you can see the ONE plan has a few disadvantages, but with the latest @Work All-In bundle, T-Mobile hopes to make it more attractive in the eyes of business users.
This app is great for all ages. If you’re a middle aged adult like me, you can revisit art if you missed it growing up. It’s almost impossible to see all of this artwork in person since the cost of travel is so high.
The outside of the earpieces features Marshall’s trademark logo and textured design seen on its amplifiers. The earpieces feature a very comfortable padding that ensures a secure fit onto your ears. The left and right sides are labeled in big gold letters on the inside of the headphones to make sure you are wearing them the proper way. 
Underneath the left earpiece features a familiar brass knob seen on many other Marshall equipment. The knob functions like a joystick to control in-line commands. Pushing it left or right will control skipping or repeating music. Up or down will control the volume levels. This is a welcome addition seeing as how it was omitted in the wired version of the Major II. Play and pause are controlled by pressing the knob.
Comfort
Sound
I would recommend getting a case for these headphones. The lightweight design makes these headphones less durable than others. 
Stainless steel is used in all areas where the headphones need extra durability. Steel does add a bit of weight to these headphones, but not so much that someone would notice. The overall fit and feel of the headphones is so comfortable that they almost conform to your head like whipped cream melts over a hot fudge sundae. The ear cup which houses the massive 45mm driver is made from forged aluminum which not only adds durability, but better sound acoustics too. Aluminum is used in the antenna which is machined into the body of the earpiece that allows for a skip and lag free wireless signal.
The top is a smooth surface with a rather barren hard plastic construction. You’ll find only three buttons on top- a previous track/volume down button, a next track/volume up button and a play/pause button that also accepts incoming calls. They’re flush with the surface with small cutouts inside them so you may not know exactly which button you’re touching if you’re going on feel alone. But, they do feel nice and clicky with an audible thump when pressed, so high marks there.
The rear of the device houses an on/off switch, USB port for charging your phone, an aux jack, a headphone jack and a DC power input port. The power button is a switch on this device so you can definitely tell when your speaker has been switched off. No holding down a button waiting for a beep. The USB port allows you to charge another device off the 6500mAh battery but is capped at 5V/1A so it won’t be a quick charge by any means. The audio in jack allow you to plug your phone directing into the device bypassing the Bluetooth functionality, and the headphone jack allows you to pull audio out device into your headphones.
Overall the build quality is pretty decent. I’ve not had any issue throwing it in my bag or throwing it in my back seat. It’s going to be a bit big for some bags like purses since it comes in at 10.2″ x 4.3″ x 3.8″, but if you have a bigger messenger bag, gym bag, or duffel bag, you should be set. While this doesn’t have the highest build quality in the world, there are way worse out there. Through extended use, mine still looks like the day I got it so I would have to say Monoprice has done well here.
If you have a middle-aged Android device that seems to be working a little too hard nowadays, or if you fancy yourself a power user of multiple apps, you may find yourself looking into possibly installing a “speed-booster” type of app. 
favorite (and often resource-intensive). It does this by closing other apps that may be running in the background and such, to clear up RAM space for your game of choice. When you download the DU Speed Booster app, you actually get a second icon on your home screen for this Game Booster feature.
really boost anything; rather, it is a speed test app built within. Upon activating, it sends ping, download, and upload tokens out to the internet to quantify your current network speed (to see if you’re getting what you pay for).
As stated earlier, the overall interface of this app is very clean and good-looking. Upon opening you are greeted with a menu screen. Here you can either pick and choose which features to utilize (see bullet point list above), or there is a very large “OVERALL BOOST” button in the top-center to press, activating all speed-boosting functions on your device.
Which goes to the question: does the app work as advertised? I use an Alcatel Idol 4 as my daily driver, which isn’t a powerhouse phone by any standards. But, it does what I need it to do well. And, using a speed boost app, including DU Speed Booster, didn’t provide any visible performance improvement, no matter what app I was using at the time. It didn’t hurt my phone’s performance either, so in my experience, it was pretty much a net-zero for me.
Also, the need for a “speed booster” type of app on your Android device nowadays can be a bit of a questionable topic. The more current versions of Android all are built to assign and monitor RAM as efficiently as possible.
