18th August 2022 – Written by Nick Rowe @ Technuovo.com
This time last year, we tried out the Get Together Duo speakers from House Of Marley and we enjoyed them alot! They were the larger speakers in the Get-Together range, and Marley has continued to adapt and develop the range of Bluetooth speakers. One of their most recent is an upgraded Get Together Mini speaker. I’ve been using it over the past few weeks, and here are my thoughts.
If you’re familiar with the original Get Together Mini speaker, the newer model looks similar, it’s almost the same size but the newer model has some curves. This is a portable speaker, it’s handheld, I can pick it up and carry it with one hand quite easily. Size-wise, it’s 19x8x8cm, which is about average for a portable Bluetooth speaker Id say. To the front of the speaker, are two small 30mm drivers and to the rear is a single bass driver circa 60mm in length but it’s rectangular in shape, not circular. Also to the rear are bass ports, the power and EQ buttons, plus behind a rubber cover is the USB C port and aux input. To the top, content controls, to the right-hand side is a bar you can clip something onto and then to the bottom, two large rubber feet.
Visually, you’ve got that light, bamboo wood to the front, with a black mesh around the sides, which you always see with Marley products.
Spec and features include
15-hour playtime (rechargeable battery)
Stereo or Multi-pair mode
30m Bluetooth range
IP67 – Dust and splashproof
EQ options built in!
Made with sustainable materials
100% plastic-free and recyclable packaging
In the box, you get the speaker, a USB C to USB C cable, a carry strap that can be attached to the side of the speaker and some instructions.
Control-wise, very simple and effective. Content is via the three buttons on the top, play/pause, volume control or track control, but then those buttons can also be used to answer a call as there is a built-in microphone within the speaker and you’ll notice a little pinhole by the controls which is for the microphone. Full details of the controls are provided within the box and it’s a matter of pressing or holding a button for a specific command.
Remember earlier I mentioned an EQ button? Well, it’s on the back and quite unusual for a Bluetooth speaker to have this option. I’ve seen speakers with bass, treble and maybe mid-control but not a preset EQ button before. There are three EQ options, signature sound (white light), bass boost (green light) or acoustic (purple lighting). You just have to press the EQ button once and then the music will pause for a second and the sound profile will change. The change is subtle if you which between the three options during the same song, you can notice a difference but it’s not huge. I found it more beneficial when I changed the track and tried to match the EQ to suit. For example, put something acoustic on and then set the EQ to acoustic, which did sound better than having it on bass boost or signature sound. Generally, I kept it on signature sound as my playlists generally have all sorts of genres in it and I’m not interested in changing the EQ all the time, this is meant to be a portable, fun little speaker to take out and about with you, it’s not for serious listening.
As for performance, you get quite a nice sound from this little form factor speaker. it’s quite powerful, and loud, with a good amount of bass thanks to that dedicated bass driver. At lower volumes, the sound profile with the signature sound profile is rich, punchy and a joy to listen to. Low to mid volumes are where the speaker is best placed for performance quality, which is more than loud enough to fill a small room or if you’re out and about, you’ll hear if you’re all sitting in a 5m radius or so. However, turn it up to the maximum volumes and it’s actually not too bad. For other small speakers I’ve tried, the quality dramatically drops off but with this one, it’s not too bad. The sound does become a bit boomy, and a bit muddled but if you want it that loud for whatever reason, I’d say it’s acceptable.
The sound is very directional, 80% is forward firing with the rest out the back. There is a stereo mode, so you can pair this speaker with another compatible Get Together speaker for a stereo sound set up OR take it one step further and multipair, which means you can pair at least 3 speakers together to really get the party started.
Overall, one of the better portable Bluetooth speakers I’ve tried in a long time. I like the look but I can appreciate that won’t be for everyone. It is portable, the sound quality is very good considering its size. Controls work, audio calls work just fine and the addition of the built-in EQ is a plus. Battery life at circa 12-13 hours for me, fine, that would see me through a day if I was out all day but you may need more. It is portable but there is no protection to any of the drivers, so I’m not sure how durable they will be when thrown in a bag with other bits that might scuff or even peirce a cone.
Price, it’s on the higher end of the market with a retail of £149.99 which I feel is justified given the spec and performance, but that could be quite an investment for some. For more info and to purchase, head over to the official Marley website.
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