So these are the Little Bird earbuds from Marley. They are on sale right now for £29.99, or about 40 dollars if you’re in the US. They come in two colour schemes, cream or black and I’ve got the cream ones with me now. Spec-wise, they offer 6 hours of playback within the buds, 24 hours including the case. We’ve got touch controls, built-in microphones. I’m not sure you get earbuds now without microphones built in. Movie and gaming mode, 2-year guarantee and they’re made from sustainable materials which is one of Marley’s USPs.
I got the cream colour scheme which is kinda of cream, or a little more sandy colour with little specs of black. It’s cool, it’s something different from the generic black or pure white. The case is small, it’s lightweight, it’s got some branding on the lid, plus a lot of not-so-nice looking text to the rear, and it’s charged via USB C. There is no wireless charging available.
The buds themselves are the same colour cream but without the specs of black. Then the stem of each bud has this nice piece of bamboo wood and a green rubber tip.
Audio performance is actually better than I thought and I’ve no real complaints, given the price tag of just £30. The mix is ok, there is some bass there but it is obvious they’re a budget pair of earbuds. There is some decent passive noise cancellation thanks to the rubber tips which is good. Two EQ modes kind of, movie and gaming and I generally stuck in the movie mode. The difference isn’t huge In my opinion but if you do mobile games, you may see a benefit.
The earbuds themselves are comfortable for me, the bud itself is a nice fit, then the rubber tip helps keep it in place and secure enough for use while exercising. The touch controls work well, the Marley logo on the stem is the touch-sensitive area. The gestures are detailed in the manual but it’s a case of tapping once, twice or holding in to change volume and tracks. To enter game or movie mode, you need to tap either bud 3 times to switch between them. You can also use a single bud if you want to, so you can have one in your ear, working, and then the other in the case. Microphones work as expected, I used them for a handful of calls without concern.
I don’t know what it is, but getting the earbuds out is not the easiest. It’s like the stem is too long, and/or my index finger gets caught on the lid. It’s not the end of the world but I’ve tested so many earbuds, it’s really obvious to me when I’m struggling to get them out the case.
These do not have ANC, they do not have any EQ options as such, no wireless charging but you’ve got to remember these are only £30 to buy and at that price, these are a bargain. Plenty of battery life, is secure thanks to that rubber tip and is more than enjoyable on the audio front. If you want more, you’ll have to spend maybe double to get some ANC and better quality. We’ve got a bunch of other reviews on the channel if you want to have a look.
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