Back at CES 2015, I had a chance to swing by House of Marley’s booth and check out some of their latest and greatest. One of those items was the Chant Mini Bluetooth speaker. Well, it’s finally here and time to give it the review treatment. Can a $50 portable Bluetooth speaker really be all that great? Let’s find out…
First off, let’s start with materials. Like all of House of Marley’s products, the Chant Mini is made from recycled materials. It has a great build quality to it and is covered in a nice fabric on the outside, with an aluminum housing, and bamboo trim at the top. Inside you’ll find a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that will get you up to 6 hours of audio playback.
Inside of the box, you’ll find a small user guide, Micro USB charging cable, and a small carabiner clip that can be attached to the back side of the Chant Mini. On the front side at the top, you’ll find the controls for volume adjustment, play/pause, power/pairing, and a small microphone hole. On the side, there’s a small rubber flap that hides the Micro USB port and a 3.5mm auxiliary jack.
Check out our Chant Mini review video below:
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxUpvlBIxx4]
The Chat Mini features a 52mm driver that definitely packs a punch considering its size. Check out the video above for an audio demo of the Chant Mini, but I was legitimately shocked by how loud this little thing is. Music is very clear and the controls work great, but I was a little let down that skipping tracks had to be done on the smartphone. On the plus side, the Chant Mini is splash resistant, so it shouldn’t give you any problems poolside.
Pair it with an iPhone is simple as you would expect. You’re promoted with a welcoming tone when turning it on. Launch the Settings app on iOS, tap on Marley Chant Mini, and you’re good to go. There’s also a blinking LED indicator that will turn solid to let you know when the smartphone is connected.
Thanks to the built-in microphone, you can accept and decline calls over Bluetooth. Call quality is clear on both ends, but I’m not much of a speakerphone kind of guy. Either way, it’s a nice feature to have if you’re in a pinch and need to answer a call.
Overall, there’s not much bad to say about the Chant Mini. It’s a portable Bluetooth speaker that does exactly what it should. I’d definitely say that the materials being used are some of the best when compared to other speakers in this price rage. If you’d like to find out more about the Chant Mini, check out House of Marley’s website. Currently, the Chant Mini is available in Black, Navy, or Green for $49.99.
