If you're having a hard time thinking of a gift to give someone, you can never really go wrong with the gift of music. That may sound cheesy but it's true; music is universal and no matter the age, culture, gender, et cetera, everyone enjoys a good song. One way to share music with a loved one is through The House of Marley's Get Up Stand Up home audio system, which strives to evoke vintage floor speakers of the past.
House of Marley is based around Bob Marley's idealistic vision of "One Love", living your life in harmony with the world around you. The company focuses on crafting earth-friendly electronics that stick to "the Marley family core values: equality, unity, authenticity, sustainability and charity." Five percent of the company's annual profits go directly to 1Love.org, an organization started by Marley's family meant to spread Marley's dream for a more caring world by raising money for community charities.
With a MSRP of $349.99, the Get Up Stand Up system is a portable dock that works with iPhones, iPads, and iPods, and each model is "crafted from one piece of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified bent birch wood and finished in a rich walnut color." Where it doesn't use wood, the system uses recycled plastic, which may hinder the sleek appearance a little for some but it certainly sticks with their eco-friendly goal.
“We thought back to how people used to admire the large floor speakers back in the 1970s and 80s and how those speakers were design elements in the home. Our Get Up Stand Up system delivers exceptional audio quality in a strikingly beautiful design, while staying true to our values and commitment to the planet,” said Rohan Marley, on behalf of The House of Marley.
The docking system features Marley Sound, which is designed to give the best acoustics possible, especially a rich, powerful bassline. With two one-inch tweeters, two 4.5-inch woofers, and a strong amplifier, the speaker has an output of "25 watts times two." While all of the genres I tested out on this model sounded great, some certainly sounded better, specifically those that are bass-heavy. Of course, music from Bob Marley himself sounds fantastic on the Get Up Stand Up. However, I found that music lacking heavy bass (for example, The Smiths) sounded a little empty, which didn't lessen my enjoyment but certainly began changing the music I listened to in my apartment on a regular basis. If you're concerned with how loud the music can get, I was completely satisfied. I could hear it in every corner of my apartment and was even hesitant to try it on full volume in fear of angering my temperamental neighbor.
In terms of control, the system is really easy to figure out. Necessary buttons can be found on the top of the unit, like power and volume, but it also comes with a small infrared remote. I've used docking systems before where those silly little plastic remotes only worked if you held them directly in front of the model from a foot away, which defeats the purpose of having a remote at all, but the one for Get Up Stand Up actually works.
Any of you who purchased the new iPhone 5 know that the port was changed, but don't worry because you can still use it with the Get Up Stand Up without having to buy an adapter. The unit has an auxiliary input and integrated RCA input, which means you can use it with hundreds of devices, such as Android phones.
Keep an eye out for House of Marley because over the holidays the company will be announcing new upgrades planned for mid-2013.
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