House Of Marley
Since 2012, House of Marley has been creating audio products with an eco-friendly focus. The company was created by Rohan Marley, who found his original success as a linebacker in college while at Miami. The company focuses on sustainability above all things, and while that has many benefits, it does come at a premier (not necessarily a bad thing).
The Stir It Up, this new fan-favorite release is an automatic belt-drive turntable with a built-in pre-amp and USB connectivity for converting your favorite vinyl to digital files. House of Marley has made two turntables – a wireless version ($199.99) and a wireless version. The wired version which we had the opportunity to review, costs $249.99.
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Key Features Of The House Of Marley Stir It Up Turntable
The House Of Marley Stir It Up turntable is designed with the environment in mind. The top is made from bamboo, a sustainable resource, and the sides and bottom are covered in an organic cotton and hemp blend. The recycled aluminum platter looks good, and even the slip mat is made from recycled plastic and rubber.
The Stir It Up is a manual, belt-driven turntable. This means you have to raise and lower the tonearm to get a record playing. This is slightly harder than it sounds but also part of the fun. Many similarly priced turntables are fully automatic, which means the tonearm moves by itself when you press the play button.
The RCA outputs on the back of the turntable allow you to connect it to your speakers or receiver, just like most other turntables.
Additionally, a 3.5mm headphone jack is at the front of the unit, which can be quite convenient. Unfortunately, this turntable does not offer Bluetooth connectivity, which some other record players in the same price range offer.
What I Liked About The House Of Marley Stir It Up Turntable
House Of Marley
It Looks Damn Cool.
This is undoubtedly one of the sleekest and coolest-looking turntables I have ever seen, regardless of price point. The bamboo plinth that forms much of the exterior is easy on the eyes, whose neutral color makes it easy to fit into any room’s aesthetic.
It’s Sustainable.
This turntable is made from sustainable components.
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Along with the awesome and cool-looking bamboo plinth, there’s a recyclable aluminum alloy platter and, around the edges, a black fabric made of 30% organic cotton, 30% reclaimed hemp, and 40% recycled polyethylene terephthalate.
It’s Consistent.
With a name like Marley attached to this turntable, you would expect a unit that can handle the big-time reggae bass lines that make the genre so popular, and this turntable passes this test quite thoroughly.
Audio-Technica’s stylus could stay locked in the grove the entire time and didn’t skip a single time, regardless of the genre or bass response I played. Bravo there.
What I Wasn’t Crazy About
House Of Marley
No Cover.
The Marley brand’s commitment to sustainability goes top-to-bottom with this turntable. And while I commend the brand’s vision, only being offered a cloth cover for the top makes me nervous for my more valuable vinyl in the collection.
So while this isn’t necessarily a dealbreaker, it was a quality f life thing that I think could have been improved for the price point that this turntable comes at.
Tricky Setup.
I will preface this by saying that I love vinyl, but consider myself far more of a hobbyist than an audiophile. That being said, I felt like my lack of experience with vinyl was a detriment to getting this thing set up, predominantly when it came to adjusting the tonearm.
Since the user has to set this up themselves, it took me a fair amount of time to balance it correctly. But once it was up and running, the sound was amazing.
House Of Marley Stir It Up Turntable Specs
House Of Marley
Let’s dive into the cut-and-dry specifications of the House of Marley turntable.
Key Specs
- Audio Technica MM cartridge
- Plays 33 1/3 and 45 RPM
- Solid bamboo plinth
- USB to PC recording
- Auto start/stop belt drive
- Built-in pre-amp with off switch
- 3.5 mm aux out
- RCA out (phono/line)
Final Thoughts
This record player is perfect for anyone who wants a turntable that looks great as well as gets the best sound out of their vinyl collection. It’s ideal for those who care about the environment and sustainability, and it’s not too daunting to set up either, even for those new to turntables.
This turntable is perfect for anyone, even if they aren’t a fan of Bob Marley. The style is something that will get people talking. Sure, this unit has a few downsides, but that’s to be expected with any turntable aimed at a more casual audience. Besides the few minor details mentioned, it’s tough to find anything wrong with House of Marley’s turntable.
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