House of Marley stands apart in the world of personal audio for its efforts at creating more sustainable, eco-friendly products. Its latest true wireless earbuds, the $70 Champion, will be available starting November 24 and are notable for their use of sustainable materials, as well as their low price.
The Champion offer a claimed 8-hour battery life between charges, with 28 hours of total playing time when you include the charging case. They’re IPX4 rated for water resistance and sweatproofing.
Prior to the Champion, House of Marley created the $150 Liberate Air and the $200 Redemption ANC, both of which made copious use of HoM’s signature material, bamboo. These models deliver decent audio, but they’re both relatively bulky, and we often had problems getting the touch controls to respond consistently. They were also pricier than the competition.
The Champion appear to be a response to these concerns. At $70, they’re way more affordable, and both the earbuds and charging cases are smaller than the Liberate Air’s.
“We wanted to offer a greener alternative within the under-$70 category for true wireless earbuds,” said Josh Poulsen, House of Marley’s director of product development. “For the Champion, we’ve taken our popular Liberate Air and reduced the charging case by 30% to offer a sleeker, smaller design for those looking for even more portability and convenience.”
The Champion use bamboo, as well as the company’s Regrind natural fiber composite and recycled silicone. The packaging itself is also part of an effort to create more sustainable choices in the personal audio space: It’s made of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified materials and recycled paper, and uses paper fiber ties instead of plastic twist ties, for a 100% recyclable container.
While the Champion’s technical features aren’t especially noteworthy — there’s no wireless charging, active noise cancellation (ANC), ambient noise passthrough, or the ability to tweak EQ via an app — they represent a new, more affordable option for those who want all of the convenience of a set of true wireless earbuds and the peace of mind that comes with knowing they’re just a bit better for the planet.
How do they perform? We’ll let you know as soon as we get a chance to try them out.
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