As we head into the holiday season, expect to see a bunch of products hit the market that were teased back in January at CES. Today’s example is House of Marley’s new $250 Exodus ANC headphones. They’re the company’s first kick at a set of wireless noise-canceling headphones, and they’re based on the previously released $200 Exodus wireless headphones. They join the Liberate Air, the brand’s first true wireless earbuds.
For an additional $50, House of Marley has incorporated active noise canceling technology that can be turned on and off via a dedicated switch on the left earpiece. Another dedicated button on the right earpiece lets you engage the Exodus ANC’s “monitor mode” which lets outside sounds enter via the external microphones instead of canceling them.
Other physical buttons on the right earpiece let you control volume, play/pause, track skip, and access to your preferred voice assistant (depending on your smartphone).
Comfort also gets a bump up, with even more memory foam padding on the headband and earcups. Otherwise, the Exodus ANC follow the Exodus’ specs pretty closely, with Bluetooth 5.0, more sustainable and recyclable materials like stainless steel, aluminum, and responsibly sourced wood. 50mm drivers in each ear are capable of reproducing everything from 20Hz to 20kHz, according to the company.
If the active noise-canceling feature isn’t enough to appeal to travelers looking for portable sound, the battery life should seal the deal. At 28 hours with ANC turned on, that’s already a very respectable number, but it jumps to 80 hours with ANC turned off, House of Marley claims. A quick charge of 15 minutes via USB-C will give you an extra six hours of play time.
The design of the Exodus ANC (and the regular Exodus) may be polarizing with its exposed earcup slider rods and braided electrical cord, but if you’re not a fan of the smooth, seamless look of brands like Beats, Sony, and Skullcandy, the Exodus ANC might be just the ticket.
For $250, you won’t find many over-the-ear, wireless, ANC headphones — they tend to be quite a bit more expensive, or a lot cheaper. However, noise-cancellation is not the easiest thing to get right, so good price or no, much will depend on how successfully House of Marley nails its debut wireless effort.
The Exodus ANC are available now at HouseofMarley.com, Amazon and other select retailers for $250.
