The House of Marley Exodus ANC wireless headphones – £199.99 from House of Marley
House of Marley are a brand we have covered quite extensively here at What Mobile. The brand is well known for making products that are good for the planet. In this review, the Exodus ANC are no different as they use FSC certified wood & recycled aluminium in the design.
The House of Marley Exodus ANC wireless headphones come in at £199.99 from the House of Marley Website so let’s see if you should go buy them?
House Of Marley Exodus ANC stand out from the competition mainly due to the fact it’s made from responsibly sourced materials. Inside the box not only do you get the headphones you also get a fabric carry case and you also get a 3.5 mm cable with control for play/pause button that can also be used to answer a call if the headphones are used in a wired version. You are also given a USB-C charge cable.
Design-wise each cup is made for a mix of responsibly sourced wood and aluminium and on the cups have the logo printed on each cup and on the padded headband you also have the word Marley printed on the top.
Earcup Design with House of Marley logo in the middle of the cup.
You can see the word Marley printed on the headband.
The cups also come with memory foam earpads that provide a comfortable experience when using the headphones on a short term basis.
Connecting the cups to the headband is the metal pole adjusters with a cable connecting the band to the cups as well. However, the headband suspension does not distribute the weight evenly meaning you will start to get a headache after long periods of use which is a real negative for me as I want to use a pair of headphones at this price all day if I want.
The headphones also allow a full 90 degrees of rotation of the cups and you can fold the cups due to the mental hinges allowing for you to put them away when not in use. Inside the cups, you get a 50mm dynamic driver and I will discuss the sound quality later in this review.
These headphones unlike others of the market actually share out the controls which I like. On the left cup, you have the power button that is also used to pair with your device. The power button has 3 LED indicators that show battery life. Under that, you have the ANC Switch and the 3.5mm Jack port under that for turning the headphones into wired headphones.
On the right cup, you have a 3 buttons multifunction control panel that controls volume, play/pause, Track control, Making or ending calls and last but not least activating voice assistant. On the whole, the multi-function button works well. The only issue I have is when using the smart assistant it can be a little slow in kicking in. When it does kick in you will hear a tone that allows you to then use your smart assistant this normally happens after a few seconds.
Under the Multi-function you have a button with the letters MM this is the monitor mode what this is for is when you get a call or just need to concentrate this mode will amplify the noise around you and reduce the volume of your audio. Under that, you have the USB-C port for fast charging. 
Moving on to the battery life these headphones provide 28 hours with ANC on or up to 80 hours playtime without ANC switched on. I have listened to these on my trips out to the park and down the seafront and the battery life is fantastic I would have liked to try these on a longer trip out but unfortunately the current lockdown has prevented me from doing that. When you need to charge these headphones have quick charge technology meaning 10 mins gives you a few hours charge to get you out of a spot with no music.
Sound-wise I was impressed with the overall quality. The bass was quite heavy which is good if you love your bass. However, the strong bass with tracks with intense sub-bass the exodus ANC delivers a solid low-frequency response that are powerful and does not distort. When listening to “Alice Murton Hit the ground running” this is a song that showcases what these headphones are all about. The drums are rich and the overall sound is provided with some extra definition with the highs.
In a lockdown, I have been listening to all sorts of music and have given classical a try and gave the Michael Ball & Alfie Boe album back together a try and the song. “Wishing you were somehow here again”. These headphones make it like I was in the theatre the lower register instrumentation is pushed forward in the mix but the spotlight remains on the vocals making this listening experience a delight.
Moving on to the ANC and they have done a decent job of attenuating external noise. I found it cut out the local traffic but due to the lockdown, I was unable to see how they perform on the London underground.
These headphones also allow you to take calls via the mic and with these, you have 2 options- One built-in when using the headphones in the wireless mode and then when you turn them into the wired version you have a mic on the detachable 3.5mm cable. I did find when testing the mic in either mode I found some proximity issues and got the occasional echo.
Overall would I buy these headphones?
Well if you are looking for a stylish pair of headphones with a very good audio quality then for sure. The sound signature will appeal to most people. The design looks good but when you have them on for a long period the poor distribution of the weight of the cups does provide a headache with some users but not everyone. My girlfriend found the headphones heavy on her head but I had to disagree.
These headphones are durable thanks to the metal accents and headband architecture and cup sliders. I personally like the memory foam ear cushions and the foam inside of the headband adds to the comfort. Battery wise I would have liked for more time with the ANC on but 28 hours is decent and with 80 hours with the ANC off is impressive. The Monitor mode is a feature that would be useful when you need to listen for when your train is being called or when your plane is at the gate ( oh to travel again).
Some might be put off by the price at £200 especially in a time like we are having I feel are little expensive but if money, not an issue these headphones are a good option especially if you want to look after the planet with a mix of FSC certified wood, Stainless Steel & recycled Aluminium. These headphones will please most users and get the thumbs up from us.
Overall Ratings
- Design- 4 Stars
- Features- 4 Stars
- Audio Quality- 5 Stars
- Value for Money- 4 Stars
Overall Rating- 4.25 Stars
The House of Marley Exodus ANC wireless headphones – £199.99 from the House of Marley website
