Francois Caron
Senior HTF Member
View attachment IMG_20231119_141555_971~2.jpg
This review of the Marley Positive Vibration 2 closed-ended on-ear wired headphones with microphone is being posted at House of Marley Canada, Amazon, Reddit, and The Home Theatre Forum.
Test set-up:
- HiFi Walker H2 non-touch media player loaded with high quality MP3 and FLAC music files,
- Grado Prestige SR225 (current headphones purchased a few decades ago).
I purchased the Marley headphones with free shipping for $69 CAD plus sales tax on the morning of Wednesday, November 8, 2023 directly from the Canadian House of Marley Web site. The order was shipped out the same day and received two days later on Friday, November 10, 2023.
When checking their Web site that same Friday for a better instruction manual, I discovered the same headphones were now on sale for $39 CAD along with many other items. If I knew ahead of time there would be a sale, I would likely have bought the $79 CAD Bluetooth speakers to get the free shipping. Maybe after reading this review, Marley might make a special deal for me before I decide if I should return these headphones.
Putting that pricing annoyance aside for now, I still needed a decent set of headphones for my commute to work. My Grado SR225 headphones weren’t suitable for the job because they have a huge headphone plug sleeve that would have broken the headphone jack on my media player, and I can’t securely wear my Marley Smile Jamaica earbuds anymore because of the excess growth of hair inside my ear canals even with constant shaving. Given enough time to grow, my ear hair would have made me look like Grand Nagus Zeck!
The sound quality of the Positive Vibration 2 is best described as “satisfactory for the commute.” The closed-ear design keeps most ambient noise out, and the cans produce decent sound once you’ve adjusted the equalizer on your media player to boost the higher frequencies and reduce the muddiness of the drivers. The midrange sounds normal and low frequencies are very punchy without sounding distorted.
Along with the muddy highs, comparing these cans against my Grado cans with no equalization on the media player revealed that the Marleys also lack some fine detail. This isn’t a problem while riding noisy public transportation vehicles, but it’s definitely noticeable during serious listening sessions in a controlled environment. These headphones seem to be made primarily for use in public spaces.
The fit is good, but comfort is lacking for now, possibly because I’ve only been wearing these headphones for a week. The headband’s tight on the head, the plastic shells are sensitive to wind, and the ear cushions are still a bit stiff. My ears start to hurt after only half an hour. This isn’t as bad as it sounds because I’ve yet to find any headphones that didn’t hurt my ears after only an hour. That includes my Grado headphones even when using both styles of earpads.
The included braided headphone wire is solid, compact, and detachable at both ends, making it very easy to store the headphones without a tangle of wires. The player-end of the plug is at a 90-degree angle, preventing it from acting like a lever against delicate headphone jacks, an essential feature when carrying a wired media player in your jacket or pants pocket.
Overall, the Marley Positive Vibration 2 headphones are a decent set of cans at the sale price of $39 CAD but are somewhat lacking a bit at the retail price of $69 CAD.
I’m now waiting for a set of 1984-designed Koss Porta Pro headphones to arrive. Once I’ve had a chance to properly evaluate them with the recommended Yaxi earpads, I’ll make a final decision as to which recently purchased headphones I should keep and which headphones I should send back for a refund.
This review of the Marley Positive Vibration 2 closed-ended on-ear wired headphones with microphone is being posted at House of Marley Canada, Amazon, Reddit, and The Home Theatre Forum.
Test set-up:
- HiFi Walker H2 non-touch media player loaded with high quality MP3 and FLAC music files,
- Grado Prestige SR225 (current headphones purchased a few decades ago).
I purchased the Marley headphones with free shipping for $69 CAD plus sales tax on the morning of Wednesday, November 8, 2023 directly from the Canadian House of Marley Web site. The order was shipped out the same day and received two days later on Friday, November 10, 2023.
When checking their Web site that same Friday for a better instruction manual, I discovered the same headphones were now on sale for $39 CAD along with many other items. If I knew ahead of time there would be a sale, I would likely have bought the $79 CAD Bluetooth speakers to get the free shipping. Maybe after reading this review, Marley might make a special deal for me before I decide if I should return these headphones.
Putting that pricing annoyance aside for now, I still needed a decent set of headphones for my commute to work. My Grado SR225 headphones weren’t suitable for the job because they have a huge headphone plug sleeve that would have broken the headphone jack on my media player, and I can’t securely wear my Marley Smile Jamaica earbuds anymore because of the excess growth of hair inside my ear canals even with constant shaving. Given enough time to grow, my ear hair would have made me look like Grand Nagus Zeck!
The sound quality of the Positive Vibration 2 is best described as “satisfactory for the commute.” The closed-ear design keeps most ambient noise out, and the cans produce decent sound once you’ve adjusted the equalizer on your media player to boost the higher frequencies and reduce the muddiness of the drivers. The midrange sounds normal and low frequencies are very punchy without sounding distorted.
Along with the muddy highs, comparing these cans against my Grado cans with no equalization on the media player revealed that the Marleys also lack some fine detail. This isn’t a problem while riding noisy public transportation vehicles, but it’s definitely noticeable during serious listening sessions in a controlled environment. These headphones seem to be made primarily for use in public spaces.
The fit is good, but comfort is lacking for now, possibly because I’ve only been wearing these headphones for a week. The headband’s tight on the head, the plastic shells are sensitive to wind, and the ear cushions are still a bit stiff. My ears start to hurt after only half an hour. This isn’t as bad as it sounds because I’ve yet to find any headphones that didn’t hurt my ears after only an hour. That includes my Grado headphones even when using both styles of earpads.
The included braided headphone wire is solid, compact, and detachable at both ends, making it very easy to store the headphones without a tangle of wires. The player-end of the plug is at a 90-degree angle, preventing it from acting like a lever against delicate headphone jacks, an essential feature when carrying a wired media player in your jacket or pants pocket.
Overall, the Marley Positive Vibration 2 headphones are a decent set of cans at the sale price of $39 CAD but are somewhat lacking a bit at the retail price of $69 CAD.
I’m now waiting for a set of 1984-designed Koss Porta Pro headphones to arrive. Once I’ve had a chance to properly evaluate them with the recommended Yaxi earpads, I’ll make a final decision as to which recently purchased headphones I should keep and which headphones I should send back for a refund.
