TechAudioHouse of Marley Get Together 2 XL review: supersized soundThe House of Marley Get Together 2 XL is a very loud portable speaker with a few handy featuresWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.(Image credit: Future)T3 VerdictThe House of Marley Get Together 2 XL is a portable speaker with loads of power. It may not be the most precise but it certainly is loud. Plus you get some EQ presets to choose from, and speakerphone functionality as well.Reasons to buy+3 preset EQ modes+20-hour battery life+Very loud soundReasons to avoid-Tinny at higher levels-Huge deviceWhy you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
TechAudioHouse of Marley Get Together 2 XL review: supersized soundThe House of Marley Get Together 2 XL is a very loud portable speaker with a few handy featuresWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.(Image credit: Future)T3 VerdictThe House of Marley Get Together 2 XL is a portable speaker with loads of power. It may not be the most precise but it certainly is loud. Plus you get some EQ presets to choose from, and speakerphone functionality as well.Reasons to buy+3 preset EQ modes+20-hour battery life+Very loud soundReasons to avoid-Tinny at higher levels-Huge deviceWhy you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
The House of Marley Get Together 2 XL is a very loud portable speaker with a few handy features
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Future)T3 VerdictThe House of Marley Get Together 2 XL is a portable speaker with loads of power. It may not be the most precise but it certainly is loud. Plus you get some EQ presets to choose from, and speakerphone functionality as well.Reasons to buy+3 preset EQ modes+20-hour battery life+Very loud soundReasons to avoid-Tinny at higher levels-Huge device
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
T3 VerdictThe House of Marley Get Together 2 XL is a portable speaker with loads of power. It may not be the most precise but it certainly is loud. Plus you get some EQ presets to choose from, and speakerphone functionality as well.Reasons to buy+3 preset EQ modes+20-hour battery life+Very loud soundReasons to avoid-Tinny at higher levels-Huge device
T3 VerdictThe House of Marley Get Together 2 XL is a portable speaker with loads of power. It may not be the most precise but it certainly is loud. Plus you get some EQ presets to choose from, and speakerphone functionality as well.
T3 Verdict
The House of Marley Get Together 2 XL is a portable speaker with loads of power. It may not be the most precise but it certainly is loud. Plus you get some EQ presets to choose from, and speakerphone functionality as well.
Reasons to buy+3 preset EQ modes+20-hour battery life+Very loud soundReasons to avoid-Tinny at higher levels-Huge device
Reasons to buy+3 preset EQ modes+20-hour battery life+Very loud sound
3 preset EQ modes
20-hour battery life
Very loud sound
Reasons to avoid-Tinny at higher levels-Huge device
Tinny at higher levels
Huge device
Why you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
Why you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
House of Marley Get Together 2 XL deals
No price informationCheck Amazon
No price informationCheck Amazon
No price informationCheck Amazon
No price informationCheck Amazon
No price information
No price information
We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
If you want a powerful portable speaker then this House of Marley Get Together 2 XL review is a good place to start. This isn’t something you’ll be taking out and about with you all that often but it’ll be perfect for using around your house and garden. For more options, check out thebest Bluetooth speakers.
What sets House of Marley apart from other audio brands is that all of their speakers, headphones and turntables are made from more sustainable materials than elsewhere like bamboo, upcycled plastic and reclaimed hemp to name a few.
Not too long ago, I tested out theHouse of Marley Get Together 2, which belongs to the same series as this but it’s just a lot smaller and cheaper. This XL version is more about delivering a booming sound for listening in bigger groups.
House of Marley Get Together 2 XL review: price and what’s new
You can buy the House of Marley Get Together 2 XL direct from their website for £350 in the UK and $320 in the US at the time of writing.
The XL model is new for the second generation of the House of Marley Get Together speakers, and simply put, it’s just a bigger version of the House of Marley Get Together 2 with 60W of power instead of 40W.
House of Marley Get Together 2 XL review: design and setup
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
The House of Marley Get Together 2 XL might be a portable speaker but it’s so big, I can’t see anyone taking it much further than the garden. It measures 44.9 x 17.9 x 18cm which makes it a lot bigger than a lot of home or multiroom speakers even.
Like its smaller sibling, the House of Marley Get Together 2 XL is made from more sustainable materials such as natural bamboo and upcycled fabric from plastic bottles. That in itself is likely to be quite a substantial draw to this speaker.
The bamboo is plastered over the front, and the fabrics wrap around the device’s body. It does look cool and it will fit with most interiors, particularly if you’re someone with a more bohemian style at home.
To control the speaker and your music, there are a few buttons on the top left-hand side like the multifunction button which lets you pause the music, accept or make calls and summon your smartphone’s voice assistant. Not only can you answer or reject a call using the MFB button, but you can actually switch between multiple calls as well putting the other on hold as you do so.
The buttons and the knob in particular feel a little flimsy, something you wouldn’t really expect at this sort of price. But the speaker itself seems durable and it’s IP65 water and dust-resistant so it should survive the elements somewhat.
To hook up your devices to the speaker wirelessly, you just need to press and hold the volume knob down until the light starts blinking. Then go to your Bluetooth settings to find and connect to it.
Behind a flap on the back, there’s a USB-C port to charge the speaker and a USB Type-A port to charge your devices, you’ll also find a 3.5mm audio port to connect to your tech that doesn’t have Bluetooth. On either end, there are points where you could attach a strap as well, although you don’t get one included in the box.
In terms of battery life, the House of Marley Get Together 2 XL will last about 20 hours of music at a time. That’ll be more than enough for an evening hosting your friends and family.
House of Marley Get Together 2 XL review: performance and features
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
If for some reason, you wanted to make it even louder then you can pair multiple devices from this series together although you won’t be able to pair it with the older generations. You can connect two of them in stereo mode, or more in multi-pair mode. To do so, it’s just a case of holding down all three buttons at the same time.
For the most part, I stuck to the Signature Sound mode because I didn’t think the speaker needed any more in the way of bass, unless you’re hosting a party then it’ll come in handy. I did really like the Acoustic mode because it made vocals clearer, something that’ll be particularly useful when you’re listening to slower tracks, podcasts or the radio.
The House of Marley Get Together 2 XL doubles up as a speakerphone as well, thanks to a built-in microphone. When I tested it out I was quite impressed at the call quality, my voice sounded clear as day to the person on the other end and vice versa.
House of Marley Get Together 2 XL review: verdict
(Image credit: House of Marley)
(Image credit: House of Marley)
A portable speaker with tonnes of power, the House of Marley Get Together 2 XL is a great choice for those who want to host parties but are looking for something made of more sustainable materials than the usual audio crowd.
I do think it’s a shame there’s no adjoining smartphone app, yet having so much control from the speaker itself is a definite plus point. It’s also great that you can use it as a speakerphone, something you don’t see too often.
The sheer size of the House of Marley Get Together 2 XL means you won’t be able to use it much outside of the house, but that’s what allows it to go so loud in the first place. You also can’t expect it to match up to similarly pricedBoseorSonosspeakers in terms of clarity of the sound - it’s not really meant to though, this is a party boombox more than a precise speaker for podcasts and ballads.
House of Marley Get Together 2 XL review: also consider
For partying outside, you’ll be better off buying theSony SRS-XG300, purely because it has a handle to go along with its big sound. That’ll make it so much easier to carry with you. What’s more, is that it has fun lights on either end that dance along to the music. You get slightly more battery life here than with the House of Marley Get Together 2 XL as well.
TheBose Portable Smart Speakeris a more compact choice but still has a surprisingly powerful sound and you get Wi-Fi connectivity as well as Bluetooth. Plus there’s the added bonus of havingAlexaorGoogleAssistant built-in which gives you hands-free control.
House of Marley Get Together 2 XL: Price Comparison
No price informationCheck Amazon
No price informationCheck Amazon
No price informationCheck Amazon
No price informationCheck Amazon
No price information
No price information
We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
Sign up to the T3 newsletter for smarter living straight to your inbox
Get all the latest news, reviews, deals and buying guides on gorgeous tech, home and active products from the T3 experts
This case turns your iPhone or Android phone into an e-reader, but there’s a catchActually, there are a couple…
Actually, there are a couple…
Traeger’s new Woodridge pellet barbecues have got me excited for grilling seasonTraeger debuts three new wood pellet grills
Traeger debuts three new wood pellet grills
How to watch the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct and what to expectWe should get a deep dive and more details on the Switch 2 in April
We should get a deep dive and more details on the Switch 2 in April
