I want to thank The House of Marley for allowing me to review their headphones. For those who aren't aware of The House of Marley go check out their website! They are partners with the 1LOVE movement to spread peace.
Pros: Eco-Friendly, iPod Remote, Wood, Bass lovers IEM
Cons: Pushy bass, recessed miss, rolled off highs, cable quality
Packaging
Typical packaging for a budget IEM. Cardboard housing with a plastic window. The front has the Marley logo with a picture of the People Get Ready buds. The flap on the front lifts up to show the headphones and is held shut with an hidden magnet on both sides. On one side there's information about the 1love foundation, on the other side a quick blurb about the headphones. On the back there's product information such as the eco-friendly materials used and so forth.
The package oddly opens from the side, rather the top. Everything was nicely packed and held together without worries. Inside was the People Get Up IEMs, a cloth carrying case, warranty and product information and a few spare sets of single silicon tips.
Overall the packaging will grab some people's attentions. I think it's a bit too busy, then again I like minimalistic stuff. There's nothing special about it though, it's average for the price.
Design and Build Quality
Fashion oriented is the first thing that comes to mind, secondly is eco-friendly. The IEMs are oddly shaped and made primarily of FSC certified wood with some recyclable aluminum and a recycled plastic strain relief. The cable is made of fabric with little yellow, green and red spots throughout the black cloth. The IEMs themselves are light and feel decently durable, the tips are typical silicon, nothing special here. The stress relief worries me the most, it's very short and causes me to think there will be problems down the road. Each stress relief has a R or L marking though.
The cable is made of cloth and the version I have includes an iPod remote. The box says the cable is tangle free, but I've had some tangle issues with it more so than other headphones I've used. The remote is made of plastic and doesn't feel too durable, but it does work with my iPod Classic well. The remote is actually the y split as well and it is a bit too high up for my liking, at least when worn over ear. This is due to the remote also having a mic so it's understandable why it's up high. The cable terminates into a rubber L-shaped plug with Marley written on it. Again the stress relief is less than I'd like and causes me to worry about durability.
Overall the People Get Ready are decently built. I have issues with the stress relief and the cable definitely tangles up. They're decently built though, average for the price.
Sound Quality
As always I burned these in for a minimum of 50 hours before making judgements on the sound.
Bassy, grainy and congested. These IEMs focus on bass as it says on the website so let's talk about the bass first. The bass is very forward, boomy and extends rather well. It's a tad bloated, but it's actually not bad. If the bass were toned down a little and refined these IEMs would actually be pretty darn good. Bassheads should like these though, but those who aren't should stay away, the bass simply spills over too much into the mids and even takes focus away from the highs. The mids are rather grainy and congested, but they're not terrible. The bass simply overpowers the mids too much though for them to stand out. Even on acoustic track the bass notes are simply too forward for the mids stand out. The highs are rolled off but they're decent when they are heard. Unfortunately the bass is just too prominent for the other frequencies to shine.
These IEMs are rather congested as well, the sound stage is small and the instruments sound bunched together. The sound is actually reminiscent of a 5 piece band on a small stage with the bassist having his amp louder than anything else. Detail is also lacking a lot as well, these are rather grainy. Minor details on songs aren't easily heard, for instance, if heard at all.
Let's do the song test:
Mumford and Sons - Little Lion Man
A nice pop/rock song with a good sound. The acoustic guitar sounds nice and clear, the highs a bit faded, but it sounds decent. The kick drum and bass come in though with the banjo and things change. The bass hits like thunder and the bass is fuzzy. The banjo is heard easily though. The vocals come in and they actually sound decent, a bit distant but decent. Once the intro chorus finishes though and the song picks up before the verse it is just hectic. The bass is far too strong for this song to be properly enjoyed to my ears.
Four Tet - She Just Likes to Fight
A nice ambient electronic track to test. The bass drum is kicking with nice authority, the guitar sounds fuzzy, but fits the tune. The various bells and percussion are heard, fuzzy and distant sounding though. Despite these IEMs setbacks though they actually sound decent with this song. The bass is a bit slow, but it has nice impact on it.
The Beatles - While My Guitar Gently Weeps
A classic Beatles song with excellent guitar work and mastering. The bass again is overpowering. On this track it's fuzzy and completely interfering with the guitar and vocals. The guitar is very fuzzy, the vocals are distant and the little guitar riffs throughout the song are barely noticeable. In-fact the only time I could really hear the lead guitar was during the solo, even then it sounds rather weak and rolled off. I do not like this song on these headphones.
Bob Marley & The Wailers - I Shot the Sheriff
Let's see how Marley's music holds up to headphones with his branding on it. His records were generally well mastered, these headphones definitely emphasize the bass. The vocals are distant and actually the backing vocals seem more forward than Bob's. The guitars aren't the focus on this song, but in these headphones they are definitely hard to hear. Even with the emphasized bass, Bob's music sounds decent on these, not the best I've heard, but not bad.
Duo Infernale - Lost In the World
I chose this track because it's fast paced with a lot of atmospheric elements and a bass heavy feel. The headphones actually keep up with the quick hi-hat hits and the atmospheric elements sound decent despite the kicking bass. Once the heavy bass line comes in it becomes the absolute focus though. It's simply rumbling my ears. Surprisingly though the atmospheric elements are still heard and the hi-hat is keeping up. The vocal sample is actually easily heard and sounds great.
Conclusion
The People Get Ready IEMs are nothing special. They're not breaking any ground here, nor are they going to make your eyes widen. They are bass oriented fashion headphones that don't sound offensive to the ears. They are decently built, please make the stress reliefs longer though. The sound isn't terrible, but fans of rock music or mid oriented music should stay away. These headphones are at their best with electronic music definitely.
The People Get Ready come in a multitude of great looking colors and are priced at $39.99 without the remote, $49.99 with the remote. I think they're a tad too expensive, they would be more appropriately priced at $20 and $30 in my opinion. The budget IEM market is tough and there are many fantastic options in the sub-$50 category, namely from SoundMAGIC and Meelectronics that I would choose over these. For fashion phones though these aren't bad and I recommend them for those who want a bass heavy headphone with fashion in mind.
Come check out more pictures of the People Get Ready here!
