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House of Marley Roots Solar: Two-minute review
Competition is fierce among portable, beach-ready speakers. The best Bluetooth speakers offer all-day battery life, enjoyable audio and pool-proof durability, without draining your bank account. It’s in this crowded market that the House of Marley Roots Solar tries to stand out, as a beach-ready speaker with neat features and a unique sustainable design.
Physically, it achieves that goal. Fronted by a facade of renewable bamboo, the Roots Solar looks and feels distinctive. The fabric grille is nicely tactile, while the rubberized body – made from recycled plastics – is robust. There’s a reassuring weight to the whole package, which gives the impression that it’s solid enough to survive several summers.
Clever touches suggest that House of Marley’s design team has put a lot of thought into this speaker. The buttons are simple, well-sized and accessible. Little feet underneath cushion against vibrations. The carry strap is a handy addition. And then there’s the built-in bottle opener on the back: a party trick that bolsters its cookout credentials.
Unfortunately, other features are less impressive. At 14 hours, battery life does stack up well against rival speakers, lasting a full day on one charge. But the solar panel from which the Roots Solar gets its name is ineffective. House of Marley claims that it’s good for up to five hours of extra playing time. In my experience, even after several hours in direct sunlight, it did little or nothing to recharge the speaker. The strip is essentially decorative.
That’s a shame, because the promise of solar-powered listens is a key selling point, and one that ties in with House of Marley’s sustainable ethos. I had to charge the Roots Solar via USB-C like any other speaker, which somehow felt more galling than if the solar panel wasn’t there in the first place. Worse still, it means eco claims can’t save the Roots Solar from its biggest failing: sub-par audio.
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Given the weight of its build and the bass radiator on the rear, you’d expect the Roots Solar to give a bold performance – especially as it’s marketed for outdoor use. Yet, in practice, the sound lacks richness, depth and dynamism. It doesn’t come close to the low-end punch of something like the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4, with a sonic signature that feels thin in comparison.
It can’t boast particularly good balance or clarity, either. The mids are easily muddied on layered tracks and I encountered some significant distortion when listening at higher volumes. Only when playing indoors at a medium level can the Roots Solar come close to a making a good account of itself, and only then with songs that aren’t too complex.
I really wanted the Roots Solar to be a good speaker. I like its design and I salute House of Marley for trying to do things differently, making audio kit that’s environmentally conscious. I’m all for nifty features like bottle openers and I’d love a speaker that can boost itself from the sun.
But with solar charging out of the equation, the House of Marley Roots Solar lets itself down where it matters. You can get a sturdy speaker with similar features and significantly better audio quality for the same money or less. And use the change to buy yourself a bottle opener.
House of Marley Roots Solar review: Price and release date
- Released in September 2024
- Official price: $99.99 / £79.99 / AU$149.95
House of Marley added the Roots Solar to its speaker line-up in September 2024. At launch, it was priced at $119.99 / £99.99 / AU$149.95. That put it at a slight premium compared to other portable Bluetooth speakers with similar specs.
Since then, its official price has been reduced in both the US and the UK, to $99.99 and £79.99 respectively. With that discount, the Roots Solar sits more competitively alongside some of the best Bluetooth speakers, including the splendid JBL Flip 7. OK, the JBL speaker is admittedly a little pricier, but worth it. As you’ll read below, the numbers only tell part of the story.
House of Marley Roots Solar review: Specs
|
Weight |
685g |
|
Dimensions |
38.1 x 165.1 x 82.6mm |
|
Connectivity |
Bluetooth (version not stated) |
|
Ports |
USB-C, aux-in |
|
Battery |
14 hours, plus up to 5 hours from the solar panel |
|
Water resistance |
IP67 |
House of Marley Roots Solar review: Design
- Made with bamboo and recycled materials
- IP67 water-resistant
- Built-in bottle opener
Sustainability has always been at the heart of House of Marley’s ethos. That comes through in spades with the Roots Solar. Available in black and cream color schemes, both versions feature a facade hewn from renewable bamboo. This wood grain veneer gives the speaker a uniquely natural look and feel among portable Bluetooth speakers.
The whole package is both consciously constructed and satisfyingly tactile. Up front, there’s a fabric grille that’s woven from recycled materials. The body itself is made from House of Marley’s own REGRIND silicone, a composite that’s a solid step up from virgin plastic. This material’s speckled finish feels smooth yet suitably robust, standing out from the cheaper plastics used in some budget speakers.
There are flourishes around the entire speaker which illustrate the thought that’s gone into its design. There’s the solar panel neatly integrated into the top of the unit and the fabric carry strap attached to one end by knurled metal screws. Rubber feet beneath help to insulate the standing surface against vibrations, while a light ring around the grille subtly illuminates when the speaker is powered on or charging.
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Three buttons live on the left side of the rubberized body, controlling power, volume and brightness. It might seem like a minor detail, but these are perfectly weighted with a responsive click. At the back, you’ll find a port cover neatly shielding the aux-in and USB-C ports, along with a bass radiator that’s seamlessly fused in place.
Then there’s the Roots Solar’s party trick: a built-in bottle opener. This consists of a sculpted indent and a metal bar. It certainly does the job of popping tops, although I can’t say how well it would hold up with repeated use. The novelty of opening bottles with a Bluetooth speaker is probably also one that would wear off after a few goes, but it doesn’t hurt to have it as a backup.
It’s all quite smart and tidy. It’s weighty too, in a good way. There’s a reassuring heft to the Roots Solar, which suggests that it’s robust enough to survive a run of seasons by the sea. That’s backed up by an IP67 water-resistance rating. In terms of its physical build, no corners have been cut in the design or assembly departments.
House of Marley Roots Solar review: Features
- Battery rated for 14 hours of playback
- Built-in solar panel for ‘gradual top-ups’
- Stereo and Party Mode pairing
On paper, the Roots Solar has a killer feature compared to its rivals: solar charging. House of Marley claims the built-in solar strip can deliver ‘gradual top-ups’ for up to 5 hours of extra listening time. That’s in addition to a solid 14 hours of battery life when recharged using USB-C.
The reality is different. The standard battery life certainly holds up, easily lasting a full day on a single charge. At 14 hours, that gives the Roots Solar the longevity go toe-to-toe with the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4 and go just shy of the Flip 7’s 16-hour stamina – and those are two of our favorite Bluetooth speakers.
What it can’t do is eke things out any further. In testing, even when left in bright, direct sunlight for several hours, the House of Marley Roots Solar showed zero or minimal gains from the solar panel. The LED light, which pulses when the speaker is charging, only glowed when connected to mains power. It never once illuminated from exposure to sunlight.
As a result, I didn’t experience any of the top-ups promised by House of Marley. I had visions of the Roots Solar as a speaker that I could leave by the window for passive charging to boost its battery on brighter days. Or at least as one which would last longer away from the wall on beach and camping trips, which is how it’s been marketed.
Instead, I had to charge the Roots Solar using the USB-C cable just like any other Bluetooth speaker. Somehow, the presence of a non-functioning solar panel is somehow more frustrating than if it wasn’t there at all. It doesn’t add to the user experience or substantively enhance the speaker’s eco-friendly chops. The strip is basically redundant.
Without it, the Roots Solar has to rely on other features to compete with other Bluetooth speakers. In that arena, it does offer stereo and party pairing, allowing you to link up with one or more matching speakers for synchronized playback. It also benefits from an aux-in port, something of a rarity in 2025.
I will mention one other small but irksome trait: the Roots Solar is very quick to power off if nothing is playing. Pause your playlist for any reason and you’ll routinely find that, when you come back to the speaker, you’ll need to power it on again to continue listening.
House of Marley Roots Solar review: Sound quality
- Lacks low-end punch, especially outdoors
- Mids sound muddy on layered tracks
- Distortion at higher volumes
Given its solid construction and the presence of a bass radiator on the back, you’d be forgiven for expecting the Roots Solar to give a bold performance. While the radiator does its best, though, the speaker simply lacks oomph. Even indoors, playback feels thin and bland. Take it outdoors, as its waterproofing suggests you should, and this lack of low-end energy really becomes apparent.
Not every speaker needs to be bass-heavy, of course. But the Roots Solar can’t boast balance or clarity as a saving grace, either. The mids feel crowded even on stripped-back acoustic tracks. Challenge the Roots Solar with a busy composition and things quickly get muddy, with little room for the layers to breath.
Crank up the volume and the audio goes from mediocre to unpleasant. Treble distortion quickly becomes apparent, while the bass radiator’s fruitless attempts to give some weight to the lower frequencies only end up clouding the mid-range even more.
If it sounds like I’m describing a complete cacophony, perhaps I’m being unfair. Playing at a medium volume in a small room, the Roots Solar does a passable job. To the untrained ear, it’s fine for streaming digital radio in the kitchen or bathroom. But the inescapable truth is that you can get a much better listen from other speakers for the same price or less.
This isn’t a speaker that I’d choose to soundtrack a beach party. No portable Bluetooth number is going to satisfy an audiophile, especially not outdoors. But both the Wonderboom 4 and the Flip 7 offer better balance, depth and dynamism for the money. The Roots Solar simply can’t compete.
House of Marley Roots Solar review: Value
On paper, the House of Marley Roots Solar has a unique value proposition. It promises a sustainable construction and a robust, premium build, with the benefit of solar charging to keep summer singalongs going for longer. The built-in bottle opener is just the sweetener.
Because it fails to deliver on several of those promises, the Roots Solar is a hard speaker to recommend. Its eco-friendly approach is one to be applauded, and there’s an argument for supporting House of Marley’s efforts to use renewable materials. But those alone can’t justify the price tag.
When you consider the ineffective solar panel and the sub-par audio quality, the Roots Solar feels like an underwhelming speaker in premium packaging. Perhaps that’s why House of Marley has reduced the price of the Roots Solar in the UK and the US, in quiet recognition of its limitations.
Even at its new, reduced price, the Roots Solar sits in direct competition with the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4 and the JBL Flip 7. Those speakers both offer punchier, richer sound output for the roughly the same money, as well as IP67 water resistance and day-long battery life.
If you’re committed to buying greener gear, the House of Marley Roots Solar is still a contender. But sound is also important and if it’s decent audio indoors and out you seek, there’s better value to be found elsewhere.
Should I buy the House of Marley Roots Solar?
|
Attributes |
Notes |
Rating |
|---|---|---|
|
Design |
Solid waterproof build with distinctive sustainable materials |
4.5/5 |
|
Features |
14-hour battery life but solar charging is too slow to be useful |
3.5/5 |
|
Sound quality |
Muddy mids, limited bass and distortion at higher volumes |
3/5 |
|
Value |
Other speakers offer better sound for the same price or less |
3.5/5 |
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
House of Marley Roots Solar review: also consider
How I tested the House of Marley Roots Solar
- Used it as my main Bluetooth speaker for a month
- Tested it in a number of rooms, as well as outdoors
- Played a variety of genres via Spotify and BBC Sounds
To put the House of Marley Roots Solar through its paces, I used it as my primary Bluetooth speaker for several weeks. I listened to it in a number of rooms around the house, to see how well it performed in spaces of different sizes. I also tested it at different volumes, to see how the dynamics held up at a range of output levels. When the neighbours were out, I cranked it right up.
I also tested it with a range of genres: podcasts while I painted the bathroom; pop hits on BBC sounds while cooking dinner; and the old faithful on a Friday night – Spotify’s Dinner with Friends playlist.
Because the House of Marley Roots Solar is pitched as a beach-ready speaker, I also made sure to test it outdoors. Besides using its built-in bottle opener for its intended purpose, I also tossed the speaker around in my backpack to give its rugged credentials a gentle test.
To see how effectively the solar panel could boost battery life, I used the Roots Solar in both sunny and overcast conditions. And to assess how well its sound carried alfresco, I used it to soundtrack several outdoor afternoons.
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christian.rowlands@me.com (Chris Rowlands)
