106 MACWORLD SEPTEMBER 2020
which tip I wore. In other words, these are
not earbuds for folks who like to use ANC
buds while working in silence without
musical accompaniment.
The “ambient” mode (which allows you
to hear your surroundings as if you weren’t
wearing buds) is a little more impressive,
but the inferior quality of the microphone
never lets you forget that you’re hearing
your environs through a piece of
hardware. After discovering this, I wasn’t
too surprised when I called family and
friends with the Redemption buds and was
told the call quality was merely “okay.”
I’m happy to report that the sound
quality of the music I played went a long
way toward redeeming the Redemption
ANC buds. It’s surprisingly impressive
considering the disappointments
of the ANC, especially if you’re a
fan of tracks with heavier bass.
Thumpin’ tracks like Billie Eilish’s
“Bad Guy” or Of Montreal’s
“Gronlandic Edit” resounded
deeply through my head without
smothering the songs’ middle
and high ranges. On tracks with
softer low ranges like The Rolling
Stones’ “Sweet Virginia,” I was
pleased to find the Redemption
ANC buds hit the right degree of
weightiness.
It’s enough to make me think
House of Marley designed these
buds with the assumption that you’re
almost always going to be playing music
when they’re in your ears. In those
circumstances, the music is going to be
doing most of the work of the “noise
canceling,” and the weak ANC on the buds
does pull some of the remaining slack. But
only some. When the music stops, as it
does for a second after the opening riff of
ZZ Top’s “Just Got Paid,” I can still hear my
desk fan chugging along. That’s not
pleasant.BOTTOM LINE
At $200, the Redemption ANC may seem
steep, but for context, Apple sells its ANC-
free second-generation AirPods at the same
price. But even with the significant
advantage of the ANC and sound
quality, the Redemption buds are
tough to recommend. For one,
that active noise cancellation isn’t
all that good, and the fussy
controls and bulky size of both
the case and the buds are already
leading me to reach for other
buds when I leave my apartment.
Of course, if you’re particularly
impressed with House of Marley’s
environmentally conscious
manufacturing efforts, these
earbuds’ shortcomings certainly
aren’t so great to dissuade you
from considering them. ■mmmh
House of Marley
Redemption ANC
true wireless earbuds
PROS- Good sound, particularly for
bass-heavy tracks. - Made from recycled and
sustainable materials. - Eye-catching design.
CONS - Mediocre active noise
cancellation. - Finicky controls.
- Bulky case and buds.
PRICE
$109
COMPANY
House of Marley
PLAYLIST REVIEW: HOUSE OF MARLEY REDEMPTION ANC EARBUDS