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House of Marley’s corked-back No Bounds XL speaker is waterproof and even floats

Sure, you'll find plenty of waterproof Bluetooth speakers out there, but House of Marley's No Bounds XL takes a unique approach, with a cork-backed design that helps the speaker float if you happen to drop it in the pool.

Chances are fairly good that if you’ve spent any amount of time shopping for Bluetooth speakers, you’ve found that a lot of them are at least some form of waterproof. Not all waterproof speakers are equal: Some will survive splashes, some will survive being submerged in water for a period of time, and some will even float. In the case of House of Marley’s No Bounds XL, the latter is the case, but the company approaches it in a unique way.

House of Marley made a name for itself not just because of its association with the family of the legendary Bob Marley, but also due to its focus on sustainability. The company is known for Bluetooth speakers, headphones, and earbuds, but unlike other companies, it also happens to be the first FSC-certified consumer electronics brand within the United States due to its sustainability efforts and the materials used. In the case of the No Bounds XL, this includes materials like cork, which gives the speaker its ability to float.

This isn’t the first speaker from House of Marley to boast this ability. The original No Bounds, first unveiled earlier this year at CES, also made use of cork. As the name implies, the No Bounds XL is larger, which makes not just for bigger sound, but improved battery life. The speaker’s internal battery provides up to 16 hours of playback on a single charge, and the full-size USB port lets you use the speaker to charge your other devices.

Along with cork, the speaker uses House of Marley’s Regrind silicone, recycled aluminum, and Rewind fabric, which is made of organic cotton, reclaimed hemp, and recycled plastics. When it comes to the cork, the material not only allows the speaker to float, but is naturally antimicrobial and impervious to water, which helps give the speaker its IP67 rating, which means its waterproof and dust-proof.

While you can use the speaker on its own, you can also pair two for stereo sound when you really want to get the party going. The No Bounds XL also features a built-in microphone for speakerphone functionality and Siri integration. On the move? The speaker even includes a carabiner to clip it on to other gear and take it with you wherever you go.

The House of Marley No Bounds XL sells for $150 and is available now. For more information, see the company’s website.

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Audio-Technica, a brand well known for making some of the best studio and professional headphones on the market, has just come out with the ATH-AWX7000, which the company itself claims to be its "finest headphones ever." The new flagship closed-back headphone has debuted at an eye-watering price of $3,799. It combines hand-finished Japanese woodwork with a newly developed 58mm driver.

The earcups are made from Kiso cypress, a prized wood historically used for Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. Each housing is finished by hand with traditional Echizen lacquer, which brings out the grain and is expected to darken over time. The frame and sliders are finished in a deep navy kachi-iro shade traditionally associated with samurai.

This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.

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