Michal Ždanský Harman is one of the largest companies in the field of music hardware. Its wings include brands such as AKG, Lexicon, Harman Kardon and JBL. The latter is one of the famous brands in the field of music speakers and, in addition to professional speakers, also offers a range of portable wireless speakers.
The market for portable speakers has been quite saturated lately, and manufacturers try to come up with something new every now and then, whether it's an unconventional shape, compactness or some special function. At first glance, the JBL Pulse speaker is an ordinary speaker with an oval shape, but inside it hides an unusual function - a light show that can visually enrich listening to music.
Design and processing
At first glance, Pulse resembles a smaller thermos in its shape. With its dimensions of 79 x 182 mm, it is certainly not one of the most compact speakers on the market, and the weight of 510 grams will also be felt in a backpack when being carried. Due to its dimensions, Pulse is more of a small speaker for home than a portable speaker for traveling.
However, the dimensions are justified. The oval body hides two speakers with a power of 6 W and a battery with a capacity of 4000 mAh, which should keep the speaker running for up to ten hours. The main thing, however, is the 64 colored diodes hidden under the surface, which can create interesting lighting and are also used to indicate various states. But more on that later.
The entire illuminated part is protected by a metal grid, the rest of the surface is rubber. In the upper part, there are controls where, in addition to pairing via Bluetooth and volume, you also control lighting, both color and effects, as well as light intensity. In the lower part there is an NFC chip for quick pairing, but you can only use it with Android phones.
The upper and lower parts are then connected by a rubber band passing over the central oval part, where you will find a microUSB port for power, a 3,5mm jack audio input that allows you to connect any device with an audio cable, and five indicator LEDs showing the charge status. Of course, the package also includes a USB cable and a mains adapter. The rubber part is straight and can be used to place the speaker flat, however, it looks more impressive when placed vertically, especially with the light mode on.
Light show and iOS app
64 colored diodes (a total of 8 colors) can provide a quite interesting lighting effect. Pulse has a default visualization where colors seem to float over the entire surface. You can either choose one of the seven colors (the eighth white is for indication) or combine all the colors. In addition, you can choose one of seven levels of intensity and thus save the battery. When the lighting is switched on, the duration is reduced by up to half.
However, the lighting style is not limited to a single type, to activate others you will still need to download a free app from the App Store. It pairs with the Pulse via Bluetooth and can control all the functions of the speaker. In the front row, of course, it can change the lighting effects, of which there are currently nine. You can choose an equalizer effect, color waves or dancing light pulses.
In the light editor, you can then choose the speed of light effects, color and intensity, just like using the sensor buttons on the device. To top it off, you can create your own playlists in the app and let Pulse and your device be the musical centerpiece of your party. Surprisingly, the app is only available for iOS, Android users are out of luck for now.
Pulse also uses LEDs to indicate volume, charge status, or perhaps when updating lighting effects that need to be synchronized with the app.
Sound
Although the lighting effects are an interesting addition to the device, the alpha and omega of every speaker is of course the sound. The JBL Pulse certainly doesn't play badly. It has very pleasant and natural middles, the highs are also very balanced, the bass is a little weaker, which obviously lacks the built-in bassflex, which we can also see in other speakers. Not that the bass frequencies are completely missing, they are definitely noticeable, but in music where the bass is prominent or dominates, for example in metal genres, the bass will be the least prominent of all sound spectrums.
Pulse is thus more suitable for listening to lighter genres than dance music, which is perhaps a bit of a shame considering the light show. In terms of volume, the Pulse has no problem sufficiently sounding even a larger room at around 70-80 percent volume. However, if you turn the volume up to maximum, expect more pronounced sound distortion, especially for bassier or metal music. However, this is a problem with most smaller speakers.
it is rather among the more luxurious speakers, i.e. in terms of the price/performance ratio. In the Czech Republic, you can buy it for less 5 200 $ (in Slovakia for 189 euros). For a premium price, you get an interesting speaker with imaginative lighting effects, but not necessarily "premium" sound. But if you are looking for an effective speaker that will make your party or night listening in the room special, this can be an interesting choice that will impress your guests.
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[one_half last="no"]
advantages:
[Checklist]
- Light effects
- Decent battery life
- Solid sound
[/checklist][/one_half]
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Disadvantages:
[bad list]
- Worse bass performance
- Larger dimensions
- Higher price
[/badlist][/one_half]
Photography: Ladislav Soukup & Monika Hrušková
We thank the store for lending the product Always.cz.
A real disco :)