Specs / Features
| Wireless | |
|---|---|
| Wireless Inputs | Bluetooth |
| Warranty (Months) | - |
| Size | 17 x 17 cm (6.7 x 6.7 in) |
| Weight | N/A |
| Suggest a correction |
What's good
- Built-in LED light show with five default presets
- Produces loud sound with modest bass reach
- Lightweight and highly portable
What's bad
- Battery life gets cut in half when lights are on
- Small size limits the level and quality of sound it can produce
- A bit expensive considering it barely improves on the last model
The JBL Pulse would be just another beercan-shaped wireless speaker save for one thing; it has an integrated light show which you can easily switch on or off, and this alone sets it apart from everything else in the crowded Bluetooth speaker market. Sure, there are many who think that the lights are a useless gimmick, however, it definitely adds to the cool factor.
Luckily, the JBL Pulse doesn’t appear to rely on looks or gimmicky features alone. Darryl Johnson from TechRadar says in his review that it’s “a high quality speaker that delivers great sound with the ease of being completely wireless.” It is said to provide comparable if not superior sound quality when compared with other Bluetooth speakers in its price range, and with its visual extras it easily rises up above the rest.
Will Greenwald from PC Magazine praised the JBL Pulse for its volume, and also referred to it as “the ultimate small-sized party speaker” because of its built-in light show. It loses points based on sound clarity, though, and its overall sound quality is rated as only decent by mostly all experts including David Carnoy from Cnet. Even David however didn’t fail to mention that the light show is the X factor, and that even if it’s only a gimmick, it’s definitely a good one--even considering that it cuts the battery life in half.
If you are considering the JBL Pulse, the question that needs to be asked is, “are the LED lights worth it?” Jeremy Horwitz from iLounge tries to answer this by saying: “when the unit is really analyzed in functionality, that’s the only real advantage it offers over last year’s stellar model.” So sure, it performs well and looks great, but at the end of the day it should be seen as competing with dozens of near-identical models from other makers of Bluetooth speakers.
You ultimate now just have to decide whether it’s better to save some money to get similar performance from a different unit, or spend a bit extra to cover the visual bonuses that turn the JBL Pulse into more than just another speaker.
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Resources
Review Sources and Citations
TechRadar, PC Magazine, Cnet, iLounge, 9to5Mac, Tom's Guide, Gadgetmac
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