[Review] JBL Pulse 2 speaker – The portable light show

Performance & Battery Life
Getting it up and running was a doddle and it was able to pair with devices in seconds. Once paired, the Pulse 2 got down to business and started dishing out tunes and a light show on demand while also acting as a speakerphone to take calls when needed. While logic would imply that it would work best placed flat so that both passive radiators have room to work, the Pulse 2 actually performs best in a vertical position and it does so in an able fashion with minimal loss of audio quality.

On Bear McCreary’s taiko-drum and bass heavy “Prelude to War” , the Pulse 2 dished out some pretty robust bass for its size with decent separation between the various elements of the orchestral mix. Oasis’ “Don’t Turn Your Back in Anger” was handled in a suitably competent fashion with relatively tight vocals while Joanna Wang’s solo rendition of “Vincent” unfortunately seemed rather underwhelming with her subtle guitar strumming solo sounding muted when accompanying her robust vocals. Maxing out the volume on tracks allowed it to kick out enough sound to terrify the neighbours. If you happen to have another Pulse 2, you can pair it up for even louder audio and a stereo effect though we were unable to perform this in our test lab as we lacked a second unit.

Incidentally, it made for a decent speaker for gaming on account of its emphasis on bass though that isn’t what it was originally intended to do. It handled Modern Combat 5 quite well, with a distinct aural difference between the various small arms weapons in the game. Freeblade’s audio was equally good with every footfall from the multiton war machine audible along with the staccato report from the Knight’s autocannon.

The light show that the Pulse 2 can churn out is an entrancing affair, for the first few hours at least. You’re able to tweak the effects and manipulate some of the preset light shows via the JBL Connect app and future updates are slated to add additional effects to the Pulse 2. As it stands, several effects made for pleasant viewing, especially at dusk. The Fire effect simulates a fireplace and after downloading the audio app extension that gives off the sound of crackling flames,  it’s a reasonable facsimile the experience sans the risk to house and home.

Battery life, even with the light show on while playing music was surprisingly good with actual battery life consistently matching the stated ten hour duration with middling charging times averaging four to five hours for a full charge from zero. There’s no fast charging so you’ll have to plan your charge times ahead of heavy use.

Conclusion
On it’s own merits, the Pulse 2 is a solid standalone speaker for general listening though the emphasis on bass means that subtler tracks don’t fare as well  though that isn’t what it was designed for. This is the speaker you go to when you need hit a party song or something that will get people dancing, less so for melancholic flute solos or something along those lines.

The Pulse 2’s robust design and splash proofing means it will be a real splash, literally, at parties and outdoor events, more so on account of its built-in LED light show. The LED array is an interesting novelty, though one that you will likely dispense with after you’ve exhausted all it’s available play options after a few weeks. As it stands, it’s well worth a look if you’re after a wireless speaker with decent audio performance, good battery life and a novel light show to boot.

What We Liked Splashproof, entrancing light show, good performance, ability to pair up with another Pulse 2 for a stereo effect
What We Didn’t Rather heavy, takes awhile to charge, doesn’t come with a bag, gimmicky light sensor
What We Say It’s a bit on the pricey side but this portable speaker delivers plenty of aural punch with good battery life and a funky light show in the bargain too.

Specifications
Transducers 2x 45mm
Power output 2 x 8W
Frequency response 85Hz – 20 kHz
Connectivity 3.5mm audio jack, Bluetooth 4.1
Battery 6,000mAh (10 hours playback, quoted)
Size/Weight 84.2 x 194.4 x 84.2 / 775g
Price RM1,199
*Review unit courtesy of JBL

https://youtu.be/xlpOqW0BnH0