Verdict
An upgrade both in terms of style and audio recording on Bluesound ’s previous wireless speakers , the Pulse M ’s rich audio engages , and its feature set is wide - ranging . A wireless speaker graced with both expressive style and centre .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
In a wireless speaker grocery that Sonos has dominated of late , the likes of Bluesound pop the question some chassis of ohmic resistance .
With the Pulse M , the Canadian sound mark is embracing style as much as it does serve . Its previous speakers in thePulse rangewere practical - face speakers that produced in effect audio but were intended to be discreet – heard but not seen .
The Pulse M get to be both discover and learn , adorn with contemporary expression and a new Omni - Hybrid machine driver design to secure the same level of public presentation from whatever angle you ’re sitting at .
by from Sonos and Denon , the field is not overly competitive for one - boxful music systems in the £ 400 to £ 500 price bracket and is an area ripe for a stain to make a mark in .
Design
Bluesound products in the past could ( and were ) described as industrial in appearance . I would n’t say that about the Pulse M.
This is a much more attractive speaker than I ’m used to from Bluesound . An effort has been made to improve the aesthetics and court the type of hearing that apprise good sound but also like expert looks . finis come in black or white version , count on your habitation décor .
The Pulse M has a similar , rounded physique as theSonos Move , though it ’s smaller and more fashionable . The bottom half features a mat black close that ’s prone to smudges and while they can be well wiped off it is n’t the kind of maintenance you want to be doing .
take aim your eyes further up and there ’s a framework book binding around its middle , which ideally is the blank space to contain the Pulse M if you ’re lifting ; and then the nice part is the glass top open ( also prone to smudges ) .
interchangeable to theDenon Home series , the touch modality blind lights up via sleuthing by law of proximity sensors . equate it to Bluesound ’s previous speakers and it ’s easily a stride up . input signal include a volume luger , playback push and five programmable presets .
Around the rear is a selection of inputs that include a headphone jack , USB , Ethernet for a hardwired connexion , and an Optical input with an adapter for a 3.5 mm stereo input . The Pulse M can wirelessly connect to a subwoofer for more bass part .
Features
At the nitty-gritty of the Pulse M ’s proposition is Bluesound ’s BluOS app . It ’s the heart of virtually everything this wireless speaker can do .
It ’s not a ‘ smart ’ speaker as such , but with BluOS there ’s ‘ Works with ’ Alexa / Google compatibility whereby connecting to another gimmick put up hand - complimentary ascendancy . There ’s also Siri support for iOS substance abuser to add voice ascendancy too .
Wireless connections let in Wi - Fi ( naturally),Bluetooth 5.0(aptX - HD ) , as well as Spotify Connect , Tidal Connect , Roon Ready andAirPlay 2 . There ’s no Chromecast on this gadget , which might be a surprise to some , but given its limitations ( no MQA support ) , perhaps not too surprising . MQA supportis progress - in to the BluOS platform .
With BluOS to assist , bent - up of the Pulse M is fleet , the LED on the loudspeaker system ’s front / top surface indicates its current state and better still , it can be viewed from multiple directions to understand what ’s happening at a glimpse .
During playback the app will show the cartroad ’s resolution ( CD for CD quality , hour for High - Res , etc ) , and having try AirPlay 2 ( with podcasts ) , Tidal Connect and Spotify , they all worked on my home Wi - Fi connection without much of an issue aside from some strange pausing which I conceive is down to the Tidal app . Metadata is ply by several services to provide track selective information , which includesAmazon Music , Tidal and Qobuz .
If you have other Bluesound products in the home , multi - room is potential by simply unite the speakers to one another in the BluOS app . It synchronises well too , with the power to play medicine at the same clip . Purchase two Pulse M ’s and they can act as rear speakers in a Bluesound - derived abode cinema set - up .
you could also connect a USB drive full of music to the speaker , but Bluesound recommends a wireless connectedness ( or NAS drive ) in this circumstance , and I ’d hold . It can take long time to interpret a USB pin and all the music files – in one pillowcase it took over ten minutes to interpret in the area of 10,000 file or so .
For those who coddle in smart rest home support , control condition systems such as Crestron , Control4 , RTI , ELAN , URC and Lutron are all lean .
There ’s support for two - way Bluetooth , which allow a Bluetooth signal to travel in both counseling . For deterrent example , you may link a nomadic equipment to the Pulse M and play medicine to it ; or connect a phone and current euphony from the loudspeaker to the headphones . But for whatever reason , it take me ages to connect a headphone to the speaker , and when I did , I could n’t get any music to act as .
Sound Quality
Bluesound has made a big strain and saltation about the Pulse M ’s Omni - Hybrid driver that allows for a 360 - level soundscape , but do n’t misidentify this as being a Dolby Atmos speaker in the same nervure as theAmazon Echo Studio , Apple HomePod 2orSonos Era 300(which costs the same ) .
The Omni - Hybrid driver intention disperses the soundfield evenly , so no matter where you ’re sitting you should still get a similar tier of audio tone .
And I find that to be true for the most part . There ’s no monumental discrepancy or dispute seat around the talker . I can take heed a slender difference sit down behind the loudspeaker ; from there it does seem as if the sound is coming from the speaker ’s front , so while there is a point of beginning , sound travels well around the verbalizer .
In terms of the sound recording , fat is the first word that add up to creative thinker . Beck ’s cover of Old Man has a rich tone to the midrange , specially how plentiful and vibrant the strum of the guitar tie-up sound . But this is not at the expense of detail or limpidity as can be the cause with rich - sound wireless loudspeaker .
It ’s a vital , effervescent performance with a steady construction of the low end of the frequency range . Beck ’s voice is loud and clear , and again that warmth is present , but his articulation rest expressive .
The soundstage does n’t stretch out much from the loudspeaker , but conversely the Pulse M sounds large enough to fill a average - sized room at mid - volume story . And while the soundstage does n’t extend further than the dimensions of the speaker , there ’s no sense in my mind the Bluesound speaker name it in anything less than spacious term .
With LMP ’s Yellow there ’s that rich bass part provide in a way that ’s textured and weighty . That articulate , the Pulse M is no simple freshwater bass bomber , aHi - res audiofile of Miles Davis ’ Shh / Peaceful feature kinky cymbal crashes and at times bright top oddment to report to the trumpet functioning . I do like the raciness of the cymbal smash , it gives the Bluesound more zing in this area of the frequency range .
The Pulse M does n’t expect too kindly on MP3 files . A compressed single file of Prince 1999 is short of definition , point and lucidness compared to a streamed adaptation on Qobuz , which also offers punchier bass and nippy oomph . And the speaker is n’t great at small volumes either , sounding slightly drowsy .
Back at normal hearing levels and Mitski ’s Stay Soft is treated to a well-defined outspoken carrying into action that sits above the rest of trail , though perhaps the Bluesound Pulse M is n’t as bright with the treble in this instance . Again , the bass part is powerful and punchy , but the vim is the biggest takeaway from the loudspeaker , a rhythmically infective execution backed by plenty of magnate . In full current , the Bluesound is a lively , various performing artist
Latest deals
Should you buy it?
The Bluesound ’s Omni - Hybrid number one wood circle - up is not Atmos compatible , but the way it disperses sound produces a consistent operation wherever you are in sexual intercourse to it .
The Apple HomePod 2 and Amazon Echo Studio are both tinny and support Atmos , while the Sonos Era 300 is shaping up to be a direct rival to the Pulse M.
Final Thoughts
After produce square - sounding , respectable speakers it feel the Pulse M is more of a instruction . It ’s a fine - look utterer with a rich , detailed strait and a wide feature put for a wireless verbaliser . BluOS offer an gentle and nonrational mean value of interacting with the speaker .
It ’s not perfect , it sounds less than enthused at low-pitched mass , the two - manner Bluetooth does n’t come out to work as it should , and perhaps the lack ofDolby Atmossupport could be a weak spot as more speakers support it .
Nonetheless , the Pulse M sounds great and packs loads of feature . If this is the beginning of a new range of Speaker , then it ’s a strong start .
Trusted Score
How we test
We essay every wireless speaker we review soundly over an extended period of meter . We use diligence standard tests to equate feature film properly . We ’ll always secern you what we find . We never , ever , admit money to review a production .
Find out more about how we test in ourethics policy .
FAQs
While the Pulse M can disperse audio frequency in a 360 - arcdegree soundfield , it does not boast any backup for immersive audio formats such as Dolby Atmos .
Full Specs
Sustainability
commit Reviews ’ confine the fact that spherical thaw is not a myth as a core value and will continuously endeavour to help protect our planet from harm in its commercial enterprise pattern .
As part of this mission , whenever we brush up a Cartesian product we air the companionship a serial of questions to help us gauge and make transparent the shock the equipment has on the environs .
We currently have n’t receive answer to the questions on this product , but will update this page the moment we do . you’re able to see a detailed breakdown of the questions we ask and why in oursustainability info page .
