All Bluetooth speakers are round or square in shape. JBL has a new design to the pulse line up which is a cylindrical shaped, portable, colourful, and light weight speaker. The JBL pulse gives you a visual satisfaction with the help of a lighting mechanism. This is the third generation and the lighting sense is getting better by every generation. The pulse 3 consist of a LED arrangement setup which looks neat and is waterproof. Another feature that JBL advertise for is the Connect+ which has the ability to connect 100 JBL speakers together. This all comes at a cost of $200.
Build Quality
The JBL pulse is light weight, sturdy, and portable. The cylindrical design houses top and bottom speakers with bass. The bottom firing speakers doesn’t stand on the speaker because of the rubber feet. 75% of the speaker is hosted by the light show and surround speaker covering the other 25% of the device. This speaker has been designed to withstand water splashes. It is IPX7 rated, which means it can hold up to 1 meter depth in water for 30 minutes. A flap is present which has to be removed to connect the charger to the USB port. There is a power button and 5 LED lighting to indicate the battery percentage. Buttons for play/pause, “360 degree lightshow”, volume up/down and Bluetooth is also present.
JBL Connect app
The JBL Connect app is the official app for the pulse and it is like a remote to most of its features. You can customise the light show with desired colours or one can open camera app and point a colour mood and get a light show based on it. The app also displays battery percentage and number of devices connected to it. It is also possible to remap the play/pause buttons to google assistant wakeup command.
Performance
Heard a couple of tracks and felt no disappointment. The speaker lacks bass leaving some songs missing the edge. The pulse can get pretty laud as we were watching a movie connected to the laptop.
Verdict
The pulse looks and feels good. It has a great design and a decent build quality. The battery life lasts 9hrs with light and 11 hrs without it. The visual light effect it has is satisfying and would be a perfect companion during parties. The audio quality is average and has a lot of room for improvement.
