TechRadar Verdict
The Bluesound Pulse M is a bit of a contradiction.
The Bluesound Pulse Ms audio is impressively detailed, as youd expect from a speaker capable of lossless streaming.
Unfortunately, this is somewhat undermined by how unbalanced the audio can be.
It is possible to rectify this using some of the speakers sound profiles.
When setting up the speaker, multiple steps would fail, only to immediately succeed when I retried.
And these glitches extend to its Alexa voice control skill as well.
Design is probably the area where the Pulse M shines most.
Theres not a huge variety in terms of options.
It comes in just two colorways black or white but thats pretty common with more premium speakers.
Getting started with the Pulse M is relatively straightforward.
The BluOS app is also where youll find options to tweak the Pulse Ms sound profiles.
Unfortunately though, the skill seems to have a few holes here and there.
So its a mixed bag: youll still have to reach for your phone a fair amount.
In fact, thats probably the only thing youll notice.
Comparing it to the Sonos Era 100, it became much easier for me to diagnose the problem.
In contrast, the Pulse M pulls way too many punches when it comes to its mids.
Thats not to say it completely lacks all precision.
In sparser mixes, things feel like they have much more room for expression.
In practice, its a bit of a blunt tool, akin to using a pocket knife for micro-surgery.
One place I will commend the Pulse M however is for its soundstage.
When it comes to the pure look of the gear, I unusually have nothing negative to say.
While youre not likely to be repositioning it very often, itll definitely be less cumbersome when you do.
One slight niggle centers around the touch-sensitive controls on top of the rig.
And the Pulse M just cannot clear that bar, which feels like a missed opportunity.
Should I buy the Bluesound Pulse M?
Check out our fullSonos Era 300 review.
Read our fullJBL Authentics 200 review.
This allowed me to try out how the speaker handled everything from deep pulsing bass to delicate vocals.
Ive been testing audio kit like headphones and speakers for many years now.
