One of the reasons JBL is very popular is their JBL Pulse speaker series. Thanks to their light show, the speakers from the JBL Pulse speaker series are portable and fascinating to look at.
Just last 2019, the JBL Pulse 4 was released, and it was undoubtedly one of the most anticipated speaker releases because of the success in sales of the JBL Pulse 3 back in 2017. A common question that audiophiles ask is – Is the JBL Pulse 4 better? The answer is yes, in terms of overall performance and design.
But before you go ahead and purchase the JBL Pulse 4, here is everything you need to know first to make an informed purchase decision:
Table of Contents
JBL Pulse 4 Overview
| Pros of the JBL Pulse 4 | Cons of the JBL Pulse 4 |
|---|---|
| Type C Charging | It only comes in 2 Colors |
| Decent Upgrade from the JBL Pulse 3 | Not Suitable for Outdoors |
| Balanced Mids and Highs | |
| Great Bass | |
| IPX7-rated | |
| Best Speaker with Lights |
View JBL Pulse 4 Price on:
Get the JBL Pulse 4 if amazing light features and indoor use are your priorities. The new and improved body and light show on the JBL Pulse 4 will impress you and your guests. This speaker has a balanced sound that can easily fill up a room in terms of sound quality.
Price
When it comes to price, since the JBL Pulse 4 belongs to the category of medium-sized speakers, it does come at an expensive price tag. The JBL Pulse 4 retails for $250 while the JBL Charge 4, a medium-sized speaker, only retails for $150.
The JBL Pulse 4 comes with a high price tag due to its full acrylic body makes the speaker look transparent and more visible for its light show.
Nonetheless, JBL routinely goes on sale every month, so if you want to grab the JBL Pulse 4 at a discount, I recommend waiting for a sale day or sale event to save money on top of your purchase.
Design
At first glance, you can notice the difference between the old JBL Pulse 3 and the new JBL Pulse 4 since 95% of the JBL Pulse 4’s body is now covered in acrylic, whereas the JBL Pulse 3 was not nearly covered as much with lights.
In terms of color, the JBL Pulse 4 only comes in 2 colors which are black and white but the light show makes it unnoticeable anyway since most of the JBL Pulse 4’s body is acrylic.
However, because of the acrylic material, keep in mind that the JBL Pulse 4 can easily get scratched or dented. The worst-case scenario would be the speaker getting shattered if accidentally dropped at high levels.
Due to the fragile build of the JBL Pulse 4, this speaker is best used indoors for safety purposes.
Pulse 4 Buttons
Although the JBL Pulse 4 is mostly covered in acrylic, it does have three small portions of its body where its material is made out of soft-touch rubber. This is where you will find the speaker’s buttons.
The JBL Pulse 4 has six buttons which are the following:
- Power Button
- Bluetooth Button
- Volume Up Button
- Volume Down Button
- Party Boost Button
- Light Show Button
JBL Party Boost Button
The JBL Party Boost button allows the JBL Pulse 4 to connect with other JBL Party Boost speakers: the JBL Boombox 2, JBL Xtreme 3, JBL Charge 5, JBL Flip 5, JBL Clip 4, and another JBL Pulse 4.
Light Show Button
The light show button has five colors presets, which you can cycle through with a press of this button.
The five-color preset modes are spiritual, campfire, equalizer display, wave, and custom mode. The custom mode is the one you can play with the speaker’s settings with the use of your phone.
Light Feature
For the light show features, there are many options available. One of the cool light show features is using your camera to capture a specific color to display it to the speaker, which is great if you are trying to match the speaker’s color to your decorations!
The JBL Pulse 4 also has the basic features of its predecessor like lights rising or decreasing in level when changing volume, charging light show, and many more.
Battery
When it comes to battery life, the JBL Pulse 4 has a whopping 7,260 mAh battery which is expected since this speaker drains its battery fast due to its light features.
Moreover, this speaker has an advertised battery life of 12 hours, but with the volume set at 80% and its lite features set at medium, you will get around 8-9 hours of playtime which is still very decent considering the fact that the lights features are on.
If you do not use the light features of the JBL Pulse 4, then you will most likely get around 10-11 hours of playtime or even more at high volumes.
One of the major upgrades of the JBL Pulse 4 is the charging port which is USB C. This means you can easily charge this speaker with your USB C mobile phone’s charger. In addition to that, this charges much faster compared to Micro USB charging.
Bluetooth Version
In terms of Bluetooth connectivity, the JBL Pulse 4 uses Bluetooth 4.2, which is standard among the 2018-2019 lineup of JBL speakers. Its range, connection, and delay prevention are average.
Nonetheless, the JBL Pulse 4 is capable of being connected by two devices so you and your friend can take turns in playing music.
For support, the JBL Pulse 4 only has SBC support.
Waterproof Rating
The JBL Pulse 3 and JBL Pulse 4 have the same IPX7 waterproof rating, which means these speakers can be submerged in waters of 1-meter depth for 30 minutes.
Rain or accidental pool drops are no problems for this speaker at all. This speaker is fully capable of withstanding water, and it can float.
Speaker Specifications
Unlike the speaker setup of the JBL Charge speaker series, the JBL Pulse 4 is a 360-degree speaker, which means whether you are at the front, back, or side of the speaker, you will hear the same volume, clarity, and bass.
The JBL Pulse 4 has a single upward-firing 57 mm transducer speaker at the top and a passive radiator located at the bottom.
Sound
Although the JBL Pulse series only have two speakers in its setup, the JBL Pulse 4 is noticeably better than its predecessor’s thanks to its bigger transducer speaker, which is 57 mm.
The JBL Pulse 4 has much more pronounced mids and highs with a better bass than its predecessors. The JBL Pulse 4 is also louder in max volume with no distortion problems whatsoever.
Final Thoughts
The JBL Pulse 4 is, without a doubt, perfect for audiophiles who love speakers with lights on them.
Its overall sound is balanced, and its light features are very pleasing. In addition to that, you can choose various color modes of your preference depending on your mood.
View JBL Pulse 4 Price on:
Get the JBL Pulse 4 if amazing light features and indoor use are your priorities. The new and improved body and light show on the JBL Pulse 4 will impress you and your guests. This speaker has a balanced sound that can easily fill up a room in terms of sound quality.
There is simply no other speaker that can do what the JBL Pulse 4 does in terms of lighting customization.
Although the JBL Pulse 4 is not suitable for outdoors, you can still carry it with you but you must make sure to handle it with care.
Nonetheless, the JBL Pulse 4 sounds and looks impressive, and it performs best indoors. If you are looking for a speaker that sounds great with the best light features, then the JBL Pulse 4 is the perfect speaker for you!
Leave a Reply