JBL Pulse 5

Apr 23, 2024

The JBL Pulse 5 ($249.95) is the latest entry in the company’s growing lineup of portable Bluetooth speakers with attention-grabbing LEDs. It’s also surprisingly durable, with a fully waterproof rating. But although it offers a rich, bright sound signature, it outputs only mono sound and lacks physical playback and volume buttons. Because of these limitations, we prefer the Anker Soundcore Motion Boom Plus ($179.99), which offers more compelling stereo audio, better onboard controls, and the same IP rating for less money—just keep in mind it doesn't match the Pulse 5's visual splendor.

The cylindrical Pulse 5 speaker measures roughly 8.5 by 4.2 by 5.2 inches (HWD) and weighs 3.3 pounds. It stands upright on three rubber feet that create a sliver of space for the down-firing, 2.5-inch 30W woofer and LEDs. Up top, a plastic grille with the JBL exclamation point logo protects the upward-firing, 0.6-inch 10W tweeter. We like that the design looks like a modern take on a lava lamp, but the glossy exterior shell unfortunately collects fingerprints easily. Those smudges are particularly visible when the speaker is off, but certain hues highlight them as well.

The dual drivers deliver mono audio, with a frequency range of 58Hz to 20KHz. The Pulse 5 is compatible with Bluetooth 5.3 and supports just the SBC codec, not AAC or AptX. That’s not ideal for the price but is forgivable for a portable speaker. If you want to hear more detail in your music, the pricier Sony SRS-XG300 ($349.99) supports the hi-res-capable LDAC codec. The aforementioned Soundcore Motion Boom Plus is better here as well because it works with the AAC codec.

On the back, you get buttons that control power, Bluetooth, lighting (a short press changes the mode, while a long press turns the LEDs on or off), and the PartyBoost function (which lets you link multiple JBL speakers for more directional sound). An LED battery indicator and a USB-C port for the included USB-C-to-USB-A charging cable are positioned below the control strip.

There aren't any onboard controls for playback, volume, or track navigation, an unwelcome change from the Pulse 4. You might appreciate the bold decision in light of the uncluttered surface, but we've tested plenty of stylish speakers with a full range of controls. We can't recall the last time we tested a Bluetooth speaker without physical playback controls and know it will be a deal breaker for some.

This might not look like the kind of speaker you can submerge at depths of up to a meter for 30 minutes, but it surprisingly carries an IP67 rating. Bluetooth signals don’t work well underwater, but this level of durability means you can dunk or clean it to your heart's content. No amount of dirt it accumulates out on the trail should be a problem either. This rating is on par with most of JBL's other outdoor-ready speakers, such as the $349.95 JBL Xtreme 3, as well as the aforementioned Sony and Anker models.

JBL estimates that the Pulse 5 can last roughly 12 hours per charge, but your results will vary based on your typical listening volume level. The company claims that the 7,500mAh battery takes about four hours to fully charge from empty.

Aside from the missing playback controls, the Pulse 5 lacks a speakerphone function and an aux input. Neither are typical for the Pulse lineup, but either would have added some value to the package.

The JBL Portable app (available for Android and iOS) features a colorful, easy-to-navigate interface. It has a few more features than necessary but reliably delivers the essentials.

On the main screen, there's an image of the speaker and a battery life indicator. Below that, you see all the lighting options (we cover those in the next section). Further down, there's a customizable, three-band EQ (bass, mid, and treble); you can adjust the sound to taste or turn it off. Of course, we would prefer more customizable bands, but a simple EQ is better than none.

The app also has an Ambient Sound section that lets you play five sound loops (waves, crickets, a crackling fire, birds, or a creek). Interestingly, you can play any combination of those loops simultaneously, though selecting all five results in an unrelaxing cacophony of nature sounds. You can also set a timer for how long the loops play, but the maximum setting of an hour and the abrupt way the recordings end won't appeal to light sleepers.

Otherwise, you can toggle the feedback tone (an audio prompt that plays when you press an onboard button), browse the user guide, update the firmware, and configure the Party Boost function.

The Pulse is at its best when it randomizes its lighting patterns: Fast-paced, multicolor splotches go off like out-of-focus fireworks. But when it lights up completely with color, the fade animations from one hue to another look a bit glitchy, almost like color banding on an older TV.

Additional controls let you set the light show theme (Canvas, Cocktail, Nature, Party, Spiritual, and Weather are all available by default, but you can add more) and color mode (the hue you select from the color wheel becomes the focus of the light show). The speaker reacts quickly to any changes you make in the app.

Light emanates from both the body of the speaker and the raised base. You can adjust the brightness of each, turn either off, and adjust the tempo at which the light show syncs.

Overall, the Pulse 5 easily offers among the best, if not the best lighting experience of any portable Bluetooth speaker. Yes, some of the animations could be smoother, but the level of customization is the best we've seen.

We tested the speaker with the in-app EQ at neutral (default) settings. For a mono speaker, the Pulse 5 can get quite loud and its down-firing woofer delivers a palpable sense of bass. Even if the actual bass depth here is somewhat modest, the speaker produces some serious rumble.

On tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” it outputs laudable bass depth. It doesn't distort at top volume levels, but that's because the digital signal processing (DSP) thins out the bass. At more moderate volumes, you get a little more thump.

The Pulse 5’s woofer can’t reproduce the sub-bass synth tones at the 34-second mark of Kendrick Lamar’s “Loyalty.” That's not a surprise in light of the speaker's size, but the drum loop still has a substantial thump. Vocal performances on the track sound clear, though a bit bright. The upward-firing tweeter tends to accentuate the higher frequencies.

Bill Callahan’s “Drover,” a track with far less deep bass in the mix, better reveals the sound signature. The drums on this track get an ideal amount of boosting for a bass-forward model. These elements sound full and far from muddy. The tweeter tacks on some high-mid and high-frequency presence, which lends a treble edge to Callahan’s baritone vocals and a brightness to the acoustic strums. Just note that the speaker scoops the mids a bit and sounds best from a relatively close distance. Beyond about 10 feet, the rich lows start to lose their fullness.

Orchestral tracks, like the opening scene from John Adams’ The Gospel According to the Other Mary, exhibit a slightly elevated low-frequency response, but the higher-register brass, strings, and vocals clearly retain the spotlight with a brighter-than-normal delivery. That said, the speaker never sounds thin or brittle because of the warm lower frequencies.

The JBL Pulse 5 offers among the best LED effects you can get in a portable speaker, despite some occasionally jittery animations. We’re also fans of its app-based lighting options and basic EQ. The speaker's mono driver setup sounds just fine, but the lack of physical playback and volume controls are frustrating. Overall, we prefer the more affordable Anker Soundcore Motion Boom Plus for its stereo sound and more convenient controls. And, if you have the budget for it, the pricier Sony SRS-XG300 is a worthwhile alternative with LDAC support and the same durability specs. However, neither of these options is quite as captivating as the Pulse 5 if you want to look at a light show while you listen to music.