Sengled Pulse Review

I must point out that you don’t necessarily need the App (which you can download from the main App or Google Play Store) in order to stream music from your device, as after connecting via Bluetooth on my iPhone 5s I could then output any music track to the speaker within moments!

  Sengled Pulse Review
 

What intrigued me the most about the Sengled Pulse is that it's not only an LED light bulb (with a conventional B22 or E27 connector - which fits standard UK light fittings) but it also doubles up as a JBL 13W wireless speaker at the same time!

Alongside its supporting App this will allow you to control both the light and speaker output at the same time. However the starter kit, which has 1 x Master and 1 x Satellite (slave unit) can also work together to produce a stereo speaker sound or teamed up with additional Satellite units (up to 7) to form a surround sound system!
The only drawback is the cost of $119 for the pair, though if you want audio in your house without taking up too much space or expensive re-wiring, then this option may have its appeal!

Design
Before I talk about the pros and cons I will first explain a little about what they look like. To be honest compared to a standard light bulb they are pretty big and weigh substantially more (400g to be precise). However the build quality and extra design touches on the surface (such as the wavy grooves) certainly gives them a premium look/feel.
For the most part the main housing is adorned in the color of choice, they do White, Red and Silver. I went for the white finish in the end to blend in more with the house's interior.
Towards the LED bulb end you have more of a transparent grill system to allow for the light and speaker output to come through. While at the back you will find labels indicating if the unit is a Master or Satellite (indicating its slave status).
The only other box content is the small manual and warranty card.

Simple Really!
For the most part though once the bulbs are in place you simply turn on the main light switch - which will result in audio beep emanating from the Master bulb. At this point the light will be on 100% full power.
Mind you the App is still worth downloading because it allows you to adjust the audio output and dim the lights (from the 100% brightness) all from the one intuitive interface.

Observation Notes
At this stage the only draw-back with the Bluetooth side was that on my iPhone I had to occasionally connect to the Pulse manually (i.e. go into the Bluetooth settings each time to connect) as it would not automatically connect when I turned the Bluetooth on my phone back on.
You also can’t install the Pulse light bulbs into dimmer switches; they have to go into standard light switches.
Additionally you can hear a low-audible noise coming from the speaker when the light is activated, especially if the light is directly above your head or to the side. However this is not noticeable once you get used to it or music is being piped through. Of course with the light turned off (through the App's On/Off switch) you cannot hear it at all.

          
                                                                                      

ITunes Music
For music playback I used iTunes Music - running on my iPhone 5s - to pipe this through to the Master speaker and then to both speakers simultaneously.
Most certainly the quality you get depends on the placement, as from the ceiling the sound quality is dampened slightly by the carpeted floor and surrounding furniture. Thus you get far less clarity than when using the speaker in a free standing lamp - which is pointing upwards and closer to the floor.
Saying that the ceiling quality was not terrible by any means, so when I piped through a serious of standard pop, rock and YouTube content to the speaker it provided an enjoyable listening experience and I could happily sing along to some Killers tracks with my Wife!

Likewise having the two speakers dangling from the ceiling side-by side or a combination of one ceiling and one free standing lamp speaker in my larger lounge allowed the sound to fill the room better and here I could use the App to set each speakers role, so for example one became the Left speaker and the other the right, so this does give you a stereo effect.
For me though it was the free standing lamp that offered the best audio quality experience! The base was beefier and the clarity was improved, showcasing that the speaker can produce richness to the music you listen to and with plenty of oomph! Coupled with the graphical equalizer settings from the main App I could adjust the quality further to get the optimal balance.

*Note for thought: The App is only designed to work on iOS devices running iOS 7 or above. I did try to connect the speaker to an older iPod Touch (running iOS 5 or 6 I think it was) and while the speaker connects OK you can’t adjust the volume, so all tracks play at full blast!
Note for thought: At both 100% Volume on the Speaker and Phone. I discovered it can start to loose it on certain tracks (on the top end) depending on which Graphical Equaliser profile you choose.

Wireless Range

Much to my Wife’s displeasure I was able to control the lights from downstairs (I know this for a fact as my Wife shouted down from upstairs to tell me to pack it in!). I was just intrigued to see how far I could go with the speaker/light control. The lights as I said were no problems, so as long as you are in the Bluetooth range with your phone you are OK. However the audio side was choppy the further you went away from the source!

However I also tried one speaker downstairs and the Satellite upstairs (only the floor separated the speakers this time, so I the wireless point-to-point system kicked in). With this setup my iPhone could be near either the Satellite or Master speaker without the Bluetooth range getting in the way of matters (it sort of acts like a repeater) and it was able to pipe music clearly to both at the same time - which was pretty cool! Now I have multi-room audio setup which can pipe music to different parts of the house no probs!

The only downside with the Master and Satellite speakers is that the Master needs to be on in order for you to pipe music to the Satellite speaker(s). Thus if you turn off the main supply to the Master speaker this renders the Satellite speaker useless from a music playback point of view. The only thing you can do is adjust the light setting.


Summary
What the Sengled Pulse solution has going for it is that it does not require any major alternations to your house in order to add wireless speaker capabilities. All you need is a standard B22 or E27 light fitting and a smartphone with Bluetooth to make it work.

Another plus point is that it uses low powered LED technology for the bulb. In fact according to the manual you are looking at 15W total power consumption for both the LED+Speaker (per bulb) and each LED bulb lasts 25,000 hours.
There is also no denying that it’s cool being able to pipe music through to a light bulb and when mounted correctly it can certainly produce some impressive results; for such a small set of speakers! The App is likewise intuitive to use.

In terms of downsides the speakers do need a small current of electricity in order to keep them active. So while the bulb does not need to be re-charged as such or require any dedicated mains sockets, it does need some form of current so that the App can be used to switch the light/speaker on/off.
If the mains switch does get turned off then it resets the bulb's dimmer setting and without the Master speaker enabled the Satellite ones can only be used as standard lights
Even so, when all is said and done the Sengled Pulse is still a great bit of kit and if house space is a premium then the speaker solution is definitely worth further investigation!