Bluesound Pulse Cinema Review: A Pretty Sonos Alternative

City: Bluesound is known for making great sound systems. If you want a great soundbar that supports Dolby Atmos sound, the Sonos Arc Ultra is really good. But right now, Sonos is dealing with some software problems, and many of its fans are trying out other brands. One popular choice is Bluesound. This brand comes from Canada and makes speakers, subwoofers, and music players that are almost like Sonos. People who love good sound really like Bluesound because it offers high-quality audio and works with special sound formats. Bluesound’s products usually cost 30 to 50 percent more than Sonos products, but many think it’s worth the extra money.

Bluesound is different because it also makes sound systems for watching movies. Recently, Bluesound introduced their new Pulse Cinema, which costs $1,499. This is their first soundbar that can handle Dolby Atmos sound effects with special up-firing speakers.

A Sonos-Like Design
The Pulse Cinema has many connections: there’s one HDMI-ARC/eARC port. It also includes an analog input, a digital input, USB port, and Bluetooth. You can connect it with wired or wireless internet. It even has a special output for subwoofers, which is not common for soundbars. Overall, it has more options than the Sonos Arc Ultra.

When we look at size, the Pulse Cinema is 47 inches wide, just one inch more than the Arc Ultra. Both soundbars fit well under TVs that are 50 to 65 inches. The Pulse Cinema has a nice wraparound fabric design that gives it a softer look. If you want to mount it on the wall, a bracket comes with it, unlike Sonos where you need to buy the wall mount separately.

The Pulse Cinema has a powerful 500-watt system with 12 speakers. It does a great job for both movies and music. Many soundbars help improve movie sounds, but the Pulse Cinema is also impressive for music listening.

Clear Sounds for TV
For watching TV, the dialog is very clear. You can hear voices well, even when there are lots of background sounds. This makes it great for all kinds of shows.