Bluesound Pulse Cinema Review: A Pretty Sonos Alternative

If you’re looking for a top-notch Dolby Atmos soundbar, it’s hard to bushed the Sonos Arc Ultra. But Sonos is inactive recovering from its self-imposed 2024 bundle fiasco, and galore of its once-loyal customers person sought refuge with the company’s competitors. Chief among these is Bluesound, a wireless, multiroom audio ecosystem from the Great White North.

With a postulation of speakers, subwoofers, and euphony streamers that intimately mirrors Sonos’ lineup, Bluesound is particularly fashionable with audiophiles who worth the company’s enactment of lossless, hi-res audio formats and person been consenting to wage a premium for it (Bluesound devices typically outgo 30 to 50 percent much than their Sonos counterparts).

Like Sonos, Bluesound besides does location theatre audio, but successful this section it has lagged, astir notably successful its discrete enactment for the height-channel dependable effects that epitomize Dolby Atmos—until now. Bluesound’s $1,499 Pulse Cinema is simply a pricey caller section for the Canadian company: its archetypal Dolby Atmos soundbar with dedicated up-firing drivers and a halfway channel.

A Sonos-Like Footprint

There’s a azygous HDMI-ARC/eARC port, and, similar with astir of Bluesound’s speakers, an analog input, a integer input, a USB larboard for outer storage, two-way Bluetooth with aptX Adaptive, and your prime of Ethernet and/or Wi-Fi. There’s adjacent a wired subwoofer output, which is acold from modular connected astir soundbars. Except for the deficiency of immoderate HDMI inputs, it’s a generous and versatile postulation that leaves the Arc Ultra successful the dust.

Size-wise, the 2 speakers are similar: The Pulse Cinema, astatine 47 inches, is conscionable 1 inch wider than the Arc Ultra. Both volition look close astatine location nether 50- to 65-inch TVs, but the Pulse Cinema, with its wraparound cloth grille and brushed curves, whitethorn entreaty much to those who privation a little high-tech look. If you’d similar to wall-mount it, a bracket is included. (Sonos sells its partition mounts separately.)

Armed with a 500-watt, 3.0.2-channel, 12-driver array, the Pulse Cinema pumps retired awesome levels of item for some movies and music. It’s this committedness to some formats that helps it basal out. Most soundbars volition beryllium a large measurement up from your TV’s interior speakers for movies and TV shows, but fewer connection a likewise rewarding listening acquisition erstwhile it comes to music.

Great for Dialog

For TV audio, dialog clarity is simply a standout feature, with voices that are some well-centered and easy understandable, adjacent successful scenes with tons of competing inheritance and situation sounds.