That said, if you're in the market for a soundbar and are already firmly in the Bluesound camp, there's plenty to like about the Pulse Soundbar+. The top-end is bright and substantial, and there’s plenty of substance to treble sounds to underpin their shine. The Pulse M is capable of quite oppressive volume, but it doesn’t alter its characteristics even if you decide to listen at big levels - which is an especially welcome trait where the top of the frequency range is concerned. There’s no hardness or edge to treble sounds, no matter how loud you like to hear them. The Pulse is built around four drivers and is a stereo product insofar as the left and right channels are handled separately. Each channel gets a 25mm tweeter and a 133mm mid bass driver. The amplification is class D and there is a dedicated amp per driver. In the case of the larger drivers, you get 65 watts while the tweeters have 10. There are no radiators or bass ports which should ensure that placement is a relatively simple too. Bluesound is at pains to stress that the arrangement of the drivers and amps is ‘direct’ - that is to say more in keeping with an active speaker with the crossover in front of the amps and the amps direct coupled to the speakers. This promises the best efficiency possible and gives some hope that the impressive claimed frequency response of 45Hz to 20kHz is achieved.

The 2021 Zeppelin propels its way onto this list with streaming options aplenty, exceptional sound quality and Alexa built-in. Apple AirPlay 2 and Spotify Connect are both supported, while the easy-to-use B&W Music app allows you to integrate subscriptions to Qobuz, Tidal and more. You’ll make your own mind up about the merits (or otherwise) of the Bluesound Pulse M where aesthetics are concerned, as well as its physical suitability for the purpose you have in mind for your nice new wireless speaker. But you can be assured right here and now that this is a high-achieving, high-performance speaker that sounds its money’s worth in virtually every respect. Key specs – Drivers: 2; Wireless: Wi-Fi, Apple AirPlay 2; Voice Assistant: No; Remote: No; Companion App: Yes; Dimensions: 406 x 60 x 559mm; Weight: 4kg We ensure that all connection options be they physical or wireless are put through their paces equally and that any features found in a companion app are thoroughly explored. Any EQ presets are critically analysed and we create our own EQs to evaluate the effectiveness of in-app graphic equalisers.

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What’s most striking is the improvement in this streamer’s organisation, timing and dynamic expression. There is greater life to the performance as well; the Node 2i shows not only an increased level of expression but also enthusiasm. Control music wirelessly with the intuitive BluOS Controller app for iOS, Android, Kindle Fire, and Windows & Mac OS X desktops. Wiring it into our reference system, it is clear that this is a different animal altogether to its predecessor. While its richness across the frequencies is retained, the soundstage appears more open, with even more granular detail fed in. Top-performing drivers deliver a powerful listening experience greater than other all-in-one speakers.

Bluesound has also added some bonus features to its streamer, including that dual-band wi-fi and two-way Bluetooth, as well as a faster processor for an all-round more intuitive user experience. In terms of the sheer spread of product though, BluOS is more like the MusicCast system. As well as the Bluesound range of products - itself considerable - it is fitted to a very wide spread of NAD products including the AV receivers and the Masters Series high end models. This means that you can technically start with an all in one speaker like this and end up with a whole house of heavy duty NAD goodness. It might even include other brands too going forward as the software is now being licensed out. The best wireless speakers can transform how you enjoy music, podcasts, audiobooks and live radio at home but don’t cost as much as you might think. Its hi-res music support will be a big draw for some, and Bluesound’s app is a significant step up over the rather rudimentary Audio Pro offering. Swapping to The Social Network in 5.1, we try out the upmixing modes and find that they have little effect individually. Engage them both together, though, and a degree of extra spaciousness and atmosphere is added to the opening bar scene without the rapid-fire dialogue between the actors losing much in the way of clarity.Perhaps the most attractive aspect of Sonos speakers is the Sonos app, which supports a huge variety of streaming services and platforms. Most of these are fully integrated so there’s no need to go skipping around different apps as you play your tunes or listen to the radio. There’s no Google Cast support but both Spotify Connect and Apple AirPlay 2 work.

READ NEXT: The best Bluetooth speakers to buy this year Bluesound Pulse M review: What could be improved? While it's worth experimenting, we feel the Bluesound is most musical when its upmixing is switched off, but even then it's trumped by the Sonos Arc which, while noticeably more processed in its delivery, is punchier, better organised and more engaging overall. Verdict In many ways, the Ruark R5 is a blast from the past. It houses a CD player, a detachable DAB-FM antenna and a pair of phono inputs along with an integrated phono preamp for hooking up a turntable.The Pulse M is compatible with every worthwhile digital audio file type (MP3, WAV, FLAC, MQA and so on) as well as quite a few less worthy alternatives. The crucial digital-to-analogue conversion process is handled by a DAC chipset with 24bit/192kHz native resolution. Supplied with two passive speakers that need to be connected to the amplifier’s output terminals, this vocalist PA system delivers high-powered sound with wide frequency response. These 200W speakers feature a 10-inch woofer driver that perfectly reproduces vocals and music for high-quality, enjoyable performances. The overall sound can be adjusted with the available 3-band EQ controls, allowing you to increase or decrease the bass levels. For a product of this type, the all-in-one speakers ultimately carry most of the weight when it comes to performance. The fact that we would award none of the three Pulse speakers five stars means that overall, it cannot really be a five-star system. Of that power, 50W is used to drive an upward-firing 133mm mid/bass driver that sits behind an acoustic reflector that’s shaped to disperse the driver’s higher frequencies as far and wide as possible. It’s accompanied by a couple of 19mm tweeters driven by 15W of power each - they’re angled out at 45-degrees from each other in a further effort to create as wide a soundstage as possible. Bluesound calls this layout ‘omni-hybrid’. This would seem to be the first Bluesound speaker that ‘design’ has happened to - until now, the company’s speakers have been staunchly utilitarian lookers. But the Pulse M is built (and to an impeccable standard) from a combination of high-quality plastic and acoustic cloth for its main body, with a glass surface for its top-plate. It’s a welcome advance in Bluesound’s thinking.