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  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Pictures
    2. Style
    3. Portability
    4. Build Quality
    5. Controls
    6. In The Box
  5. Sound
    1. Frequency Response Accuracy
    2. Raw Frequency Response
    3. Soundstage
    4. Dynamics
  6. Active Features
    1. Battery
    2. Voice Assistant
    3. App
  7. Connectivity
    1. Wired
    2. Bluetooth
    3. Wi-Fi
  8. Comments

Bluesound PULSE 2i vs JBL Authentics 500

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Bluesound PULSE 2i
JBL Authentics 500

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Nov 27, 2023 05:23 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Apr 14, 2025 08:15 PM

SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Bluesound PULSE 2i Picture
JBL Authentics 500 Picture
Bluetooth
Yes
Wi-Fi
Yes
Speakerphone
No
Voice Assistant
No
Battery Powered
No
Bluetooth
Yes
Wi-Fi
Yes
Speakerphone
No
Voice Assistant
Yes
Battery Powered
No
  1. Recommended in 5 articles:
  2. Bluetooth
  3. Home
  4. Alexa
  5. JBL
  6. Smart

Variants

  • PULSE 2i (Black Matte)
  • PULSE 2i (White)
  • Authentics 500 (Black)

Review

See Bluesound PULSE 2i Review
See JBL Authentics 500 Review
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Our Verdict

Bluesound PULSE 2i

JBL Authentics 500

The JBL Authentics 500 is better than the Bluesound PULSE 2i. The JBL offers built-in voice assistant support, unlike the Bluesound, which requires a third-party device. Plus, it reproduces more bass. Its graphic EQ is more comprehensive than the Bluesound's bass and treble adjustments, which is handy for switching up its sound.

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Black Matte
PULSE 2i
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Black
Authentics 500
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White
PULSE 2i
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Black
Authentics 500
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Black
Authentics 500
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Black
Authentics 500
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Black
Authentics 500
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Main Differences for
Music

Threshold 

0.10

Music 

7.2
7.7

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

7.0
7.6

Soundstage 
 

6.8
7.3

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Style Photo  

Bluesound PULSE 2i Style Photo
JBL Authentics 500 Style Photo

RGB Lights  

No
No
Show Text 

Portability 
 

4.5
2.9

Dimensions Photo  

Bluesound PULSE 2i Dimensions Photo
JBL Authentics 500 Dimensions Photo

Volume 
 

984 in³ (16,128 cm³)
1,629 in³ (26,700 cm³)

Weight 
 

11.3 lbs (5.1 kg)
17.5 lbs (8.0 kg)

Power Source 
 

AC Only
AC Only

One-Hand Carry 
 

Yes
No
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

6.4
6.7

Build Quality Photo  

Bluesound PULSE 2i Build Quality Photo
JBL Authentics 500 Build Quality Photo

Material Quality 
 

Good
Great

Water Resistance 
 

No
No

Dust Resistance 
 

Unspecified
No

Impact Resistance 
 

Unspecified
Unspecified

Floats In Water 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Controls 
 

6.8
8.0

Controls Photo  

Bluesound PULSE 2i Controls Photo
JBL Authentics 500 Controls Photo

Controls Photo 2  

Bluesound PULSE 2i Controls Photo 2
JBL Authentics 500 Controls Photo 2

Ease Of Use 
 

Great
Great

Feedback 
 

Decent
Great

Music Play/Pause 
 

Yes (Tactile)
Yes (Physical)

Call Answer/End 
 

No
No

Volume Up/Down 
 

Yes (Tactile)
Yes (Physical)

Track Next/Previous 
 

Yes (Tactile)
Yes (Physical)

Microphone On/Off 
 

No
Yes (Physical)

Additional Controls 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

In The Box 
 

In The Box Photo  

Bluesound PULSE 2i In The Box Photo
JBL Authentics 500 In The Box Photo
Show Text 
Sound

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

7.0
7.6

Frequency Response Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Slope 
 

-0.26
0.04

Std. Err. 
 

3.65 dB
2.58 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

51.1 Hz
44.3 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

17.7 kHz
19.9 kHz
Show Text 

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw Frequency Response Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Binaural Recording @ 1m 
 

Binaural Recording @ 2m 
 

Soundstage 
 

6.8
7.3

Directivity Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Directivity Index 
 

6.06 dB
4.99 dB

Stereo 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Dynamics 
 

8.5
8.4

Dynamic Range Compression  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

101.6 dB SPL
102.8 dB SPL

DRC @ Max Volume 
 

2.18 dB
2.81 dB
Show Text 
Active Features

Battery 
 

0.0
0.0

Battery Life 
 

N/A
N/A

Charge Time 
 

N/A
N/A

Power Saving 
 

No
N/A

Charging Port 
 

No Battery
No Battery

Battery Powered 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Voice Assistant 
 

0.0
9.3

Alexa 
 

No
Built-in (Wi-Fi Only)

Google Assistant 
 

No
Built-in (Wi-Fi Only)

Speakerphone 
 

No
No

Siri 
 

No
No

Voice Assistant 
 

No
Yes

Voice Activation 
 

No
Yes

Microphone Mute 
 

No Microphone
Yes

Far-Field Performance 
 

No Microphone
Excellent

Ambient Noise Performance 
 

No Microphone
Good
Show Text 

App 
 

9.3
9.6

App Picture  

Bluesound PULSE 2i App Picture
JBL Authentics 500 App Picture

App Name 
 

BluOS
JBL One

iOS 
 

Yes
Yes

Android 
 

Yes
Yes

EQ 
 

Bass/Treble
Graphic

Stereo Pair Mode 
 

Yes
Yes

Party Mode 
 

Yes
Yes

Multi-Room 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 
Connectivity

Wired 
 

Aux Input 
 

Yes
Yes

USB Audio 
 

Yes
No

Other Ports 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Bluetooth 
 

7.0
7.5

Bluetooth 
 

Yes
Yes

Bluetooth Version 
 

5.0
5.3

Bluetooth iOS Latency 
 

201 ms
269 ms

Bluetooth Android Latency 
 

189 ms
244 ms

Bluetooth Range 
 

193.6 ft (59.0 m)
334.6 ft (102.0 m)

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

No
2 Devices
Show Text 

Wi-Fi 
 

7.7
7.6

Wi-Fi Version 
 

Wi-Fi 5
Wi-Fi 6

Wi-Fi Frequency Band 
 

2.4GHz & 5GHz
2.4GHz & 5GHz

Wi-Fi 
 

Yes
Yes

Apple AirPlay 
 

Yes
Yes

AirPlay Latency 
 

154 ms
161 ms

Google Chromecast 
 

No
Yes

Chromecast Latency 
 

N/A
N/A
Show Text 

Check Price

Black Matte
PULSE 2i
Searching
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Black
Authentics 500
Searching
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White
PULSE 2i
Searching
Finding store
Black
Authentics 500
Searching
Finding store
 
Black
Authentics 500
Searching
Finding store
 
Black
Authentics 500
Searching
Finding store
 
Black
Authentics 500
Searching
Finding store
Back to Top

Bluesound PULSE 2i

JBL Authentics 500

Comments

  1. Comparison
 • Posted 1 year ago

Bluesound PULSE 2i vs JBL Authentics 500: Main Discussion

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