Bluesound has announced a software update for its Pulse Soundbar+ that adds support for Dolby Atmos immersive audio along with new audio settings. Customers will be prompted to update their Pulse Soundbar+ to experience the new features.
The BluOS implementation of Dolby Atmos in the Pulse Soundbar+ features four virtualization profiles – Movie, Music, Late Night and Off. While content that is encoded in Dolby Atmos will provide the most realistic experience, any content – from two-channel all the way up to seven-channel – can be virtualized to provide a wider, higher, and more enveloping soundstage, says the company.
“We are extremely excited that BluOS 3.16 brings a whole new dimension to our customers’ home theatre experience with the Pulse Soundbar+,” says Matt Simmonds, Bluesound Product Manager. “Many brands overlook audio quality when implementing new technologies in the soundbar category, but at Bluesound, audio quality comes first. So, we’re delighted that our team’s decades of software engineering and hifi audio design experience has made Dolby Atmos in a two-channel soundbar more believable and natural than ever.”
The Pulse Soundbar+ can connect to a variety of source devices via both wired and wireless digital and analog connectivity options, including TVs, gaming consoles, music streaming services, laptops, and music libraries. These options include HDMI eARC, Apple AirPlay 2, two-way aptX HD Bluetooth, TOSLINK, RCA, USB, and the proprietary BluOS music streaming system.
With a custom-specified ARM Cortex A53 quad-core chipset that processes audio eight times faster than previous generations of Bluesound architecture, combined with two Wi-Fi chips to prevent network latency, this flagship board design offers solid and zero-lag audio performance, Bluesound says.
There are new and simple touch controls on the front panel for quick access to play, pause, and volume. With just a smartphone or tablet, the built-in BluOS wireless multi-room streaming technology can connect and sync audio to, from, and around any room in the home. Hands-free control of home entertainment is possible with popular voice assistants from Google, Amazon, and Apple, while professional smart home integrators can access drivers for popular control systems like Lutron, Crestron, RTI, Elan, and others.
Like all Bluesound Pulse speaker models, the acoustic design and speaker voicing was performed at Canada’s National Research Council by Lenbrook’s speaker design and engineering team.
In addition to Dolby Atmos for a more immersive experience when watching movies or sports, listening to music, or playing games, the Bluesound Pulse Soundbar+ can connect to any other Bluesound player and be controlled via the BluOS app.
The Pulse Soundbar+ comes in either black or white and ships with a wall mount bracket as well as two kickstand feet.