BLUESOUND FLEX 2i WIRELESS SPEAKER

Supported File Formats	MP3, AAC, WMA, OGG, WMA-L, ALAC, OPUS
Hi-Res formats	FLAC, MQA, WAV, AIFF
Native Sampling Rates	32 – 192 kHz
Bit Depths	16-24
Frequency Response	45 Hz – 20 kHz
Distortion	THD+N – 0.030%
Power Output	25 W total system power, bi-amplified (1x 20W woofer, 1x 5W tweeter
Drivers	1x 3.5-inch woofer, 1x 1-inch tweeter

 

PRICE R7 990.00 (Pulse Flex2i )

R9 490.00 (Pulse Flex2i Mobile)

SUPPLIED BY Cinema Imports (Pty) Ltd t/a AV Imports  082 571-6568

WEBSITE www.avimports.co.za

 

The Short of It…

Typical Bluesound…well, sound. Build quality beyond reproach. Impressive amount of audio formats supported. Optional battery pack will make it truly wireless!

The Long of It…

I’ve had a number of ‘single’ speakers come my way of late, all of which can perform incredibly well on their own, but which are actually meant to function in a multi-speaker set-up. Based on their standalone performance, I can only assume that as part of a home theatre environment, for example, they must truly excel.

Another case in point here is Bluesound’s Pulse Flex 2i.

As with all Bluesound products I’ve reviewed so far, the Flex came in a sturdy package, the unit itself wrapped in a soft white cloth.

Setting up was, as they say, Easy Peazy Lemon Squeezy, thanks in large to the hugely intuitive BluOS App, which is compatible with iOS, Android, Kindle Fire, and Windows and Mac OS X desktops.

I’ve had a number of BluOS-capable products with me for review, so it was pretty much open the App, turn the Flex on and connect to the network when prompted. Once connected, the musical world of radio stations, music services such as Spotify, TIDAL and more are all at your fingertips. Adding to the Flex’s…flexibility, is the newly added support for Alexa Voice Control and Apple AirPlay2.

Bluetooth is now version 4.1, Qualcomm aptX, which means you can wirelessly stream any music from a Bluetooth-enabled device in pure CD-quality.

Don’t despair if wireless is not your thing, for whatever reason, because the speaker also offers an Ethernet RJ45 connection, a single Type-A port for connection to USB memory sticks (Fat32 or NTFS formatted) and supported peripherals as well as an analogue/optical in. There’s even a headphone connection!

On top of the Flex are a number of playback controls for Play/Pause, skip tracks and volume up/down. Five presets can be used to store radio stations, music services and more. To be honest, I didn’t bother using these, because the App has pretty much all the functionality you need. All of this in an 18.3 x 12.5 x 10 cm (HWD) frame. It scarcely seems possible.

But as impressive as all of the above is, none of it would matter at all if the actual listening experience was in any way disappointing, which was most certainly not my experience.

I understand I’ve said it before, but I’m going to have to be guilty of repetitiveness and say yet again that I remain dumbfounded by how awesome the small speakers sound these days. The early versions could at times (in the right environment) produce quite an impressive volume kick. But as impressive as it was, part of me felt that something was missing, and I found it when I first started using portable DACs to listen to my music on headphones.

All of a sardine I started remembering back to some of the listening sessions I’d been able to sneak into at the old AVSA magazine listening room. It made me remember that, in particular, mid-frequencies actually existed…and they sounded great!

And this is the difference. Speakers like the Flex 2i, in spite of their small stature, are able to not only deliver power, impressively so, but most importantly, they deliver the complete music spectrum in all its glory. If you’re looking to use the Flex 2is in a stereo role, then it’s as simple as adding a second Flex 2i, and if deemed necessary, the Bluesound Sub+ to take care of the lower frequencies.

If you’re looking to use the Flex 2i in a home theatre setup, then you use two Flex 2is as rear surrounds (using either stands or the custom-made Bluesound Pulse Flex wall mount bracket, the WM100 that uses a tilt-and-swivel design, allowing you to place and lock the speaker at the optimal angle for enhanced sound quality), add the Soundbar+ and Sub+, and voila – you have a 4.1 Dolby Atmos system.

If you need music on-the-go, add the BP100 battery pack and take your Flex wherever you want. The pack can be bought separately, or as a package deal when you buy the Flex itself.

The Flex 2is may not have as much of the low frequency grunt that the PSB AM5s that I own, but oh my word, they are so incredibly musical that all you want to do is line up all your favourite music tracks and just listen.

Whenever I got the chance, I’d plonk myself down on the couch and revel in enjoying all my favourite Spotify and TIDAL tracks. Just an awesome listening experience!

Andrew Rowland