Popular Science started writing about technology more than 150 years ago. There was no such thing as “gadget writing” when we published our first issue in 1872, but if there was, our mission to demystify the world of innovation for everyday readers means we would have been all over it. Here in the present, PopSci is fully committed to helping readers navigate the increasingly intimidating array of devices on the market right now. The only other features interrupting the flow of the Pulse 5’s clear shell are its sturdy nylon loop strap and a beautifully compact 3.5-inch long panel of physical controls that houses the USB-C charging port, power, Bluetooth, and PartyBoost connectivity buttons (for pairing multiple Pulse speakers together), as well as a button to control the LEDs (on, off, and a long-press lets you change the mode) and a power-level light. Derek Malcolm / Digital Trends

Bass is rather anaemic, leaving electronic music and hip hop sounding a little flat and lifeless. There’s just no real presence to the low registers. The mids and treble fare better, with decent clarity and detail for the money. Why it made the cut: It’s truly a classic lava lamp that won’t overwhelm your room with psychedelic nostalgia.

Highest Rated in Bluetooth Speakers

The Lava BrightSounds 2 has some useful added features but it isn’t the best choice for outdoor use. Green Earth’s culture is defined by a simple set of values that define how we operate every single day – Trust, Care, Innovation, and Pride. They reflect how we interact with our clients, our colleagues, and our communities. We hold each other accountable for creating a company we can all be proud to work at. Separating it from the troves of Bluetooth speakers on the market, the Lava BrightSounds 2 throws in added features that’s likely to appeal to festival-goers and campers alike. Not only will this unit pump out tunes, so you’re not all sat around singing Kumbaya, but it also includes an integrated lamp and a USB port for charging your tablet or smartphone.

It’s worth paying attention to how the companies add the color to the lamp. Some add dye directly to the wax and liquid, while others use neutral substances inside and paint the outside of the container. Those painted on the outside may lose a bit of their luster after regular cleanings, but they’ll look more vivid in the meantime. Extra features Most of the time, you’ll find that the height refers to the total height, so the actual glass area (which companies typically refer to as the “globe”) will be shorter than that. Color Why it made the cut: When the vibe is heating up, but you don’t want to wait for the light show to warm up, the JBL Pulse 5’s 360-degree app-controlled ambiance is available at the press of a button.The speaker part of the BrightSounds 2 is available in a choice of tasteful pastel shades, including blue, green, mustard, pink and teal. On its own, a single Pulse 5 delivers mono sound (we’ll get into how it sounds below), but when connected to another Pulse with the PartyBoost feature, a stereo pair can be created. Or you can link multiple compatible speakers for a bigger sound. I only received one review unit to test out, so I was unable to try this feature. We have earned the trust and respect of our customers for one simple reason—we have great people. They are experts in their fields. They bring a strong service ethos to everything they do. They take pride and ownership in the jobs they do. We bring passion, pride and experience together. Unfortunately, while this all sounds great on paper, the BrightSounds 2’s delivery on these promises falls a little short – but, ultimately, its budget-friendly price means that it may still be worth considering. Unfortunately, the BrightSounds 2’s biggest issue is volume – it just isn’t loud enough to really deliver when outdoors. It’s fine when used in a small room as a bedside music-playing-lamp, but take it outside and its music becomes lost to anyone sat further away. If you’re looking for something to deliver volume outdoors, the UE Roll 2 is a much better bet. Should I buy the Lava BrightSounds 2?

While lava lamps may not be the classiest lighting solution to spruce up your home, they’re undeniably fun. When people come over, they’ll say, “Oh, cool, is that a lava lamp? I haven’t seen one of those in forever!” While you can get a ton of different styles, we recommend going with something classic and fun. Just don’t touch it once it’s on. Why trust us Pairing the JBL 5 to your device, be it a smartphone, tablet, or computer, is as easy as pairing any Bluetooth device. Once paired, you can of course play music from your favorite streaming services, or push the sound to it from whatever you’re watching on YouTube or Netflix. Like the JBL Pulse 3 and Pulse 4 before it, this latest fifth generation of JBL’s popular upright portable Bluetooth speaker is simply gorgeous. The entire outer shell of the Pulse 5 is clear plastic all around, save for the top and bottom caps which house the Pulse 5’s top upward-firing 0.6-inch tweeter and the bottom, down-firing 2.5-inch 30-watt woofer that gets just under an inch of clearance thanks to the device’s three rubber feet.On the top of the speaker you’ll find controls for Play/Pause as well as answering calls, volume adjustment and a button for turning on the lamp. Sound quality is about what you’d expect of a Bluetooth speaker for this price and size – keeping in mind the actual size of the speaker component. There’s only a single 5W driver inside. While the Pulse 5’s focus seems to be more on the light show, for a mono speaker of its size it’s reasonably loud, sounds pretty decent, and will be enough to satisfy most people. For my test, I used Spotify (Tidal’s lossless audio would be totally lost on this speaker) and started with the EQ off on both the Spotify app and the JBL Portable app, as well. I first tested the speaker in my small home office my media sideboard unit about six inches from the wall. The is mainly down to the lamp, which takes up about three-quarters of the overall height; only the top part is the Bluetooth speaker. I actually wish the Bluetooth speaker component was detachable, for when you have no need for the lamp. Speaking of sonics, new design elements in this fifth iteration push even more air out from the upfiring 30W woofer, while a newly added 10W tweeter extends crisp treble to help balance the mid-lows. The Pulse 5 outputs a surprising bass volume for a compact Bluetooth party speaker, while maintaining clarity.