Subjekt Pulse Bluetooth Headphones (PLS-9600)

Stereo Bluetooth headphones are sounding a lot better than they used to, thanks to serious improvements with Bluetooth codecs. Suddenly, we have a lot of options to consider?even budget-friendly options?that offer surprisingly good sound. Subjekt's Pulse Bluetooth Headphones ($99.99 direct) are one such pair, providing solid audio performance for their under-$100 price. The only problem: So does another pair we've reviewed...a pair that, to understate things, looks and sounds very similar, yet costs $30 less. So, our generally positive review of the Pulse now becomes a side-by-side comparision of the Pulse and the eerily similar Outdoor Technology DJ Slims .

Design
There's no other way to put it: The Subjekt Pulse looks alarmingly like the DJ Slims. Both pairs feature a wide black plastic headband and near-identical controls?the only obvious differences are in ear pad size and paint job. Even the metallic headband adjustors look the same, and when you remove the earpads, the enclosures and grilles housing the drivers look identical (same size and number of holes, same swivel-type mount to the headband). There are some other subtle differentiators, like the use of different headband material textures (rubberized on the DJ Slims, glossy on the Pulse) and a raised, stylized button surface on the DJ Slims?see the picture below for a side-by-side comparison.

The Power button and controls are located on the right earpiece, and a dummy set of controls (that look like buttons but aren't) covers the left earpiece's outer panel, presumably for aesthetic symmetry. Yup, same setup on the DJ Slims. The blinking blue status LED is sized and placed identically on both pairs?something, by the way, that's not optimal. The light could be smaller, and placed somewhere so that those around you don't have to see it flashing constantly while you wear them.

Basically, it looks like Outdoor Technology and Subjekt bought their headphone frames from the same OEM. Does that mean they sound identical? Hard to say! We'll discuss this more at length later on in the review, but we have to give Subjekt the benefit of the doubt here, because there are enough physical differences (the contour of the controls, the glossy versus rubberized headband materials) that it's possible the internals are slightly different, as well.

The Subjekt Pulse comes with a charging cable but no actual charger?this is increasingly the standard for Bluetooth headsets, but it's not a good thing. It ensures that you'll need a computer with a USB port (or charger) around in order to get juice when the battery needs recharging?but what if you want to travel light? Isn't the point of highly mobile, wireless headphones to cut down on the clutter? For the record, the DJ Slims are guilty of the same crime.

Subjekt rates battery life for the Pulse at about 10-11 hours, which is comparable to the DJ Slims. The Pulse supports Bluetooth 2.1 and headset, hands-free, A2DP, and AVRCP Bluetooth profiles.

Performance
The Pulse delivers deep bass cleanly, even at maximum volumes?there may be a hint of distortion when both the sound source and the headphones are at maximum volume on tracks like our bass test track, "Silent Shout," by the Knife, but it is barely noticeable.

The mids and highs sound tweaked and sculpted, and the end result is very crisp, and ideal for a lot of popular modern music styles. It works well on classical tracks, too, like John Adams' "The Chairman Dances," bringing out higher register strings and percussion, while adding a bit of low-end boost to the lower register percussion and strings. It's never over the top, but it's clear that this is not really a flat-response sound signature, so audiophiles and purists will likely want to steer clear.

Call clarity on the Pulse is not a strength?my call partners often said I sounded muffled, as did their audio at times. I was using an iPhone 4S, which isn't exactly the king of call clarity to begin with, but this seemed a bit more muffled than usual. Regardless, it was never so unintelligible that we couldn't understand each other. Operating the on-ear controls for volume, playback, and answering calls was a snap.

Okay, now let's bring back the side-by-side comparison. There's no denying that the two pairs sound very similar, in terms of brightness and bass response. It did seem, with both pairs at maximum volume as well as the iPhone 4S source maxed out, that the Subjekt Pulse was slightly louder, but this could be anything from a slight disparity between two (possibly) identical products, a slight variance in performance due to the two pairs using slightly different drivers, or even the thickness and shape of the foam ear pads could make the difference.

It's hard to say for sure if the Pulse and the DJ Slims are the same pair of headphones wearing different costumes. Probably. But it's hardly a unique situation; enterprising young companies often choose to put their own stamp on models also offered to their direct competition by OEMs.

It also doesn't mean the Pulse is ripping off the DJ Slims, or vice-versa?they're both quality budget Bluetooth headphone options. What it really comes down to is price. Regardless of whether these are the same OEM model or not, they sound very similar, but the DJ Slims are a full $30 less. That's quite a discount. It's enough that we forgive the DJ Slims some shortcomings because it's priced at about $70, while we are less forgiving of the Pulse, which is priced around $100.

This was a complicated review to write: I don't think the Subjekt Pulse is anything but a solid, affordable pair of Bluetooth headphones. There just happens to be a far more affordable option offering the same performance for $30 less. Obviously, this affects the rating. If these side-by-side comparisons give you a headache, I don't blame you. The good news is, there are other quality Bluetooth options too. The Sennheiser MM 100 ?is a well-priced, behind-the-head headband style pair, and if you have some more money to spend, the recent Beats by Dr. Dre Wireless ?offers audio that may be highly sculpted, but still sounds great, especially if you're a bass lover. If you'd rather go the in-ear route, the Phiaton PS 20 BT ?is another inexpensive Bluetooth option.

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