Pure Jongo Wireless Multiroom System Review

Multi choice for wireless multiroom

by Phil Hinton
MSRP: £500.00

What is the Pure Jongo Wireless System?

The Pure Jongo system can be made up from a number of the company’s wireless speaker units. You can start with one on its own or a number of Jongo units all connected together or used separately in a multiroom or multi-role configuration, within your home.

If that sounds confusing it needn’t be as the whole premise of the Pure Jongo system is that it should be easy to set up and simple to use. Everything about the system is connected to the Pure Connect App available on iOS and Android smart phones and tablets. With just a few simple menu selections you can set up one or more Jongo’s in one or more rooms in the home and off you go, streaming music from the smart device app.

If you read the blurb supplied with the Jongo units, they explain in simple terms how the system can be used by any end user no matter how technically proficient they may or may not be. You can stream synchronised music from any device (e.g. laptop, smartphone, tablet etc.), using any music app or music streaming service (e.g. Pure Connect, Pandora, Rdio, Deezer, Spotify etc.) to multiple speakers all around your house using Bluetooth Caskeid. That is what the promotional materials say about the Jongo system and we are about to fully test those claims in the review below.

The system we are reviewing here consists of two T4X units and single T2X and S3X units (4 Jongo in total). Let’s have a closer look at each speaker.

Jongo T4X

PURE Jongo 2015
Like all the T units here and in the Pure line-up (we are only missing the higher end T6X from the system) the T4X can be used on its own, synced with another T4X as a stereo pair and/or as part of a multi-room set-up.

Each T4X unit measures in at 305mm x 146mm x 165mm (W x D x H) and weights 3Kg. It can sit either on its end vertically or on its feet horizontally and the logos swivel around on the grille to match whatever orientation you decide on. You can completely remove the grille from the front of each unit to reveal the drivers, but they are not very pretty to look at. However the T4X (and T2X) come in Black or White coloured cabinet finishes and the black speakers come with a graphite speaker grille and the white with a new ice coloured grille. Consumers can also customise their Jongo T speakers with additional coloured grille designs.

Inside the front ported plastic cabinet are the 2 full-range 4” drive units sitting at each end of the cabinet and slightly toed-out by the design of the unit and powered by 2 x 25 watts RMS from the built-in amplifier.

Around the back of the speaker unit is a power supply input, a USB port a 3.5mm jack input and a WiFi button. Although the Jongo speakers are wireless for streamed content, the T4X does need to be powered at all times to work. Looking at the unit from the front there are volume and mute buttons to the top side and a power button to the bottom. The power button is constantly lit either amber in standby or green when in use. Build quality is very good with a sturdy, if plastic, feel to construction and a good weight.

Set up of all the Jongo units is via the Pure connect app. This is available on iOS and Android devices free of charge, although to stream from their music store will require a paid subscription. Once you have gone through the relatively painless set up procedure for one unit, it is just a case of repeating the same for any additional units you wish to add.

With Bluetooth Caskeid you can sync two T4X units, like we have in our system set up, as a stereo pair. This functionality is slightly limited by using the App to make sure they stay in sync when using ‘other’ streaming applications, it does however work surprisingly well to create a convincing stereo pair. Apart from the power cables you do not need any other cabling or wires to have the two Jongo’s in stereo and in sync. One downside that we found in our time spent with the Jongo’s in our home was with some desirable AV aspects not being available. For example, with the stereo pair of T4X units either side of the main TV in the living room, it wasn’t possible to run a 3.5mm input from the TV to one Jongo and have the sound in stereo through the two synced units. Perhaps we were expecting too much from the system, given the price point, but we also can’t help but think this is a bit of an oversight in functionality, especially with our readership.

Bluetooth Caskeid (pronounced Cask Aid) is an interesting technology developed by Pure’s parent company, Imagination Technologies, which Pure describes as ‘delivering exceptionally accurate synchronised wireless multiroom connected audio streaming with less than 25µs synchronisation accuracy’. The company are convinced that this technology will help satisfy the HiFi community that WiFi and wireless speaker systems are good enough to replace wires, convincing even the most demanding audiophile. The way that the technology synchronises each speaker and their output is unique and delivers a sound that matches a wired system with no errors in timing or muddying the sound quality. Licence holders include Onkyo and there is certainly a future for this technology in multiroom systems in the very near future. For more information on the tech you can visit the website http://www.caskeid.com
PURE Jongo 2015
The T series speakers certainly share the family looks.

Jongo T2X

PURE Jongo 2015
The T2X is almost identical to the T4X in design and layout of the buttons, inputs and drivers – it is just a smidgen smaller. The only major physical difference is a port to the rear of the unit, where on the T4X it is to the front under the grille. Again we have inputs for USB and 3.5mm jack, a power input and a WiFi button to the rear. Like the T4X the grille can be removed and replaced with after-market variants.

In terms of size the T2X is 250mm x 120mm x 150mm (W x D x H) and weighs in at 1.1Kg. The drivers are 3-inch full range units and they are powered by a 2 x 10watt RMS power amplifier. Again, the T2X must be powered at all times.

As with the T4X, the T2X has a new Digital Signal Processor (DSP) to improve bass response and what Pure describe as a finer tuned audio performance at various volume levels. Set up is identical to that used by the T4X and is easy to follow and takes a few minutes to configure via the new app.

Jongo S3X

PURE Jongo 2015
Compared to the first two units in the system, the S3X is a very different beast. This small unit has 4 x Mylar ¾” high frequency drivers with 1 x Neodymium motor upward firing 3.5” mid/bass driver and boasts a 360° sound field. Active amplified power is split to the 4 HF drivers at 2.5W and 10W RMS going to the mid/bass driver.

The layout of the drivers in four corners and the mid bass in the centre upward firing is a unique design and works very well in spreading sound around a small room. Unlike the other speakers it is also completely portable and can run for 20 hours on battery power. It can also be mains charged to make recharging the batteries nice and easy.

Around the rear of the unit are a USB slot, a Bluetooth dongle and slot, a power input, 3.5mm jack input, a music button and WiFi button. There is also a 1-inch LCD Screen to show audio profiles, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth settings. Using the screen you can select four audio profiles (2 channel stereo, 4 channel mono, 4 channel stereo and outdoor boost mode) for the unit in different environments.

To the front of the unit are the volume and mute controls. The top plate is a see-thru grille where you can see the mid/bass driver.

Set up and use

The actual set up of the various Jongo units individually and collectively was very straightforward and easy – as long as you have an iOS or Android device to run the Pure Connect app. Through a 5 minute per speaker process, you set up the WiFi and then Bluetooth functionality and that’s you done. Whether it is just one Jongo speaker or a 4 speaker system like the one tested here, the steps are repeatable and easy to follow.
PURE Jongo 2015
PURE Jongo 2015

Things only start to become a little more complicated when you try to start playing music from different apps like Spotify or Tidal for example. We think most people would get the hang of it after a couple of attempts, but we wouldn’t call the process intuitive. The same can be said for finding local drives on the network such as a laptop or NAS drive. Again this happens through the Pure Connect app with a little navigation and waiting while it finds your folders. However, once you get the hang of the way the app wants you to do things it is certainly easy to use without too many grumbles. It could however be far more intuitive, so we hope Pure continue to develop and refine it.
PURE Jongo 2015
PURE Jongo 2015

One thing we did find in our particular case was the WiFi and Bluetooth range of the speakers can be compromised quite easily with the thick walls of our late 19th century building. In a modern new build we are sure there will be few problems getting a Jongo to work in every room. In our case we found that just 15 feet, a wall and no line of sight was enough to kill the signal dead. Obviously there are solutions out there to extend the range and assist the Jongos, so we are not going to mark them down too much for this. Just be aware of the limitations if you have thick walls and any distance between the units.

Video Review

Jongo System Sound Quality

PURE Jongo 2015
Looking at a single T4X first and foremost the sound quality produced is what you can rightfully expect at the £150 price mark given it’s cabinet and driver size. If you are expecting a bass heavy, room loaded sound then forget it; you "cannae change the laws of physics." However what you do get is a reasonably loud (if required), clean and mid-range heavy sound that never seems distorted unless pushed beyond reasonable background levels. In an average 20ft by 12ft UK living room with some soft furnishings a single T4X adds some pleasant, clean background music which we think is above average for the product type and price point. If you do push it harder than it can cope, it quickly becomes very brittle sounding, very boxy and enclosed.
PURE Jongo 2015
Add a second T4X and sync them as a stereo pair and you take the performance possibility up a notch. Again, with the right volume levels to suitably produce a nice level of background music the T4X does sound detailed and good with vocals. In a sync pair the stereo effect is also very good with no sign of any phase or time issues muddying the sound. With some classical soundtracks or even with Orbital LIVE the Jongo’s are very compelling at the price point for background listening. Where they start to fall apart sound wise is at higher than background music levels and even for some critical listening at reasonable volume.
But they are not designed to create deep musical bass lines, or high frequencies at higher volumes. Ask them to do this and you soon meet the drawbacks of their size and price point.

At £300 for the pair you are starting to get into very reasonable budget two channel territory with a decent amp and 2 speakers, but that’s not really the point with the Jongo’s or their design brief. These are not audiophile products and they don’t pretend to be. They are an appealing way to stream compressed music around the home and sound good at reasonable volumes – and to that end they succeed in our opinion.

The T2X offers a very similar performance to the T4X with obviously a little less power and driver size, but again it coped well in our smaller sized kitchen. The S3X excelled in its role as a portable unit with it being used in the bathroom and other smaller rooms around the house. It has a nice clean and punchy sound and was better suited to bass heavy riff tracks or dance music than the T speakers were at the same volumes. Again this is not an audiophile product but as a background music provider with good quality audio at reasonable listening levels, it fulfils its design brief.

Conclusion

The Good

  • Good value for money
  • Easy multiroom audio solution
  • Easy to use app for background music
  • Very good build quality
  • Good customisation choices

The Bad

  • Not an audiophile product
  • The various ways to stream can initially be confusing

Pure Jongo Wireless Multiroom System Review

You know products like the Jongo series of speakers are sometimes the hardest reviews to write and assess. The speakers are made for a market that is popular with the mainstream consumer, they fill a role that has been identified and they do it very well. They are not audiophile products in any way, but they do produce a very good background sound quality with little distortion and clean vocals.

They are easy to control once you get used to the app based system you must use to control them, and they do the job they promise on the box. As a multiroom system that you are not going to push too hard volume wise with compressed tracks, they work extremely well and do exactly what they say on the tin.

The problem is they are not exceptional in any way. The designs are functional, the build quality is very good and the performance is what we expect given the design limitations and price point. They are almost like an old faithful in that way. So, not bad at all, yet nothing exceedingly compelling at the same time. And I guess that kind of explains this segment of the market in general. Good ideas, well executed and above average performance at very reasonable pricing. Just don't expect audiophile listening levels or quality.

If you are looking for a multiroom system that requires easy set up and use, with above average background sound levels and a good level of build you can’t go wrong with the Pure Jongo line. Because of that we can give them a recommendation. The really compelling technology for us is Caskeid and what that will bring to the multichannel wireless speaker world going forwards.

Scores

Sound Quality

.
.
.
7

Sound Quality

.
.
.
7

Build Quality

.
.
8

Build Quality

.
.
8

Value For Money

.
.
.
7

Value For Money

.
.
.
7

Verdict

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.
.
7

Verdict

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.
.
7
7
AVForumsSCORE
OUT OF
10

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