Pure Jongo A2 Wireless Streamer

Pure has come out all guns blazing in the media streaming sector with the launch of its Jongo component system. The Jongo A2, much like the Arcam rBlink and QED uPlay Plus, is a small standalone box that’s aimed at enthusiasts wishing to stream media from a smartphone or tablet on a hi-fi system. But while the rBlink and uPlay plus only accept Bluetooth signals, the Jongo A2 can hitch itself onto a wireless home network where it can receive music, internet radio and podcasts via the Pure Connect app.

Pure Jongo A2 wireless streamer

Pure has given the Jongo A2 a competitive edge price-wise, although the wireless streamer doesn’t support the apt-X codec, unlike the $257.39 Arcam and $104.57 QED offerings. The A2 can be used to adapt any legacy hi-fi gear with analogue stereo phonon or digital audio inputs to accept streamed audio. It can also be used with a Jongo S3 portable wireless speaker.

At its heart is a 24-bit internal DAC with an RCA stereo phonon output, with the option to stream raw digital files using its coaxial and optical outputs? A USB socket is provided for making hard-wired Ethernet connections (the optional adapter is not supplied).

Rainbow bright

Available in all-black or black and white (oddly called piano) there are optional interchangeable side panels, priced at $20.90 and available in a number of mostly fluorescent colors. The main complaint, design-wise is that all it takes is a set of decent phonon leads inserted into its sockets and the unit tilts over backwards to reveal its rubberized base.

The A2 can be used with Bluetooth

As stated, the A2 can be used with Bluetooth, in which case all you need to do is pair it with your portable music player and start streaming. Handily, the Jongo A2 automatically switches to Bluetooth if it isn’t receiving a Wi-Fi signal, and vice versa. To connect the Jongo A2 to a home network you press the Wi-Fi button to generate a wireless network and using a smartphone (or similar) select the network, enter the provided URL and using the Jongo Setup Manager re-enter your router’s password in order to switch back on to your home network. Then, by selecting Pure Stream within the Pure Connect app you can beam music stored on your device to the Jongo via your router, as well as any other Jongo devices connected to the network. The app also provides free access to a plethora of live internet radio stations and on-demand shows, plus Pure Sounds, a delightful library of natural and mechanical sounds. Finally, there’s Pure Music, which for $8.03 per month provides access to a large catalogue of cloud-based music.

Using the Pure Connect app I stream music and internet radio from an iPhone 5 to the Jongo A2, which is connected to an Onkyo TX-NR709 and a set of Q Acoustics Q7000 speakers. I decide to concentrate on the output from the stereo phones to test the A2’s own DAC, but compare it with the coaxial connection.

In terms of file compatibility the Pure Connect app handles most playlists apart from a couple of albums that have been ripped from a CD via iTunes including Radiohead’s The Bends, and which it informs me it is unable to play using Pure Stream.

Connect app and it should appeal to hi-fi enthusiasts

Otherwise, the results are pretty much excellent, especially from the A2’s built-in DAC, which edges it over the Onkyo’s own DAC for overall clarity. With Britten’s Canadian Carnival op19the trumpet solo has a bit more top end and the subtle introduction of the cymbals is effortlessly defined against the strings and clarinet. The intensity of the tuba and trumpet two and a half minutes in is especially impressive.

Coming up trumps

James Dean Bradfield’s vocals in Motorcycle Emptiness by the Manic Street Preachers can be tricky to fathom at the best of times, and inferior equipment often renders them uncomfortably shrill. Not so the Jongo A2, which delivers maximum bandwidth without any hint of sibilance. The Lark Ascending, ripped from a DSD recording yields terrific detail, including the rasp of the bow on the strings that transports you to the pit of the Festival Hall. Switching to Bluetooth results in a distinctly more cramped sound, with higher frequencies especially tending to trail off.

Overall though, the Jongo A2 is an excellent streamer that works particularly well with the Pure Connect app and it should appeal to hi-fi enthusiasts. Using Wi-Fi and the built-in DAC delivers superior quality results to Bluetooth.

Details

·         Price: $160.9

·         Website: www.pure.com

·         Our verdict: 5/5