The Melody Spruce is Ashland's smart tech showcase—and unlike most gimmicky 'smart' trees, this one actually delivers something worth having. The music-reactive lighting isn't just twinkling to a beat. The lights move directionally: cascading up the tree, meteor patterns shooting down, chasing sequences that circle around. Combined with 12 color options and 10 pattern modes, you get genuinely dynamic effects that feel more like a light show than a Christmas tree.

At an estimated 30% PE (lower than premium models but still providing some realistic texture), the tree itself looks good. The 3,064 tips across a 54-inch diameter create a full profile. The spruce-style needles give it a traditional Christmas tree appearance. It's not going to fool anyone into thinking it's real up close, but from room distance with the lights active, the overall effect is impressive.

The trade-off for all this tech? Lighting density. At 500 LEDs for 7.5 feet (67 lights per foot), this tree is significantly under-lit by premium standards (100+ lights/ft). But here's the key insight: sparse lighting matters less when the lights are programmable and actively moving. Static under-lit trees look dark. Dynamic under-lit trees look intentional. The Melody Spruce falls into the latter category.

The built-in speaker system is basic but functional—fine for ambient holiday music at moderate volume, not a replacement for a real speaker system. The remote control is comprehensive: adjust volume, change songs, switch light colors, select patterns, turn music or lights on/off independently. Everything is controllable without reaching behind the tree.

This is a party tree. If you want elegant, understated decoration, look elsewhere. If you have kids, host gatherings, or appreciate dynamic lighting, the Melody Spruce delivers genuinely fun features at a mid-range price.

This is the signature feature. The lights don't just flash to music—they move in choreographed patterns that travel up, down, or around the tree.

How it works:

• Musical speaker box connects to tree lighting system
• When preset songs play, lights perform synchronized routines
• Patterns include: waves (up/down), meteor (shooting effects), chasing (circular motion), rainbow cycles, flash patterns
• Each song has a pre-programmed light show

Important limitation: Music sync only works with the 7 preset songs. When you play your own music via Bluetooth or USB, the speaker plays the audio but the lights revert to random patterns—they don't actually sync to your music. Multiple reviews mention this disappointment. The preset songs are:

1. A Holly Jolly Christmas
2. Christmas Happy Pop Rock Kit
3. Hark the Heralds
4. Jingle Bells Kit
5. Last Christmas
6. The 12 Days of Christmas
7. We Wish You a Merry Christmas

The speaker quality is what you'd expect from a $300 tree: clear enough for holiday background music, tinny at high volumes, no bass response. It's comparable to a $30 Bluetooth speaker. Fine for ambiance, not for serious listening.

The 10 light pattern modes (independent of music) offer variety:

• M1: Steady on
• M2: In waves (up 12x, down 12x)
• M3: Meteor (up 13x, down 13x)
• M4: Chasing (up 12x, down 12x)
• M5: Overlap flash
• M6: Open-close flash
• M7: Cycle flash
• M8: Twinkle flash
• M9: Rainbow flash
• M10: Fast flash

The directional patterns (waves, meteor, chasing) are genuinely impressive to watch. They create visual movement that static lighting can't match.

The tree offers 12 color configurations via remote:

Single colors: Red, Green, Dark Blue, Grass Green, Purple, Light Blue, Cool White, Warm White

Color combinations: Red/Green, Red/White, Red/White/Blue, Multicolor

The single colors are solid and saturated—good for themed decorating or matching room aesthetics. Warm White (2700K range) is the most natural option for traditional Christmas appearance. Cool White is brighter and crisper.

The multicolor mode is where customer complaints focus: instead of random colored lights distributed throughout the tree (traditional multicolor), the Melody Spruce displays banded layers—all red at bottom, green in middle, blue at top (for example). Some reviews describe this as looking artificial or strange. If you want traditional randomized multicolor lights, this tree doesn't offer it.

One significant annoyance: the tree defaults to all-red lights every time it powers on. You cannot save a preferred default color. If you leave it on Warm White and turn it off overnight, it will reset to red the next day. You'll need to use the remote to switch back to your preferred color each time.

The remote control is comprehensive:

• Volume up/down
• Music on/off
• Lights on/off
• Play/pause
• Next/previous song
• Mode selection (Bluetooth/Preset songs/USB)
• Color selection
• Pattern selection

Remote range is adequate for typical room use (15-20 feet). Multiple reviews praise the remote convenience—no reaching behind the tree to adjust settings.

At 500 LEDs for a 7.5-foot full-profile tree:

• Actual: 67 lights per foot of height
• Industry standard for full trees: 100+ lights per foot
• Recommended for this tree: 750-800+ bulbs
• Shortfall: 250-300 bulbs

This puts the Melody Spruce in budget-tier lighting territory by raw count. However, context matters: sparse lighting is standard for smart/programmable light trees. The electronics required for color-changing, pattern-programmed LEDs add cost and complexity, so manufacturers compensate by reducing light count.

The practical impact:

• When lights are in motion (waves, chasing, meteor patterns), sparse coverage looks intentional
• When lights are static (steady-on mode), dark spots become noticeable
• Heavy decoration with reflective ornaments helps mask gaps
• Minimal decoration emphasizes the under-lighting

Several customer reviews mention the tree looks great in dynamic modes but wish there were more lights in steady mode. This tracks with the technical trade-off Ashland made: prioritize programmable effects over coverage density.

The Melody Spruce uses an estimated 30% PE / 70% PVC blend across 3,064 tips. This is a moderate PE percentage—the focus here is on tech features rather than premium realism.

The PE needles are concentrated on outer branch sections where they're most visible. They have realistic color variation (darker green at base, lighter at tips) and matte finish. The PVC needles fill interior structure and provide fullness.

At 3,064 tips across a 54-inch diameter, the tree is very full. You won't see through to the trunk or center pole from normal viewing distances. Customer photos consistently show a dense, well-filled tree.

Spruce-style needles are pointier and more three-dimensional than flat fir needles, giving the tree a classic Christmas tree profile. The branch structure is hinged—branches drop down and lock into position easily.

Fluffing is required despite what some marketing implies. Customer reviews consistently mention spending 20-45 minutes pulling branches down and fanning out needle clusters. This is standard for hinged trees at this price point. The branches hold their shape well once fluffed, so subsequent years are faster (20-25 minutes).

Note on wiring: The electrical wiring that connects light strands is fairly taut and stretches across branches, as demonstrated in our video. This may cause issues with branches unfolding smoothly or wires getting caught over time. Extra care should be taken during setup and storage to avoid stressing the wiring connections.

The Melody Spruce has more electronic components than standard trees: speaker system, control module, remote receiver, color-changing LED controllers, pattern generators. More electronics = more potential failure points.

Customer reviews mention:

• One connector failure 4 days after setup (replaced under warranty)
• One unit with music box glitch (factory replaced within a week)
• One missing remote control (quality control issue)
• One complaint about middle lights going out due to connector issue on Christmas Eve

The 3-year warranty from Ashland covers defects, and the few failure reports show responsive customer service (parts shipped quickly, replacements provided). But the failure rate appears higher than simple pre-lit trees with basic lighting.

The electronics are built into the tree structure—if the speaker box or control module fails outside warranty, repair may be difficult or impossible. This is a calculated risk: you're getting advanced features at $300, but you're not getting industrial-grade reliability.

For buyers, this means:

• Keep your receipt and packaging for warranty claims
• Test all functions within the first week
• Have realistic expectations about long-term durability

Most users report no issues, but the complexity introduces risk that simpler trees don't have.

At $300 (60% off the $800 MSRP—which is inflated), the Melody Spruce is competitively priced for its feature set. You're paying for novelty and entertainment value more than premium tree construction.

Who should buy this:

• Families with young children (kids love the music and light shows)
• Anyone who hosts holiday gatherings and wants a conversation piece
• Shoppers who prioritize dynamic effects over static appearance
• Buyers who appreciate smart features and remote control
• People decorating commercial spaces (retail, offices) where novelty matters

Who should skip it:

• Anyone wanting elegant, understated decoration
• Shoppers who need maximum lighting coverage
• Buyers concerned about electronic reliability (simpler trees last longer)
• People who want true randomized multicolor lights (this uses color bands)
• Anyone who values premium PE percentage and realism above features

Alternatives to consider:

• Balsam Hill Classic Blue Spruce (7.5ft): 1,480 LEDs, dual-color (not RGB), no music, higher tree quality, $400-500
• Ashland Collins Fir (7.5ft): Same price, memory wire, 50% PE, higher tip count, no smart features but better tree
• King of Christmas models with remote: Similar pricing, better lighting coverage, no music sync but more reliable
• Standard tree + separate smart lights: More flexibility, easier to upgrade/repair components independently

Bottom line: The Melody Spruce delivers genuinely unique features (music-reactive directional lighting) that justify the purchase if that's what you want. The tree itself is good—30% PE, very full, attractive. The electronics introduce complexity and potential failure risks. If you want a fun, dynamic tree and accept the trade-offs, this is a solid choice at $300. If you want maximum quality and longevity, simpler models are safer bets.