Reviews related to : Pure
Pure have been a market leader in the up-and-coming DAB (Digital Audio Broadcast) market almost since it's inception.
With the older analogue fequencies due to be fazed out over the next few years DAB will become a necessary requirement for all those that still prefer audio rather than the bombardment of visual information from TV.
Whether indoors or outdoors, you can take the Woodland with you to deliver music to all around.
Under the banner of "Joyful Listening", in the form of a DAB+/FM radio that has Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity. This unit has been designed to feel equally at home when used either in an indoor location or for alfresco events that are organised to take advantage of the summer weather. With its dark green fabric covering, that is easy to wipe clean should it prove necessary, the Woodland has a sort of squashed cylinder appearance.
Few devices get reviewed more than once, one exception was another Pure offering called ‘The Bug’ and that was one of their first offerings and it is still in daily use. So when a friend asked me to see if I could get her Pure StreamR working I sort of remember reviewing it shortly before Lockdown so I said yes.
She had got it cheaply somewhere and all she had was the unit so firstly I downloaded the Instructions and then found a lead to charge it, while it looks like a USB ‘C’ it’s not so that took a while of sorting out from a range of slightly older offerings. This is basically a battery unit and you should only need to recharge it after around 15 hours of use. Next I left it charging overnight and when I looked in the morning a saw a green light on top of the near square unit.
The words ‘All In One’ normally relate to a printer that also copies and scan. Here it is an audio device that has everything in a single unit that measures 38x18x11cm. So you have DAB+, FM, Internet Radio, CD, Spotify, Podcasts, Bluetooth Audio and Auxiliary Input via 3.5mm socket.
The initial setup is controlled from a 6x5cm screen on the top of the unit, the first thing is to connect it to your Wi-Fi network once done you see a screen that displays eight icons in two rows of four. Control can be from buttons in front of the screen and you can move through selections sequentially. There is also a small remote control that allows you to make changes from the comfort of your chair.
This is a small stereo unit that can run on mains or batteries. It is not only a DAB and FM radio but also an Internet radio and Bluetooth set of speakers. So what has Pure the biggest name in DAB radios got to offer for those who want the option of using their unit both in home/office and outside?
The Pure Elan Connect+ measures 23x10.5x5.5cm and weights 768 grams with batteries inserted. I found that you get between 7 and 8 hours on a set of four ‘AA’ batteries between charges. It is supplied with a USB to micro USB lead of one metre that then is the distance it can be from a computer or USB plug front. There is an eight piece 50cm long rod aerial that extends from the top.
Pure have long been a top name in DAB radios, others have followed and here is an offering from Dixons own label brand Sanstrom as well as the latest offering from Pure. So is the technology any different in the branded product to that on offer from the own label offering?
The Pure Evoke F4 DAB/FM radio measures 21x9.5x16cm excluding the semi circular handle that adds 3.5cm to the last figure the height. Mine was black. The handle acts as a snooze setting. It can be either mains or battery powered, the latter by fitting an F1 ChargePAK. The DC lead is 1.5metres long ending in a mid sized power brick. There are two knobs Volume and Select with seven touch buttons all below the 6.7x3.5cm six line white on black display.
Its been a while since I have looked at an Freeview HD PVR, in fact I have never looked at any TV device from Pure, a huge name in DAB radio. This unit is a twin tuner PVR and it can also connect to the Internet via Ethernet or Wi-Fi.
It is 43x13x4cm but you will need around 4cm more on the 13cm depth to allow for cable insertions in the rear. It weighs 2.9kilos. Before switching on for the first time insert your aerial lead in the rear and also attach the supplied DC lead and HDMI cable. It will then briefly show the Pure logo and then go into tuning mode in the first minute mine found 77 TV channels 25 radio channels and 18 data channels. This will vary according to where you are.
Most radios I have reviewed from Pure rely on mains power, some have worked on batteries if you play extra for a ChargePAK, however this unit is designed to work on its internal batteries charged by USB, no mains lead in sight.
It is 15x8x2.5cm and weights 296grams. In use the second figure the height can be as much as 50cm when the 42cm six piece rod aerial is fully extended. The connections are on the right side at the top a silvered lock button. Below this the micro USB connection, Auxiliary I and Headphone 3.5mm sockets and finally a Pin Hole reset button. The back has an easel type stand that tilts the radio back by around 15degrees when extended. The top and the left side are clear.
A DAB/FM Radio is just two of the things that this unit does, the Wireless Internet ability will give much more than Internet Radio, Pure Lounge and Media Player ability, the touchscreen or infra red controls make this more like a computer.
The nearest shape I can call it is an egg, it is 17x28x18cm and weights just less than 2 kilos, it can run on a ChargePak (internal rechargeable battery pack) but I doubt that many will walk around with the Sensia 200D Connect. Unlike most DAB units the visible controls are not obvious and consist only of volume up and down, mute and on/off. Everything else is controlled from the large 11.5x9.5cm touchscreen which is full colour and easy to read.
First is a DAB/FM radio from Pure Digital. It has a retro feel with a padded handle and wipe clean material covering it. Second a portable offering called Blighty with a union jack covering the back so you will be unlikely to misplace it.
The Pure Evoke Mio is 21x12x16cm, mine was blue/grey and cream and one place Pure think this mains/battery unit will be used is in the kitchen as it includes a kitchen timer. The battery side however only works with the Pure ChargePak. As with a lot of recent quality speakers the unit has a hole in the base to amplify the sound quality. The only other connection on the base is a twist screw to cover the dock for the optional ChargePak.
This is probably the largest DAB radio I have reviewed, but to be fair it is also FM, Internet, Media Player, Wi-Fi and has an iPod and iPhone dock. However as yet it has stubbornly refused to do the washing up or the ironing.
Moving this around is something you think about before you do it, not simply because its not light but also because it has no handle and so unless you are a skilled waiter you will need two hands as there are no grip points. Recently –around four weeks ago - I reviewed the more normal size Pure One Flow that does much the same as the Contour. However the larger size means that of course you have larger speakers and of course a fuller sound.
While better known for its DAB radio products, PURE offers an Internet-based service called the Lounge that you can inspect.
Owners of one of the more recent PURE DAB radio models with Wi-Fi and Internet radio capability will have already encountered the Lounge. For those unfamiliar with this feature, I should explain that the Lounge is PURE’s online portal providing a gateway to an environment of Internet radio and on-demand content made up of podcasts, listen again programmes and a collection of ambient sounds captured from natural phenomena.
This is a DAB, FM and Internet radio; however believe it or not that is just part of what this can do. Pure have their Lounge and with this service now improved and enhanced it enables your radio to do much more.
The Pure One Flow DAB radio measures 20.5x14.5x7cm this excludes the 77cm added to the middle figure the height by the eight piece rod aerial. It weights 730grams without batteries. Mine was black and covered in a sort of rubberised material that might give some protection if it were to be dropped. The back behind a flip down door is where batteries (or a charge PAK) are inserted it is also where the DC is inserted.
A new DAB radio from Pure offers a Listen Later and rewind feature.
The Pure ONE Classic is a DAB/FM radio that has a rather plain appearance. Predominately matte black in colour, apart from the silver controls decorating the front of the unit and an extendable aerial, this radio has dimensions of 210 x 145 x 72mm (W x H x D). Most of the control buttons are arranged in a smiling mouth or horseshoe arrangement around a central dial knob which allows you to scroll through and select the chosen option.
DAB radios come in all shapes and sizes including the ET appearance of the BUG. While the Pure Twilight model does not quite fall into the BUG category, its shape does help it stand out from the pack.
My first thoughts on seeing this DAB/FM radio were “was it modelled on the Kilroy graffiti of old or maybe the top half of Humpty Dumpty”. The Twilight is a domed shaped unit with a translucent lamp module perched on top of the main radio component and is certainly eye-catching with its modern day styling. Measuring 360 x 180 x 120mm (W x H x D), the Twilight is a fairly sturdy piece of kit that weighs in at 1.65kg.
While Pure were the first to offer SD card recording with The Bug many years ago. This version of Pure One, the 'Classic Series II', has a different approach by recording onto internal memory this allow you to listen later at a time to suit you.
Outwardly it looks like a Pure One however there is of course a big difference in that it has the ability to record in your absence. It measures 21x14x7cm with the second figure, the height, increased by up to 76cm dependant on how much you extend the eight piece rod aerial. The right side has a column of three connections, mini USB, earbuds and Line In.
While Pure are best known for DAB radios, this is certainly far more than that, I can remember a couple of units that have CD and another few that have Internet Radio, here the Sirocco 550 has the whole range of items.
The unit is 22.5x33.5x12cm, the middle figure (depth) is with the supplied wire radio aerial inserted in the rear and the last figure (height) without an iPod or iPhone inserted, even one of the smaller iPods will add around 8cm. The speakers are quite beefy at 17x25x26cm, these have 13cm mid range speakers and 2.5cm tweeters all in black wood.
In the past I have looked at several products that have been based around DAB radio technology. All these units had been designed for playing on a desk, table, shelf or similar platform as they deliver their audio output through built-in speakers. The Pure Move 2500 is a DAB radio but it does not follow this pattern. Rather it is a portable DAB/FM radio for taking on your travels and requires you to wear a set of headphones to listen to its output.
Making up this Pure product are the actual Move 2500 unit plus a ChargePAK M1 1000mAh battery pack, noise isolating headphones with a choice of small, medium and large ear-buds, a power adapter plus the small A6 size Owner’s Manual. In appearance the Move 2500 unit looks like a smaller version of my iPod Classic.
Pure Digitals Bug designed by Wayne Hemminway is a very futuristic early DAB radio with extras. Some have its Re-view feature but almost none have what is for me its best the ability to save timed recordings to SD card.
I have used it for years to record certain radio programs that I am unable to listen to at the time they are broadcast. I started using a 16MB SD card and this worked fine but on saving it always displayed a spurious error message. Some years later I tried using a 256MB card and this needed a lot of hard work to get it to record but eventually I managed to get reliable saving and all was well but it did still give the same spurious error message.
This is a DAB, FM, Internet radio that also has Flow technology that allows you to purchase what you are listening to. However there are other goodies from Pure Digital, this includes the ability to Media Stream and the Lounge.
The Pure One Flow measures 22x14x9cm, the unit is covered with a rubberised material so it could withstand the odd knock and even be able to withstand a wipe over with a damp cloth if you choose to use it in the kitchen. You can power it with a ‘ChargePAK’ or by mains; it comes with a 1.95metre lead to a small power brick plug. It does of course have alarms (both wake up and kitchen) sleep timers and more.
We tend to forget that a radio is a wireless device. As such it could access the Internet and your computers digital content.
Bringing together FM, DAB and Internet radio with the ability to access a cloud-based music service is the EVOKE Flow from PURE. In the past I have looked at a number of FM/DAB radio offerings from various manufacturers (including PURE) but this is the first time that I have come across this particular combination of features and services.
Main Menu
