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Pure Digital Evoke Flow internet radio
Pure entertainment pleasure
It's pretty obvious that the Lounge portal has been created to service more than just one product. No details are available as yet, but Pure will certainly release other products that will tap into the Lounge's features.
As far as good, old-fashioned DAB is concerned, the unit performs very well. Pure claims that this product, apart form its recognisable Evoke looks, has been redesigned from the ground up will all-new components. An Evoke on steroids is one way the company described the product. A claim like that can't go unexamined, so we decided to let our model do its first search for DAB stations in nasty little corner of Vulture Central were many a DAB radio has struggled.
The OLED display is one of the clearest and largest available on a radio
The Flow didn't miss a beat, delivering all available stations in really impressive audio. The quality of the sound is particularly pleasing - it's one if the best performing single-driver units we've heard in this kind of price range. Precise, powerful and with good depth, the Flow handles all types of audio from Gardener’s Question Time to Norwegian Death Metal with aplomb. Some 30 pre-set stations are also available.
FM mode is as strong as DAB with the same easy access to stations and great sound quality.
The interface on the radio itself is as well designed as the portal. The OLED display is one of the clearest and largest we've seen on a radio. The size of the screen means that often there's no scrolling needed to see all the information available, but when it is necessary, the moving characters remain pin sharp. There is also a good set of connection options, including headphone, auxiliary speaker option (Pure’s S1 speaker), audio in and a stereo out socket in case you want to plug the unit into something more serious.
The radio is mains powered, but Pure also offers its ChargePAK accessory, which can deliver around 15 hours of listening time.
Verdict
Put simply, this is a great little radio. In terms of features and performance compared to price point, it's one the best we have seen for many a moon. It’s not very often that we get a product that really feels like big step forward, but this is one of those times. Everything is smooth with the Flow, the unit and its portal can do a lot, but you never feel like you are on a learning curve, all the thinking had been done for you, you simply need to choose what you want to listen to and how. The unit will launch in September, but there is more to come form Pure and its dedicated Lounge portal approach.