Pure Evoke-1 - TechRadar UK

This latest DAB from Pure may have a real wood veneer, but it looks like something a fourth former has brought home from woodwork class.

Its appearance may be basic, but as well as being small and sturdy, the Evoke-1 is extremely functional and will suit a casual kitchen user really well. Despite being tiny, don't make plans to travel with it, though: it's mains-operated only and there is no remote control.

Connectivity is limited to a 3.5mm headphone socket, an analogue line out for connecting to an external amplifier, MiniDisc or hi-fi. This and an auxiliary speaker socket are essential, because the Evoke-1's mono sound output is quite restricting.

Although giving crystal clear sound, that's wholly down to the quality of the DAB signal. With its one tiny speaker, the Evoke-1 delivers mid-range sound with virtually no bass. Stereo sound (and some essential extra bass) can only be obtained by investing another £30 in an add-on ST-1 speaker, available via Pure Digital's website. In our mind, it's an essential purchase.

Yet despite its shortcomings it is worth a look, if not a listen. While other DAB radios are fiddly to use and difficult to get to know, the Evoke-1 pushes all the right buttons straight out of the box. Like most DAB radios, it autotunes when switched-on for the first time, an operation that can be simply repeated if it needs to be moved into another room.

A tuning knob means scanning through available stations is particularly swift, and a simple push similarly selects and tunes-in much faster than other models. Manual tuning, toggling between various displays and even deleting radio stations from the master list is also possible: this is a very user-friendly unit.

With its small size, easy operation, but limited sound output, the Evoke-1 does sit well in a kitchen. Where it will curry favour with those after much higher quality audio is as an add-on to a DAB-less hi-fi set-up, and we have no qualms about recommending the Pure Evoke-1 for this purpose.

Invest in that extra speaker, though, and it could stand-up well on its own. If it's value you're after, though, it may be better to look elsewhere.