Pure Evoke-1 review

Pure goes down the retro wooden route

TechRadar Verdict

Simply designed and easy to use, this model suffers from mono sound, having only one speaker

Pros

  • +

    Simple and quick operation

    Very easy to use

Cons

  • -

    Mono sound

    Poor sound quality

    Price

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

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.

Tech.co.uk was the former name of TechRadar.com. Its staff were at the forefront of the digital publishing revolution, and spearheaded the move to bring consumer technology journalism to its natural home – online. Many of the current TechRadar staff started life a Tech.co.uk staff writer, covering everything from the emerging smartphone market to the evolving market of personal computers. Think of it as the building blocks of the TechRadar you love today.