Accessories

Over a decade since the launch of its iconic Evoke-1 DAB radio, Pure has moved into other areas, notably multiroom audio with its Jongo range and digital TV with the super-slick Avalon PVR. Yet the Evoke name lives on, and in its latest iteration, auditioned here, now adds Bluetooth connectivity to the usual mix of DAB radio and pleasing design. 

Available in Glacier (white) or Domino (black), the Evoke D2 With Bluetooth (a non-Bluetooth version retails for £80) stands 180mm high. It looks neat and tidy on a shelf, and feels well built for a relatively affordable product. The front grille hides the single 3in driver, above which are various controls, including four quick-access preset buttons (the radio can actually store 20). Around the back is a 3.5mm input for external sources and a headphone jack.

Performance is fine, as long as you lower your expectations. That single driver feeds off a dinky power plant and the resulting output is never likely to wake the neighbours. Yet ignore the volume limitations and narrow soundfield and the Pure's good traits come to the fore – it nicely blends low/mid-range weight with higher-frequency notes, so that Alice Cooper's Poison, broadcast by Absolute Classic Rock (DAB certainly has its plus points) comes through with all its snarling menace and squealing guitar lines. Bluetooth streaming, despite a one-off glitch where the Evoke switched back to DAB mode unprompted, proved equally listenable.

Pure's hybrid radio is therefore a decent option for a bedroom or kitchen (it even has a kitchen timer alongside alarm and snooze functions). It's just a shame that the rechargeable battery pack, should you want portability, costs an extra £30.

Pure Evoke D2 with Bluetooth, £100, www.pure.com

Verdict: 4/5