Pure has upgraded their range of Evoke DAB radios to now include colour screens, audio enhancements and Bluetooth functionality, as well as subtle visual changes. The Evoke H3, H4 and H6 is what they are called and we have been fortunate enough to get sent the H6 variant, so let’s check it out!
The H6 is the largest of the radios so I wasn’t surprised when a rather large box turned up on my desk. Open the box and I am greeted by this beautiful, classic, vintage yet modern looking radio and instantly fell in love with its looks. Inside the box is the radio, a power lead and the usual instructions/warranty. The warranty covers you for three years, which is pretty good and far better than the one year most manufacturers offer.
The speaker is wrapped in this glorious, grainy, beach wood, with highlights of gloss white and brushed chrome. There are two speakers within this model (less on the others), both of which can be seen from the front. In the middle of the speakers is the new colour display and all the buttons you need. The two chrome dials are used to select and control the volume. The dials click, feel sturdy and help easily navigate through the radio stations and options. There is also the on/off button, six preset buttons and a few others that cover every feature of the radio.
On the back of the speaker are a variety of inputs/outputs such as power and aux in. There is an old school metallic aerial that can be extended, a deep bass port and a battery cover. Yes, the radio can be powered via battery, up to 50 hours I’m lead to believe but this is an optional extra that we’ve not be able to try out but its great that it has that flexibility. To finish it off, there is a chrome handle on the top with the words ‘SnoozeHandle’ on it…can you guess what that means? It’s for when the alarm goes off, touch the handle and the alarm will go into snooze mode, but I’ll try that out later. I think the radio would look better without the handle, but can appreciate that it’s an innovative way of hitting the snooze button and will also help on the portability side, if you get the battery pack.
The H6 is packed full of features, but here are the main ones you need to know about:
- DAB, DAB+ & FM Radio
- Vivid colour Screen
- Bluetooth v4.1 connectivity & Aux in- play songs from your phone or tablet
- 2.8” colour display
- 2x 10 Watts RMS (20 Watts RMS total)
- 2x 3” speakers producing stereo sound
- Rechargeable battery (OPTIONAL!)- upto 50hrs plug free music
- Clock & dual Alarm, with snooze & sleep timer
Using the radio is very easy, simply plug it in and wait for it to load. It will automatically load the stations available and the time. That’s it, you are now up and running, and able to listen to your favourite stations in glorious DAB quality. I wanted to connect my phone to the radio and its the exact same process I always use, turn Bluetooth on your phone on, pair the two and hit play. Navigating through the menus and stations is very easy with the two chrome knobs. The colour display is large enough to display everything you need and makes it very easy to control. It’s easy to save your favourite stations as presets and setting the alarm was a breeze. Oh and as expected, I set the alarm to go off and when it did, I touched the chrome handle and it went into snooze mode, sweeeeet!
Now, Pure have delivered before with their higher end speakers and as this is the top end radio, with a RRP of £199, I’m expecting a decent sound quality…and I’m not disappointed! The sound quality is top notch, with a very good blend of frequencies, including the perfect amount of bass. These are relatively small speakers, so they may not fill a large space but they can go pretty loud and hold their quality. Crystal clear quality from the DAB stations and no need to extend that aerial, unless you want FM. I listened to several stations and also some of my favourite tracks from my phone and was very happy indeed!
Overall, this is a great radio, packed full of features and will look pretty smart on any bedside table or desk. It’s a little disappointing that the battery pack isn’t included, considering you’re already spending nearly £200, and I do like the idea behind the handle, just not to keen on how it looks. Check out the new range of Evoke speakers on the official Pure website.
