We are a big fan of Pure in the office and when we heard the Pure Siesta S2 would be landing on our desks, fights were had to see who would be the chosen one to check it out. I won of course. The Siesta S2 is a DAB and FM alarm clock radio.
First impressions are good, the packaging continues the Pure, minimalist look, yet has a premium feel to it. Everything is well packaged, so there should not be any damage to the product while in transit if delivered. In the box you get the radio and a USB power lead. The Siesta S2 comes in either a white or dark grey finish.
Overall build quality is very good. It’s got a rigid plastic casing, with a glass like display at the front. There are multiple buttons located on the top to control the device and as I hoped, the snooze button is larger than the rest and located at the front. Buttons sit proud of the case, making it easy to find them in the early hours of the day. At the rear of the Siesta S2 is the USB port for power and a headphone jack to listen to your favourite radio station in bed, while your partner sleeps.
Before I turn it on, let’s take a look at some of its key features:
- DAB, DAB+ and FM Radio – DAB+ is an upgrade of the current DAB system, the main advantage being that it is three times as efficient meaning that it can carry far more stations and at a far higher audio quality than on DAB.
- CrystalVue Display – Auto-dimming display that won’t keep you awake at night
- Alarm function – Wake up to radio or alarm tone
- 10 Station presets
- Sleep or Snooze mode
- Headphones out
Plugging it in for the first time was a breeze! It sets itself up completely on its own, tuning in the radio stations and accurately setting the time. It was very easy to use after that. I was able to set two separate alarms with ease to the radio stations and the volume I wanted. Scrolling through radio stations was effortless and the presets help a lot, although I don’t need 10!
Sound quality is good, but I was hoping for something a little more special, as their other products we’ve seen in the past have sounded incredible. That being said, I got crystal clear radio broadcasts, both vocally and musically and it’s loud enough to wake the very deepest of sleepers.
I really like the CyrstalVue display. It looks very sleek and modern, it clearly shows all the information you need and also automatically adjusts the display brightness allowing you to sleep peacefully. You can of course turn the auto dimming off, and the display can get rather bright if desired.
A great feature is the sleep timer, which allows you to fall asleep while listening to the radio, but automatically turns itself off after a given period. No need to worry about leaving the music on all night. I did try this but after laying in my bed for ages, listening to some chart hits, I really wasn’t going to fall asleep. I do however know many people like to fall sleep listening to music or the TV, so this will be great for them.
The Siesta S2 retails at £69.99 and baring that in mind and its performance, I feel it is a little expensive. It does a very good job at being a clock radio, but that is all it is. I think they should have added an input to plug your audio device into and use as a standalone speaker. For further info and to purchase, visit the official Pure website.
