Pure Evoke F3 Internet DAB/DAB+ Digital and FM Radio
Pure
Internet, DAB/DAB+ digital and FM radio with Bluetooth and Spotify Connect
Over the last few years, we've had an Amazon Alexa in the kitchen, which initially was great in the beginning and we had some fun with it. However, as time has moved on and the novelty has warn off of asking Alexa to fart or asking it random stupid questions during a dinner party. We use the functionality less and less and the device has more or less become nothing more than a glorified radio with a very powerful listening device.
Ever since my wife watched the Edward Snowden movie based on his book Permanent Record she has become a little more aware of the dangers of the having a powerful listening device in the heart of our home, which as we all know is the generally the kitchen.
Permanent Record
Edward Snowden
Edward Snowden, the man who risked everything to expose the US governments system of mass surveillance, reveals for the first time the story of his life, including how he helped to build that system and what motivated him to try to bring it down.
We decided it was time to switch back to radio. Personally I specifically wanted a DAB radio player and Spotify connectivity so I can listen to music and podcasts. Obviously we needed a device with Wireless internet access capability. My preference was to have Ethernet connectivity, so I could connect the the device to a homeplug adaptor we have in the kitchen. Primarily because bizarrely our kitchen is a bit of wireless black spot in our house.
I couldn't find any devices on the market that have ethernet connectivity, maybe that ship has sailed. In the end I opted to go for buying a homeplug wifi extender to boost our signal and bought the Pure Evoke F3 Internet DAB after spending quite bit of time perusing the options available.
This set had the features and capabilities I was looking for:
- FM/DAB+/DAB digital radio stations
- Access to internet radio stations from all around the world
- Connect your smartphone or tablet and stream music wirelessly via Bluetooth
- Play favourite artists and playlists with Spotify Connect
- Control through smartphone or the included remote control
I have to say that it certainly was a little pricier compared to others on the market, but as soon as I heard the sound this little bad boy kicks out and the quality of it, its worth it.
I suppose like any household, as soon as the radio is switched on in the morning, it stays on till bedtime. As you can tell my radio is placed right next to the coffee machine, so as soon as I come down stairs in morning the first thing i do is switch on the coffee machine and the radio.
The wife and I love heavy rock music, I'm particularly fond of Metal, Punk, Rock, Grunge anything with angry drums and loud guitars! We also like a little bit of dance, reggae and tolerate a lot the music the kids are into these days. In my opinion this device has never failed to deliver the optimal listening experience to any of the music we've thrown at it. My Music to code too is my spotify playlist you can listen to get a flavour of my music taste
DAB radio reception is great and as with DAB radio the sound quality is mostly dependent on the station you're listening too. That being said BBC radio 6 and 2 come across perfectly. Radio X is great.
The great thing about Pure radio is that it enables listening to internet radio a breeze. I'm particularly fond of Hardrock radio hell and Anarchy & Angels
Style
I'm a sucker for anything that has a either an industrial or retro-modern aesthetic. In my opinion the Pure Evoke F3 leans into the retro-modern camp. It is somewhat reminiscent of the old radio's I remember as kid growing up in the late 70's early 80's, yet it doesn't look out of place in 2020's. This sort of fusion is just right up my street and I know this is just matter of personal taste and opinion .
The speaker cabinet is made from real wood, which I believe really helps with acoustic performance. The cabinet comes in a matt black finish.
Connectivity
Setting the radio up couldn't have been any easier. More or less from when I switched it on, to connecting to my Wifi and listening to a radio station was all done in a minute of two. I thought I was going to have difficulty connecting spotify, but really I just opened spotify on my phone, seen the speaker was available and connected to it and was playing music literally in seconds. As long as your smartphone and the device are on the same Wifi connection you're away. There is no need to sign in with a specific account. Meaning the kids can all connect to it from their devices and play their playlists without corrupting mine. I like a bit of Ed Sheeran, but there is no need for him to be in my favourite playlists 🙂
Ease of Use
The Pure Evoke F3 doesn’t use touchscreens and gestures; a single rotary dial provides a control to choose stations and adjust volume, and there are a few auxiliary buttons around it. This is limiting in any way, from my experience, although I will admit that entering our WiFI password just using the Turning nob, was a bit of challenge only because I've made the password so bloody difficult with a number of random characters, but even doing so I felt is was an intuitive process.
Functionality
The unit comes with some alarm and timer functionality but I have to be honest, I've never used this. We are spoilt for choice for alarms and timers in the house and I really couldn't be interested or bothered to explore this functionality on yet another device.
Spotify Connect gives you the option to access all of your favourite artists, podcasts, albums and playlists via your digital radio.
Bluetooth connectivity allows you to wirelessly connect your smartphone or tablet and stream audio directly from your device. Enabling you play even locally stored audio files.
Why I recommend this product
It has a beefy, powerful sound that shrugs off the usual sound limitations of a DAB radio. The access to Spotify Connect and Bluetooth helps this device to really stand out for modern users.
There are over 25,000 stations available worldwide and around 270,000 podcast episodes, so you shouldn't be short of content. That's ignoring any music or audio you play from your Bluetooth connected device or music via Spotify Connect.
Pure Evoke F3 Internet DAB/DAB+ Digital and FM Radio
- The Evoke 3 digital radio comes with a remote control included, but you can also use the Pure Select app and control your radio from your smartphone
- Pure digital radios are Digital Tick approved ensuring they are ready for any future digital switchover; all products are built to a very high standard and come with 3 years warranty as standard
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