PURE Evoke-3: Three times a lady
PURE is on its third revision of the Evoke series. Can the Evoke-3 possibly hope to deliver the everlasting joy and laughter of the original?
Wood veneers and chrome fascias may be the stuff of 1960s US automobile designers, but PURE seems keen to revive these eccentric design flourishes on its Evoke-3 DAB radio. The now legendary 'SnoozeHandle' (tap it lightly to send that alarm to sleep for a minute) is still present, looking more than ever like a doorhandle wrenched from an IKEA wardrobe.
This new model includes a range of small upgrades and tweaks, but there's no radical innovation: no built in GPS, laser beams or anti-grav.
Far from the simplicity of Roberts' retro designs, PURE is keen to take the Evoke brand into a sci-fi future -- it's more feature-packed than ever before: 20 alarms, 20 record timers, 99 DAB presets, and one lonely little SD card slot.
PURE has added an optical output for connecting the Evoke to an external amplifer and speakers, and there's an auxiliary to which you can attach your iPod or CD player.
At first listen, the £199 Evoke-3 sounds comparable to the excellent tone of PURE's earlier efforts. Certainly, the solid case and surprisingly bouncy rubber feet are doing a good job of isolating the cabinet. The low-end sounds controlled, without over-emphasis, and the mid- and high-end as crisp as DAB gets on these kitchen radio chassis. Expect a full review soon. -CS
Update: a full review of the PURE Digital Evoke-3 is now live.