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The chosen DAB: PURE Digital One

I am PURE One and only, there ain't nobody I'd rather be! I am PURE One and only, you can't take that away from me! Call me, call me by my name or call me by number...

Chris Stevens

Jesus isn't April's only posterchild: PURE's new One offers salvation for those who couldn't justify shelling out for the privilege of listening to digital radio. The One is priced at a generous £49.99 -- PURE has upturned the tables of the other traders in the temple in disgust and is fast establishing a doctrine that poses a threat to the status quo. The other DAB manufacturers won't take this lying down.

The first thing that struck us about this kitchen DAB is how obscenely light it is. It's not just that PURE has left most of the case hollow, but that you begin to suspect they've actively filled the cavity with helium for that extra microgram of gravity-defying lightness. Acoustically, there doesn't seem to have been much of a cost to this, as the tone of the PURE One is pretty good at first listen.

Other interesting features on the One include a backlit display, kitchen and sleep timers, a strong ABS casing and RDS. What's remarkable about the One is not the overall design, pleasing though it may be, but the knock-down price the company has been able to deliver this at. We'll be putting this DAB prophet through its passion over the next few weeks and we'll report back on whether it survives. It's available in three colours: black, white and shocking pink. -CS