Pure Evoke Flow review: Pure Evoke Flow

Pure, a British native brand, has taken the market by storm over there and is hoping to replicate its popularity down under. The Evoke Flow is one of the company's most popular models and it's not hard to see and hear why. It's a classy looking digital radio, finished in high gloss piano black and anodised metallic. Layout is simple and so too is getting into its user interface, which is presented on a neat OLED screen with touch-sensitive buttons and a couple of traditional control knobs.

8.0

Pure Evoke Flow

The Good

Superb Wi-Fi media streaming and internet radio features. Decent audio quality. Useful optional extras.

The Bad

PC interfacing can be fiddly.

The Bottom Line

One of the most versatile radios available, the Pure Evoke Flow is great if you like dabbling with all things media and PC related.

An FM, internet and DAB+ radio it may be, but the Evoke Flow is also a comprehensively equipped media player with excellent Wi-Fi networking support. You can access music stored on your home PC by setting it up via Windows Media Player or Pure's own Flow Server, which is downloadable from its own internet radio portal site called The Pure Lounge. Here you can also gain access to around 9000 radio stations, some 2600 or so podcasts, save and manage your favourites — all done with a simple and free online registration.

When setting up Evoke Flow, we had it streaming music from a desktop PC in a matter of minutes. However, you do need some computer literacy skills to set it up, and the necessary registration is a bit laborious but well worth doing. Using the portal works much like tuning in to a regular internet radio, with a slight pause as the tuner memory buffers up and then gets going.

The Pure's audio quality is best enjoyed with the additional AU$99 S-1 stereo-making speaker, which gives DAB+ reception a much better soundstage and chance to stereo image. While the Evoke Flow can be used on its lonesome as a very handy portable device, the second speaker would definitely be a great attachment when you bring it home. An optional eco-friendly rechargeable battery pack also makes the Evoke Flow go the distance when out and about.