Pure Evoke 3

Features:- eg EPG Recording Information available on screen

None, though it is a little expensive.

Recording from EPG. Recording to SD card. Sound quality.

Recording is fantastically well thought out, but playback is not. Failure to resume at point left off during playback is a really negative issue - I never get time to listen to a whole programme at one sitting during playback, so I have to hunt through each time I resume to find my place. Check out Sky+ to see how this should be done! Another point is that the display is hard to read unless you are level with it. Maybe a simple tilting screen (like the ones that some digital cameras have) would solve the problem. Finally, the opportunity to choose alarm volume level is first rate, but not all programmes play at the same volume (e.g. radio 3 is always quieter because of the nature of the material); the Bose Wave radio allows you to choose the alarm volume level for each alarm, so why can't the Evoke 3 do the same? A good product, but should have been a great one!

The ability to "wind back" a current broadcast to listen to something you missed is a great boon if the radio is burbling away in the background while while you are busy around the house. Recording to SD card works perfectly - I look forward to listening to the Stone's Show from The Arrow every week: recorded automatically on Friday evening I listen with a cup of tea in bed on a Saturday morning! Other real plus points: remote control - easier than using the direct controls, especially for selecting presets sound quality - good rich sound and maximum volume much louder than most DAB radios though the tone control is limited and a bit fiddly to use. electronic program guide - very useful for stations that you only listen to occasionally(but not all programmes provide information). Chargepak rechargeable battery available - keep the radio plugged in whenever it is in its "normal" home and then it can be taken to other rooms or the garden with a fully charged battery for at least 5 or 6 hours use (I do not get the 10 hours quoted in the literature but then what constitutes "normal listening volume"?) Looks good Solid feel Huge range of options for timers, alarms, etc. USB port for updating the software - if PURE get round to making improvements (and there is room for making some improvements in the way some of the menus operate)

It does so much that it takes a long time to learn how to drive it. Perhaps not a wise choice for a technophobe (Evoke XT2 better for such folk). Screen contrast and viewing angle are not good - you have to be close and looking at it straight on to read it easily, even after fiddling with brightness and contrast controls. However, it has many more lines of text than most radios so you usually don't have to wait for the text to scroll onto the screen.

Excellent functionality. Great Sound. Nice design.

Display is too bright at night and illuminates the room almost like a small lamp to the extent that my wife won't let me use it as an alarm

Very smart design, build quality & functionality. A Premium product. DAB radio stations always available. No more FM poor reception.

The LDC screan is dated, can't be read if at an angle. For a couple of £'s more surely something newer could have been used. DAB sound will never be as good as FM.

Excellent sound quality and display.

Menus could be easier to navigate as you have to go in and out of the SD card menu confusingly. Found it hard to view track listings with filenames - titles could be easier to set up. Eg when recording multiple episodes of a serial it became a bit confusing to know which had been played back as no indication at all on display.

Sound v good. SD recording facility the key advantage.

Quite complex operating system compared with the simpler EVOKE-2 I had before.

SD card, record features, sound quality.

I still guess at some of the navigation especially when using the SD card.

ability to pause and rewind, good epg allowing simple recording of programmes. At night the LCD clock doesn't shine like an LED but touching the snooze handle illuminates the time for a few seconds.

alarm clock seems to need "reminding". ie when a mon to fri alarm is turned off for a week then reactivated, it needs a few days before it no longer needs re-setting every day. Carry handle needs to be bigger.

Tells you the track title/artist that's playing; Great to be able to rewind/pause; Neat design

If you have just adjusted the volume, you can't immediately change channel; Takes a short while to "warm up" after being switched off at the mains.

Great sound, pre station select

instructions poor and confusing. Quick set up not detailed enough

able to pause and rewind live radio. also been able to record radio shows then listen to them when you want to

recordings savied as mp2 ,so can't just listen to recordings on mp3 without converting files

Sound Quality, features (live record, pause, rewind), the EPG guide and event programming

Manual is poor - It tries to explain functions by pictures but it needs more words - I had to use trial and error for a few hours. Like many things, once you get the hang of it it's fine.

Ability to carry out timer recording either single or multiple recordings from radio is a major benefit. Ability to play mp3 music recorded onto an SD card is also valuable.

Some of the symbols in the display are too small for older eyes.This is particularly true of those used in connection with timer set recording. The instruction manual needs to take the idiots guide approach because the menu navigation is complex to the uninitiated and it is easy to get lost ! My wife managed to erase the complete contents of one SD card luckily not the one with her music on.

1) Looks, I like the faintly 'retro' look of the wooden surround compared to so many plastic only finishes. 2) Sound quality, in all the DAB, FM & MP3 playback modes. 3) Additional features such as SD Card recording, the ability to write files directly to the SD card from a PC via the USB socket, USB software upgrade capability etc.

1) No apparent official DAB+ upgrade capability (although I did know this at time of purchase). I await to see whether it is unofficially upgradable by those with knowledge of the chipsets used. 2) Some features initially difficult to use (and I am a technophile), although they do become more familiar with use & time.

Very good sound and battery life.

When using the SD card, insufficient information is displayed about the songs and artists, making selection difficult.

Excellent reception, facility to record, neat looks, ease of use, (once you have understood the manual)

The manual is poor, probably written by an engineer rather than a user.

Bought for recording feature - very few have the timer record facility

size fiddly scroll/select knob

Very easy to use and is perefct for our kitchen!

Extremely useful to have the timed recording facility

Display panel rather bright when tring to sleep!

The recording capabilty.

Stereo separation.

Alarm settings. Sound quality. Hardware options / compatibility. Eco features.

Cheap feeling knobs. Not future proof: DAB+ will supercede this year.

Great sound quality,and how good is the fact you can listen to the broadcasts that you would have missed ,when you want to ,at the time you want to.

If your playing back from the SD Card on a 2 Hour recording you cannot go back to where you stopped, you have to fast foward and remember the approx time at which you last stopped..The display EPG and other information,other than the clock,could be made larger and remote control could be better set out and of better quality.

ease of setting up recordings, in particular repeat recordings storage capacity is excellent from a 2Gb SD card

poor reception in my area, some areas are excellent, when will UK coverage be the same?

Excellent sound quality, Facility to record programmes to SD card to play later on the radio, or on an MP3 player, Easy to use on mains or battery, Battery needs no attention once installed, as it recharges itself from mains, and it does not use much energy Clear programme information on EPG.

Slightly fiddly design Takes a little time to master controls

Style and structure, sound and signal, ability to record and 7 day programme guide.

SD card compatibility can be a nightmare

Superb sound and ease of use, far greater than my expectations. Brilliant piece of equipment. Far outclasses other radio's I have, in fact it is now the only one I use, in fact all others are in a state of redundancy.

After four weeks of use, sorry, none so far.

Easy to use and good recording facility.

External power supply - these are almost always the least reliable part of any equipment.

Records from DAB to the SD card Plays MP3's from SD card. Very versatile when used with rechargable battery (not included)

Records in MP2 and not MP3. Requires a conversion package to convert to MP3 You have to buy the rechargable battery separately.

Operation logic Sound quality

poor finish of case display hard to read and too bright at night

SD memory card recording. 7 day EPG (which automatically updates itself, to reduce the time taken to preselect programmes for recording) Full & rounded sound quality. Display - with a light touch handle to switch on the backlight during nightime use. Remote control. Fun!

DAB is threatened BUT it is wireless & simple. The "IPOD connection" is phono only - not digital. The controls take some getting use to.

Sound quality on DAB is inferior to my 20 year old FM Radio Cassette which it was intendeed to replace. Pure Digital's literature states that the output is 7 watts RMS per channel, the instruction booklet say 3 watts per channel. I contacted Pure who confirmed that it is 7 watts per channel, although their FAQ on their website states that the output is 5 watts. When recording a times event, the event is not cancelled after recording. Pure say that this is very unusual and I have said that I will put up with it as I cannot waste any more time dealing with this disappointing piece of kit.

Good features, particularly the record and pause features.

DAB displays are still poor compared to TV EPG's

Relaible, easy to use, excellent sound quality. The menu system which allows tou to select and record programmes in advance is the selling feature.

Does not work with 4 GB SD Card but does not make that clear.

The pause and record functions, beautiful design

Sound level through aux in connected to an ipod is weak

Build quality,sound quality,and being able to record directly to SD card and play mp3 files that have been loaded onto the SD card.

The display could be better but otherwise a fantastic product.Highly recommended.

The product is very well made and is a lovely design. The remote control works well and the display is very clear. The station search works well and the presets are easy to use. The SD card reader also makes it easy to listen to your own tracks now and again as well as recoed programs, The live pause and rewind is very good.

For a portable radio, it does come at a high price, but it does give a good listening experience. The instruction booklet is also a little sparse. The panel butons aren't the biggest or clearest but they are clear enough.

Useful features, such as instant replay (if the phone rings etc) and the ability to preset recording of favourite programmes once and for all time (eg The Archers) - all in a well designed unit, with good looks, nicely engineered feel to the controls, plus excellent sound.

1. I noticed a mistake in the manual, presumably created by an improvement in the product not reflected in a re-write of the manual. 2. I think there should be more than one colour option for the wood trim - I would have prefered something lighter.

Overall the product is good.

MPEG 2! Poor display when navigating SD card

Very good sound quality. Good build quality. Good instruction book. Easy to use guide and recording to S D card.

We are in a poor reception area and in certain weather conditions the radio is not usable.Format used on S D card is not usable on a computer.

Rewind live radio to replay a favorite song or listen to something again; save radio to a memory card; energy saving feature; many alarms; sleep feature and snooze handle; nice remote; fairly intuitive menus; detailed song/programming information at certain times for certain stations.

Poor reception in our basement flat for many stations, no apparent input for additional antenna.

Recording facility through EPG and playback of files

Bit of an opaque interface

high tech features

sound quality

Plug in to the mains and listen to a whole new world of radio, wonderful

Still thinking

To be able to pause and rewind radio, and then record what you have just rewound is brilliant. It certainly seems good at picking up stations; at first it found 18, but with the aerial fully extended, it found 40. (We live in a poor digital reception area with two good "freeview" channels). With the ChargePak in place it runs happily during the day, and it is plugged in at night. We bought it for the bedroom... but it tends to follow us around the house during the day as well.

It is a big radio; on the limits of being portable. You will need to also purchase an SD card, and ideally a ChargePak, to get the full benefit of the radio. (Ours was fussy over which brand of SD card it would use). It is a technical piece of kit, and so the menus can be a bit complicated; probably not suitable for Great Uncle P. Not Mac compatible... but it doesn't look as though you would need to update the software very often. The environmental claims for the low energy use of the radio require the clock display to be disabled (which happens anyway when using the ChargePak). WiFi would have made it the best radio in the world!

The ability to record large numbers of programmes (on my 2GB SD card), the sound quality and large range of functions. I really like it and haven't recorded onto audio cassettes since I got my first one. I have 4 DAB radios in total, two are "Evoke 3"s and the one in the bathroom in a Pure "One", using their rechargable battery. This location used to have poor reception but is now perfect and the battery lasts a couple of weeks or so.

The Pure radios are a bit pricey and "Evoke 3"s are a little complicated to use to begin with. It is also a bit fiddly using the various options if below eye level, such as at the bedside. But overall I think my "Evoke 3"s are a excellent radios.

EPG and the ability to record from it. Playing mp3s from memory card. Portability thanks to battery pack. Remote control.

FM section isn't great. The clock display is FAR too big.

Good sound quality and reception and good recording facility

The user manual is poor. It does not explain features properly and the author simply has not tried to put him or herself in the position of a potential user.

I really like the features: the large time display that can be turned down to a low level, the touch handle to snooze the alarm - no-one could miss it, no matter how bleary-eyed, the ability to store programmes I'd normally miss during the working day to an SD card. And as a new DAB user, I'm loving the programme info for days ahead. I'm also hoping that the eco setting is saving me some energy.

I haven't found any! I've been really impressed

Really good sound

Is quiet heavy

Information on screen about the programme you are listening to. Ease of moving between stored stations. Sound quality of music stations such as Radio 3.

Occasionally loses station but could be because of our location. Not advisable to have this radio playing at the same time as a analogue radio because of the time lag - approx 1 second

The only radio at the time capable of recording live programmes.

Instruction manual not easy to read, the info is there but could be written in an easier format.

ability to record 7 days in advance, with the recording transfer it to any other SD compatable equipment

menu system could be improved

No more poor late night reception - it's crystal clear. I can record programs which I'd otherwise miss and rewind or pause to hear up to 30 minutes again. The charge-pack batteries re-charge automatically when the radio is plugged into the mains, no more removing batteries for re-charging or re-placing. Before I bought the Evolve 3, I didn't listen to radio very much, but now I listen to the radio much more than I expected I would. It's like the comparison between analogue t.v. and digital t.v. -a different world !

I can't connect it to my Bose speakers.

Excellent sound.

When you record a programe, you have to listen to it on your MP3 player, no playback on the radio bizarre. Would not have brought it had that been made clear. Whilst you may argue it's makes the programme "portable" I would prefer to have the choice of listening via the radio or my MP3 player...choice is what the public wants. Not used via battery so have no comments about that. Also I have read that the powers that be are going to "scrap" the DAB Radio format, have we not learned the Betamax/Video argument...Sigh

CLEAR DISPLAY,QUALITY BUILD,QUALITY SOUND.RECORDABLE DAB..GREAT!

RECORD BUTTON FUNCTIONS HARD TO READ ON A SUCH A DARK BACKGROUND.MOVING FROM SD TO DAB OR DELETING TRACKS CAN BE CONFUSING.SIMPLER OPERATIONS WOULD MAKE A BETTER PRODUCT.FOR THIS REASON I COULDN`T RECOMMEND IT FOR AN ELDERLY PERSON.

Being able to record the program of your choice with the EPG and listen to it when you want.

Takes a bit of time to learn all of the features as there are so many.

Fantastic to be able to record those programmes that are on at times when you cannot listen. Also to pre program to record the whole series.

Digital signal in this area still not brilliant. Had to wait ages for it to pick up the time and date.

Record to SD disk/ pause & rewind live radio/ Radio guide/ remote

Sound quality good but still not up to my old Grundig FM radio

I love the fact that I can record and pause dab radio onto a memory card and potentialy listen to my own music if I put in a memory card with MP3 music, The portability is great for listening round the house and Garden.Good sound and we plug ours into the stereo speakers for our usual listening .

No external Airiel input for connecting it to a outside and better reception scource so we can pick up a greater choice or stations as were still a little limited in West Sussex. The record format is not MP3 format so I was a bit disappointed that I could not record programs and then put the memory into another device so I I could listen to programs in the car as it records in a particular format that is not recognisable by an MP3 player . To do this I would have to convert the files onto the computer to MP3 which is an extra step which I don,t have time for. Finally my last critisism it whilst its got a great EPG I wish it worked more like a sky box so I could "series Link" programs I was interested in listening to for more than a week in advance. The one it has is 7 days only.

Am pleased with all aspects of this product except one, see bad points.

The display could be dimmer on the dimmest setting as it is still quite bright when the radio is used in the bedroom as this is.

Recording Off Air though MP3 Record would be better.

No Station pre-select buttons on the actual radio. Can't be bothered with "remotes" though it does have Station pres-select buttons on it.

The facility to plug in external devices is great, and to use an SD memory card.

Not sure there are any, I guess the bass level could be better, but then I think the speakers would need to be bigger.

recordability

Few

It is an excellent design, and very high quality. The sound is magnificent - nothing tinny here

Buttons are hard to guage in the dark!

The main reason I bought it, the ability to set timer recordings

My wife doesn't think the sound is good! (She is used to listening to radio on my decent hi fi)

excellent all round product - especially with the chargepack - which at £30 is a worthwhile investment for those who wish to take the radio away with them, etc.

First radio had to be returned due to corrupt LCD display but there were absolutely no problems regarding exchange.

After using the DAB Radio for the last couple of months, I have been very pleased with the number of stations that can be received and the quality of the reception. I have had no problems with the Pure DAB Evoke 3 at all and would have no hesitation in recommending the radio to anyone who was interested.

Great sound and lots of features

It's in my basement so the reception can sometimes be a little hit and miss

Good sound and lots of facilities

You won't remember how to use half the functions

Rewind and record facility

Display too small, some controls fiddly

Good sound quality lots of stations on DAB. You can record radio on to a memory card. Can pause and rewind live radio. Remote control.

Battery pack extra.

Ease of use, ability to play MP3s and record radio shows (live rewind excellent)

Can't connect an auxillary speaker like other Pure models (not required for the stereo sound but would be useful to extend into another room.

Does what is says - good quality sound

Controls not intuative - need to read the manual for of the more involved functions.

Simple to use and sound quality is superb.

None so far!