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If you’ve been waiting for an affordable DAB radio, it’s time to dig out your wallet for this great piece of kit. T3, October 2002 Gold Award
Now’s a good time to join the digital radio revolution, thanks to this new £100 device.
We’ve been salivating over the prospect of digital radio for some time now, what with it promising crystal-clear reception of our favourite stations, some new ones we can’t get on FM and the data that comes streaming down with the signal. However, we haven’t been so enthusiastic about the price barrier, with a decent DAB tuner costing several hundred quid. Last Christmas, VideoLogic got our hopes up by releasing a limited-edition digital radio, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Marconi’s first transatlantic wireless transmission. The limited stocks sold out in a flash, though, sadly.
Since then, VideoLogic has become PURE Digital. Enter the EVOKE-1, a £100 portable DAB radio that’s available to buy in large quantities. Honest. A few hit the shelves in late July and were quickly snapped up, but by the time you read this it should be fully on sale. Inside, it contains the latest third-generation DAB chip - the FS1010 processor, if you must know. Cool.
Setting it up is child’s play. Plonk it on the table or window sill, plug it in, turn it on and hit the Autotune button. It picks up all the DAB stations that are available in your area, and sorts them into an alphabetical list. You scroll through it by twisting the Tune knob, pressing it to choose a station. Easy.
So how does it sound? Of course, the one-speaker output pales in comparison to an expensive DAB tuner hooked up to your hi-fi, but it’s excellent compared to the average kitchen FM radio. It’s important to realise that DAB doesn’t guarantee perfect reception wherever you are in the country. By the end of the year, 85% of the population should be covered, but at the moment, how many stations you can pick up depends on the signal strength in your area.
Even through the attached telescopic aerial, the results are great, but the supplied aerial plug enables you to plug it into an external aerial socket for extra power.
If you want stereo sound, PURE will also be selling a matching standalone speaker, which will plug into the auxiliary speaker jack on the back of the EVOKE-1. Alternatively, you can use the digital line out jack to hook it up to your hi-fi, acting as a traditional DAB tuner.
There’s also some good personalisation options, enabling you to have your favourite ten stations appear first in the list, prune inactive ones or set up six presets stations to correspond to the buttons on front of the unit.
Being mains-powered means you can’t take the unit our and about, but that’s a quibble.
As it is, we’re vastly impressed by the EVOKE-1. It’s got the budget DAB field to itself for the moment, but competition is sure to arrive in the next few months. Rest assured that when it does, we’ll run a group test. But as it stands, the EVOKE-1 is an excellent first effort.
Verdict
If you’ve been waiting for an affordable DAB radio, it’s time to dig out your wallet for this great piece of kit.
T3 Five Stars
T3 Gold Award
Untitled Document
UK DAB DIGITAL RADIO STATION FINDER
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Find out which DAB digital radio stations
are available in your area. Enter your postcode and click Find:
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 £89.99 (Including VAT)
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Upgrade to stereo with the ST-1 auxiliary speaker
Easily
connects to your new EVOKE-1
- Outstanding midrange 3" drive unit
- Ported for bass enhancement
- Solidly constructed maple veneered casing with metallic speaker grill
Please note that EVOKE-1 and the ST-1 auxiliary speaker are constructed using
real wood veneer. As with all natural wood products, some variation in colour
is to be expected.
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