Our review
There's no denying it: The Evoke 1XT is a top-notch DAB digital radio. DAB radio reception via the telescopic aerial is very, very good - managing to pick up five digital radio multiplexes here in South Wales.

The Evoke 1XT also looks great, with the white-on-blue display readable from a good distance away and the real maplewood casing giving the Evoke a classic "retro" look. The Pure Evoke 1-XT automatically searches out DAB multiplexes when you first switch it on; it's so easy to use. A dedicated Autotune button will perform a quick scan (for DAB stations in the UK) or complete scan across Band III.

Stations can be organised by favourite (most listened), by multiplex (the most useful as far as this reviewer is concerned) or alphabetically. The Evoke 1XT features a single speaker, but plug in a matching external speaker and you're treated to stereo sound. I tried out some separate Sony powered speakers with it (by plugging them into the line-level Stereo output socket via a 3.5mm connector) and, sure enough, the Evoke 1XT turned into a full stereo system. You can also hook up the Evoke to a hi-fi system using a 3.5mm to stereo RCA lead, using a spare auxiliary input on the back of your amplifier or hi-fi system. If those connections options aren't enough, you can also plug headphones in 'round the back, too. In short: the Evoke 1XT is a stereo radio that uses just one speaker to keep costs down, though you can buy a matching speaker for it.

Six stations can be preset into the Evoke's memory and these come in quite useful as the radio had picked up more than forty stations. Dynamic Range Control settings can be changed to beef up the sound from quieter stations (though I'm not sure which stations actually use DRC in their broadcasts, perhaps only BBC Radio 3).

Sound quality, even in mono, is fantastic. The Evoke 1XT features a port on the underside of the case, which improves bass response from the 3 inch speaker. Sit in on a shelf about six inches away from a wall and the Evoke 1-XT really shines, with enough bass from a unit of this size, yet not overpowering the midrange. Say goodbye to your tinny tranny! The Evoke 1XT certainly plays loud enough to be heard over cooking sounds and convection ovens.

The Evoke 1XT features a single alarm for the bedroom and a separate countdown timer - for kitchen timing purposes.

Even better, you can use the 1XT's alarm feature to make 60-minute scheduled daily recordings (for personal use only!) to an MP3 recorder. I hooked up my Zen Neeon (sic) MP3 player via the 3.5mm stereo out socket, switched on Track Detection (which looks for a signal change on the Neeon's line-level input). I left the MP3 recorder on while I set the alarm on the Evoke 1XT to power up the radio at the correct time. Hey presto, the radio comes on with the alarm and starts the Neeon recording (at 160KBps, MP3 format), right on cue. After sixty minutes, the radio reverts to standby and the MP3 player sits there until, err.. well, until the internal battery runs down! To be honest, if you're going to do lots of recording it might be worth having a look at the Tempus 1 with 9 separate recording timers to choose from. If you can get it at a good price, it's worth going for - plus it has an optical digital output.

In short, the Evoke 1XT is a great piece of kit, with plenty of connectivity options - this is definitely not a "closed-box" radio. It's DAB-only and mains-only, but it does the job of picking up and playing DAB radio stations with fantastic ability. Highly recommended. You can find the Evoke 1XT here.

Overview
Based on the award-winning EVOKE-1, the Pure EVOKE 1-XT offers easy-to-use DAB features such as station selection by name and scrolling text showing song titles, artist and track information, news updates and sports results.

Pure has updated the sound of the Pure Evoke 1 XT with a new hi-fi quality drive unit and active audio filtering, which significantly improves the sound quality of the Evoke 1XT over the Evoke 1. The EVOKE-1XT has also been engineered to aim to be the best sounding DAB digital radio at its price level.

The curvaceously-tweaked EVOKE-1XT features radius-edged veneered casework and a large, clear white-on-blue display. There's a handy clock display that updates with the time signal broadcast by DAB digital radio stations, a tone/radio alarm and a kitchen timer.

Stations are selected by name on the Pure Evoke 1 XT DAB radio, plus there's a dual-line scrolling text display and one touch autotune.

Pure have even programmed in an easy-to-use kitchen timer with dedicated timer button for the Evoke 1XT. The time is automatically updated from the broadcast signal and accounts for GMT/British Summer Time. The clock even shows in standby mode. You can even hook up an external DAB aerial to the Evoke 1 XT for increased performance in poor signal areas.

Images

Pure Digital Evoke 1XT DAB digital radio

Visitor reviews
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Richard writes about the Pure Evoke 1XT in cherrywood with additional speaker: "If, like myself, you've been hanging on for the second or third generation DAB radios to provide value and real audio quality then the time is now .This basic radio is brilliant and sets itself up in seconds. Controls are intuitive; the manual optional. However, I rigged this radio up with the additional speaker which costs around GBP29.99 (or you can buy the two as a package - Ed.) and transforms the set from excellent to astounding. Why? Well, you can achieve perfect stereo seperation and balance. If your listening position is between the speakers this radio will blow you away. Amazing quality for the price."

Another Richard writes about the Pure Evoke 1XT with matching XT1 speaker: " I am a radio fan of many (too many?) years standing. The Evoke 1-XT is my first venture into the DAB world. In its favour, the 1XT is very well made and finished, easy to use and logicl controls, although the manual is not idiotproof (setting the DRC value for example). Clear sound and the ability to pick up very good range of stations here in rural Buckinghamshire are other positives. I found myself listening to BBC7 which is ironic - here I have the latest technology and I'm listening to 40 year old comody programmes! The XT1 additional speaker is a highly recommended buy, which I have. The XT-1 speaker adds to the depth and richness of sound significantly, although 'stereo' sound varies greatly according to broadcast. The big question: is DAB significantly better than FM? In a word: no. If you are used to listening on a decent quality FM receiver and can receive a stong FM signal, there is little improvement, if any. Is obviously better than a cheap FM receiver but at the best part of GBP100.00, it should be."

Current discounts
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