Pure ONE DAB, FM Radio

As usual with technology forced upon us by Government (just like digital TV and so called eco, flourescent lamps) the real cost is hidden.
With DAB radios, the cost is in the batteries. They last no time at all! They are expensive and as waste, extremely polluting. If you get 24 hours from 6 'C' cells (around £8 from Duracell) you have done OK! Pure is one of the better manufacturers in this respect---some of the cheaper sets eat batteries faster than you can eat your own words!

The ONE model is smart and compact but feels cheap and plasticky. Sound quality is OK but don't expect Hi Fi from any portable (or micro or mini system for that matter).It is easy to use but the aerial, as usual, is vulnerable and fragile. You still can't beat the internal ferrite rod for robustness! (although it will not receive DAB).
Sensitivity is better than most and will be appreciated in fringe areas but not much in the cities.
There is NO MW or LW. You have DAB and FM only.

There is a rechargeable power pack for Pure DAB radios but it costs over £30 and you do need the mains adaptor to use it for recharging. Stay with the new C6L if you buy one. It is a pity that more manufacturers don't follow this route as it saves a fortune on batteries.

Unless you have a burning desire to listen to something like Radio 7, you are better off going for an FM set. They are much cheaper to buy and run. There are dozens available that are robust and reliable and used ones on ebay are almost given away. Eventually, the Government will turn the FM signals off but in the intervening years, DAB will move on and by then you might not need a mortgage for batteries and broken aerials. I would wait a while but if you cannot, then the Pure offering is amongst the best currently available.

sadly my area has very poor radio coverage, so I cannot comment on reception quality as that would be unfair, but I am very happy with it so far.

The alarm feature is v.handy and has a great feature where it only wakes you up on weekdays (everyday and weekends are also available, sadly one can only have one alarm at a time, so no different weekday/weekend alarms unless you change it on Friday and Sunday nights).

The screen is a standard LCD, which isn't very clear in low light, but if the backlight is switched on, the screen is much clearer.

The interface is very logical and PURE have clearly made an effort to allow the user to access common features without diving down 6 different menus (hence the 7 feature buttons plus the multi-function dial).

The radio is firmware upgradable should DAB+ ever come to the UK (which hopefully will mean better quality audio and better reception) - although such an upgrade will require a usb cable and an internet connection.

it also has a line in port which can be used to connect ipods/mp3/cassette walkman (if that's your thing...) and a headphone port so you can (obviously) connect headphones or connect it to a hi-fi.

slight drawbacks with this radio are that this radio only has one speaker and therefore only has mono output (although PURE make an identical version with two speakers (stereo) - so if its a big issue, you can spend the extra).
this radio doesn't support a remote control (not a big deal for me, as it sits adjacent to my PC).

I have the white version of this radio, which in my opinion is the best looking, although I guess this partially depends on where you want to put it, as far as I am aware, black and pink (?!?) are also available.

I have no idea what this is like with batteries, as it sits on my desk all day, for all I know it may last for century's without running out of juice(although, I doubt it).

The Pure One DAB radio is a palm-sized FM/DAB radio that is packed with worthwhile features that are easy to understand and make listening to the radio network a true pleasure ! The size will not appeal to everyone but the quality of the reception is above that of most bijou radios.The mains operation has the added advantage of serving to charge the integral lithium battery pack that provides about 30 hrs of use or AAA batteries can also power this radio - so it is versatile in use . At about £ 60.00 the battery pack is a tad expensive but cost soon recovered vs. AAA batteries. There are ample pre-set stations (20) and it is easy to find 'best reception' stations is you use the radio away from home.The aerial is not always required but if extended is a vulnerable point for inadvertant damage but with care does improve quality in some locations.Although I have not had this radio for very long ( 3 weeks) I have used it in several different locations and in everyone enjoyed quality reception with ease. I would reccommend this set to anyone who is looking for a DAB radio to rival the best !

The Digital radio has grown up! From early oddities that looked like they had been cobbled together out of a recycled 'Bush' classic and a G-Plan kitchen drawer, there is now a sensible option that will be difficult to beat.
The 'Pure One' looks good without having to look 'designed'.It isn't 'retro', it isn't 'futuristic' That must make it 'now' I suppose. It won't win design awards, it's better than that. It's simply functional, it functions simply and works very well indeed.
A few minutes with the manual and a following few minutes knob-twiddling and the machine is up and away. It's all so pleasantly simple!
The sound coming out of the speaker is crystal-clear, the volume control is exacting.
I cannot in truth find anything detrimental to say about it.

ONE Classic

Developed from the What Hi-Fi? 5 Star award-winning ONE, ONE Classic is a DAB and FM radio that looks great, sounds fantastic and is incredibly easily to use.

With a smooth satin-touch finish, a choice of colours, and the latest features, including an input for your iPod/MP3 player or CD and ReVu™ for live DAB pause and rewind, ONE Classic has something for everyone.

ONE Classic offers up to 40 hours of portable listening per charge of the optional rechargeable ChargePAK C6L, reducing the cost to you and to the environment. Alternatively six standard C size alkaline batteries will give you up to 80 hours play time.

Features also include FM with RDS, Intellitext®, textSCAN™, kitchen and sleep timers, a backlit display and USB upgradeability.