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Pure Pocketdab 1500 Fm/dab/rds Digital RadioPure Digital PocketDAB 1500 DAB/FM radio Review
In the old days you got what it said on the tin. If the words said Baked Beans, you were guaranteed beans in tomato sauce. If it said Low Voltage Bulb, you could be assured that it wouldn’t sparkle much. But now days, the box promises the earth and what you get is a bit of a disappointment, like “Portable DAB radios” which might be portable but don’t really provide the service of a radio. While far too many DAB radios fail dismally on the first hurdle, the PocketDAB 1500 has hurtled towards the finishing line. It’s a portable DAB radio that not just looks good but performs well and in the end does what it’s supposed to, provide good radio sounds on the move.
Design | | This isn’t the smallest of radios but the Pure Digital PocketDAB 1500 which measures 65mm x 110mm x 21mm and 123g is just about small enough to fit into your pocket and light enough not to feel it there. The body which feels really sturdy has a lovely jet black, which surprisingly doesn’t collect imprints of your fingers like some of the MP3 players on the market and has a silver wrap-around belt at the back. The function buttons and the screen are positioned on the front together with a central joystick-come-nipple for navigation. So what you get is a nice orange LCD screen that shows three lines of information, a menu button, DAB/FM option, preset button and info selector. And you’ll find the button to switch on the PocketDAB 1500 at the top of the device. It comes with some average Sennheiser headphones which attach on the right hand side of the DAB radio while the power socket input is on the left. | | Setup/Installation | | The battery which sits at the back of the Pure Digital PocketDAB 1500 needs charging up before switching the radio on. Press the menu button and the automatic selector and the DAB radio goes through the different channels and presets them for you. | | Features | | It’s a portable radio that works both as DAB or FM and as such the features are limited. But this personal DAB and FM radio has full DAB Band III reception with an orange back lit LCD display that shows 16x2 character showing the volume, how much battery life you have, the signal strength, time EQ, volume and whether it’s DAB or FM. You can preset 10 DAB and 10 FM stations and control wise you get the power button, a lock, and four buttons to operate functions. And it comes with a pair of Sennheiser MX 300 headphones. Battery life when fully charged lasts 24 hours. | | Performance | | This is the first portable DAB radio we’ve tested that doesn’t seem to lose signal with a change of wind direction. We tested it out on the train and had success, while walking it was great and even in the car it managed to pretty much keep hold on to the station. There were times like with all DAB radios where the quality was a bit weak but this is by far much better than most of its counterparts. And the DAB 1500 is really easy to use. Without touching the manual we could work out what to do. To select a station press the nipple to the right and wait for it to work through the channels. To set the channels you simply need to press the nipple down for a couple of seconds. The LCD screen is bright and clear providing information on station, what is broadcasting and tracks playing. And the sound quality is really good too making this an all round winner. | | What's In The Box? | | Pure Digital PocketDAB 1500, charger, Sennheiser headphones. | | Overall Opinion | | If you’re looking for nothing more than a digital radio that can be used on the move then we highly recommend this. Obviously things like reception area have an effect on how good a reception you receive but if the signal is good than the DAB 1500 will pick it up and stream it straight into your ears with pleasure. And should you lose signal you can always flick it on to FM. We like this, we like it a lot. |
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By Babita Wakelin
Pros
+ Good reception
+ Nice design
+ Decent sound
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Cons
- Slightly bigger than iPod
- Bit pricy when compared to iPod Nano
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Overall Rating
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By Babita Wakelin
14/9/2006
at 2:52:23pm
100% (32/32) of readers thought this review was helpful.
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PURE Digital PocketDAB 1500 review
Although pocketsized DABs are still bedevilled by reception problems, the 1500 is a welcome improvement. It's rather bulky, but relatively solid and well constructed, with well organised controls and a clear, bright LCD that offers lots of information..
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cnet.co.uk
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