Hmmm
where's the 3G option...
After two years in development, Pure Digital has created what it hopes will become internet radio’s first genuinely iconic product. Our first reaction was that this is a really attractive little radio. The company has kept the familiar Evoke casing, but coated the device in a gloss piano-black finish with stylish and solid- …
It's obviously better than the Roberts WM202, which I quite fancied until I read a few review of it, but there are some glaring omissions in this review:
- Is it purely WiFi, or does it have an Ethernet port like the WM202?
- Does the unit have RCA out, so I can hook it up to my hi-fi amp?
- Is it necessary to use the 'Lounge' portal to set up my
preferences or can I dial them in using the front panel or a.n.
other way?
- How easy is it to set up on an encrypted (WEP/WPA) wireless network?
A related question would be: why is it so fecking expensive?
Doesn't look like I'll be retiring the old Netgear MP101 just yet, obviously.
http://www.pure.com/products/product.asp?Product=VL-60896&PageType=Specification&Category=
Using the internet, I clicked on the link to the website and then the Specs tag and OMG YSRLY I found the specs. I think they were left out of the interview because, erm, it was easy to find 'em?
Looks like it answers most of the questions above
- it's DAB now, upgradeable to DAB+ later
- no ethernet, totally wireless (boo!)
- no RCA connectors (just headphone\stereo out\additional speaker out)
- can set up 30 'presets' on the faceplate (30 DAB, FM, Unlimited internet favourites limited to 10 until you use lounge) I'm guessing that it comes with access to things like a 'main directory' but the Lounge is the *real* way to set things up. Not too sure about this, but hey, it's an 'always on wireless device' so I guess it'll work...
- It can be set to WEP\WPA\WPA2 - but we'll have to wait until it's launched to see how easy
- Stereo - can buy an extra speaker (rip off!) to make stereo. For 30 quid? Whoops, that's a bit of a crapthing.
- It's so fecking expensive because we're in the UK and it's for geeks with money to burn. And it looks prettier than the Netgear MP101 ;) Although so saying, I'm not retireing my Airtunes\Airfoil plug just yet. But I may well do so after I've seen this in action.
Check the pure site and click specs:
"Future upgrade supported for DAB+.
Wireless: 802.11b and 802.11g supported with WEP and WPA/WPA2 encryption.
Output connectors: 3.5mm headphone, 3.5mm stereo out, 3.5mm auxiliary speaker connection."
No mention of ethernet, though it does list mini USB for product upgrades and you would need a 3.5 to RCA cable for hi-fi.
Showing my age, but as someone who spent years of frustration waiting for Radio 1 to get their own FM stereo slot (rather than being given a few hours Radio 2s), and having to put up with all the best music being in horrid AM mono, I'd never consider buying any form of radio that wasn't stereo.
I'm with the last poster...
It Is a New Device, Whats with making it look like a 40's or 50's radio?
And at that price it better be at least stereo, by itself.
Modern streams are at least stereo, and a surround chip is a couple of dollars each. I can understand the uni-bars for tvs,
that have left, center, and right all in one. But,
A Monophonic Radio (of any quality or source),
will never be on my list of purchases.
Probably sell a crap-load to the "Bose" crowd,
or those that wonder...
"why a sound system HAS to have ALL those speakers?
DUH!
Bill...(with his HALO...[PUN INTENDED])
Because it is really his surround sound.