Pure Evoke-1S Marshall review

The Pure Evoke-1S Marshall is a single speaker digital radio that has been styled to look like a Marshall guitar amplifier. And we have to say, it looks pretty darn cool. Vinyl encases the unit and hard protectors adorn all four corners of the radio. The corner protectors are a hallmark of Marshall amps, and the radio even carries a Marshall badge on its speaker grille.

The build quality of the radio is excellent; it's just as solid as other Pure products we have seen to date. It should be, as underneath all the fancy trimmings it's basically the same radio as the Pure Evoke-1S and the Pure Evoke Mio. In addition to digital radio, the Evoke-1S Marshall can also tune in to FM radio and it has an auxiliary input for connecting an iPod or any other type of MP3 player.

A high contrast yellow-on-black OLED display shows you which station you are tuned in to, and also scrolls information about the music that is currently being played (although this relies on the station supporting this feature). The OLED display features an automatic dimmer, which senses the amount of light in the room and adjusts the screen brightness accordingly. Buttons numbered from one to six can be found under the OLED display and these can be used to quickly access your favourite stations. Up to 30 digital or FM presets can be programmed.

On the back is where you’ll find a golden telescopic aerial, a 3.5mm line-in for auxiliary devices, USB (mini B-type) for firmware upgrades, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a 3.5mm line out (analogue) jack, and a 3.5mm auxiliary speaker connection. The last of these can be used to attach an optional speaker in order to turn the Evoke-1S Marshall's sound from mono to stereo.

The audio quality of the Evoke-1S Marshall is excellent. Although there is only one 3in 7W speaker, it handles high volumes easily and there is little to no distortion at all. You can even turn the volume knob all the way up to 11! In our tests, bass frequencies were not overpowering and high frequencies sounded clear and accurate. Mid-range frequencies sounded only slightly muffled when listening to music at higher volumes, but this wasn't overly annoying.