Pure Avanti Flow digital radio

• Expert Rating

  4.00 / 5

• User Rating

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• Price

  $ 999.00 (AUD)

Campbell Simpson Good Gear Guide 04/08/10 Follow @pcworldau

Pros

• One device for (almost) all your music listening, good sound quality, no distortion at maximum volume

Cons

• No on-screen iPod information, no Ethernet, difficult shape for bookshelves

Bottom Line

Pure's Avanti Flow is a tabletop digital radio that also incorporates Internet radio via Wi-Fi, an iPod dock and media streaming over a network. It's a competent system for use in a small room like a bedroom or study.

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The Pure Avanti Flow sports a modern design, with a glossy black finish and chrome accents. Its central yellow-on-black display is clear and can display plenty of information, but it faces forward and can't be seen when you stand above the radio. Annoyingly, when you play music off an iPod there is no track or artist information displayed on the screen. It's best for DAB+ or Internet radio use, with easy to read data displayed on multiple lines.

All the buttons are on the Avanti Flow's top. You'll also find a cradle for iPods; a 3.5mm auxiliary input takes care of other music devices. We were intrigued to see that the Pure Avanti Flow incorporates Wi-Fi networking but no Ethernet wired network port.

We were able to find all Sydney's digital radio stations with a single quick scan from within the Pure Avanti Flow's menu system. The telescopic rear-mounted aerial should be useful for listeners in areas with patchy reception, but we kept it tucked out of the way and still received all stations clearly. Wi-Fi is also easy to set up, although long passwords may take a few attempts to input correctly.

Crammed inside the Pure Avanti Flow's trapezoidal body are two 3in full-range speaker drivers and a 5.25in subwoofer. This lends the Avanti Flow a very pleasant and room-filling sound, but the end result is a radio that's only really suited for a tabletop. It doesn't have a rectangular profile, so it's hard to place on a bookshelf corner.

The sound of the Pure Avanti Flow is excellent. Clean treble and warm mid-range are accompanied by good low-end frequency support from the integrated subwoofer — at low and moderate volume levels the speakers are clear and musical. Turning the Avanti Flow to its maximum volume might leave you a little puzzled, as it's not an especially loud device. To its credit, this maximum volume limitation means that the Pure Avanti Flow's sound never becomes distorted or loses its musical character.

The Pure Avanti Flow is a versatile product. In addition to its DAB+ digital radio abilities it is a perfectly capable iPod dock and networked music player, with excellent sound quality and stylish construction. We have a few issues with its layout and the lack of Ethernet connectivity, but otherwise there are few criticisms that can be levelled at the Pure Avanti Flow.

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