Pure One Flow review

Despite a name that sounds like a rap lyric, Pure’s One Flow radio has much broader musical sensibilities. With an extensive array of stations available through DAB, FM or internet radio, it’s a flexible piece of kit.

As with its predecessor, the Pure Evoke Flow, Pure has employed its familiar boxy design style. This time around, however, things look more modern. The One Flow’s curved lines are clad in matte black, soft-touch plastic, with a handful of silver knobs and buttons injecting a dash of colour. There’s a backlit OLED screen too, which can thankfully be turned off to stop it keeping you awake at night.

The One Flow is intuitive to use. Menus are clearly and simply laid out and it’s a breeze to connect to an internet service or stream media over a UPnP compatible server. It performs well as a digital and analogue radio too: even in our central London offices we were able to pick up strong DAB and FM radio signals. There’s a 3.5mm input port, too, for connecting an MP3 player.

The internet radio features are just as expertly executed. Click into the Lounge on the main menu and you’ll be able to search through internet radio stations, filtering by keyword, genre and language. There are also podcasts and replays of selected radio shows from services such as the BBC, and a selection of ambient sounds, including tweeting birds and crashing waves, offering relaxation for the stressed.

The One Flow also provides access to Pure’s FlowSongs service. Like a hybrid of iTunes and Shazam, this allows you to click on any currently playing song (either via DAB or internet radio) and purchase it with the press of a button.

You have to sign up to the service and top-up your account on Pure’s lounge website first, but once you’ve done so the service works brilliantly. Tracks cost between 0.99p and £1.29 – a little steep compared to Amazon or iTunes – but the convenience is unrivalled, with paid-for tracks appearing instantly in the One Flow’s list of Lounge tracks. You can also download the DRM-free tracks by logging into your Lounge account.

For such a small piece of kit, the One Flow puts in a confident audio performance too. Sound is well rounded and there’s enough bass and volume to fill a room comfortably. It was as comfortable with talk radio as it was music: we caught every breath of BBC 5 Live’s Cheltenham coverage, while bass and treble during music playback was handled with deft clarity. Pure’s eco-friendly ChargePak battery system, meanwhile, lets you take the One Flow out and about. It’s a £35 inc VAT optional extra though.

We’re very impressed with the Pure One Flow. Despite a sub-£100 price tag, it manages to combine a raft of useful features, with good sound quality and great ease of use. That, coupled with top visual design, makes the One Flow a radio worthy of recommendation.