Pure Contour 100Di digital radio with iDock first look [video]

What is the Pure Contour 100Di?

The Pure Contour 100Di is a combined DAB and FM radio that’s similar to the Pure Contour we’ve reviewed in the lab. The difference is that it costs around £100 (£50 less) and trades the integrated wi-fi for internet radio of the Contour in for an iPod dock instead. iPhone and iPod Touch owners, however, can still access internet radio on the 100Di through Pure’s free-to-download Pure Lounge app.

What are the basic features?

The Pure Lounge app provides access to thousands of internet radio stations from around the world, but this radio also receives DAB and FM signals.

When paired with an iPhone or iPod Touch it can play music saved from the Apple devices. Come December, users will also be able to listen to streamed music over the internet through Pure’s forthcoming, subscription-based Pure Music service.

Pure Music will cost users £4.99 per month and can also be accessed through a laptop or destop computer. You can find out more about Pure Music, including how to manage playlists, in our Pure Music first look.

How does it sound?

When we got our hands on the Pure Contour 100Di we were in a crowded room with lots of background noise, however it’s likely that the sound quality will be similar to the original Contour. Here’s an except from the lab-based Pure Contour review:

Tracks sound good, whether they’re streamed over the internet or broadcast on DAB. Classical tracks rated higher with our expert listening panel than the other tracks played in our tests.

Our listeners described this model as producing ‘generally good performance with slight tonal issues’. Those issues being that the bass was a little boomy and higher frequencies roll off just slightly.

You can read the full Pure Contour review here.

What else do I need to know?

The Pure Contour 100Di is a tabletop radio at heart, but has a clock and alarm settings so can be used beside the bed.

As well as iPod Touches and iPhones the docking port is also compatible with iPads. It can play music from non-Apple devices through the 3.5mm audio socket, and it comes with a remote control, that you can magnetically attach to the rear of the radio when not needed.

In the full review…

These are just our first impressions of the Pure Contour 100Di, but we’ll fully test it soon to see how it compares with the other digital radios we have on test. Then we’ll be able to give you our definitive verdict on the following:

Audio quality - To test audio quality our test lab broadcasts its own DAB radio signal. A panel of audio experts rate the sound quality based on seven music tracks broadcast at 128Kbps. In addition, two are broadcast and rated at the higher 192Kbps bitrate to see how higher quality audio sounds.

Aerial sensitivity - The lab gradually weakens the DAB signal, recording the weakest signal the radio could receive without the audio breaking up. Radios with more sensitive aerials that can receive weaker signals stand a better chance of getting DAB reception.

Energy use - We measure the energy use of radios make sure that they do not cost you, and the earth, once they are plugged in and measure the battery life of models that support battery operation.