A good robust, hard-wearing portable DAB readio

[baz]

Calling all DAB radio gurus and afficionados....

I am looking for a good-sounding, robust portable DAB radio I can listen to at work. I'm a tiler and work mainly in nice warm houses (no site work), but the nature of the work means that there's a fair bit of dust and things are a bit rough, so the Pure One radios I normally use only last about 6 months or so before packing up (along with the ridiculously flimsy cables that seem to split as soon you look at them).

Anyway, after a few weeks going mad with no music, yesterday I splashed out £120 on a Makita BMR101 DAB radio and was quite shocked at the utterly awful sound quality - basically just a load of woolly, boomy bass and not a lot else...even listening to the news was hard work and after about half an hour I switched it off, boxed it up and took it back for a refund.

So, does anybody have any recommendations for a decent outdoors-y, tough radio with a decent, balanced sound ?

I'm happy to spend up to £120 or so but don't want anything that will wilt like a parched flower after a few months.

I've read that the Pure Oasis Flow seems a pretty good contender...any suggestions ?

Thanks,

Baz

 

[BenLaw]

I'm surprised at your findings with the pure one, which model did you use? In fairness I've never put one through what you have, but I've used a pure one mini for years in the bathroom where it takes a few knocks and is exposed to steam and it hasn't skipped a beat. Also no problem with the cables as the chargepak means it can be used on battery for more than a day. I've used a £120 Revo pico in the past and it was rubbish. I'd use a pure one mini and buy a new unit at £25 every six months rather than risk throwing away £120 in one go.

 

[Big Chris]

You could look at the Pure Evoke 1-S Marshall.

Due to it being a Marshall tie-in, it has the same finish along with heavy corner protectors that mirror Marshalls amps & cabs. Obviously Marshall made them this way to be hardwearing for constant touring..... The amps & cabs, not the radio.

It takes a chargepak (costs extra). I've had it running on long hot days in the garden for hours on end.

I can't vouch for its performance in a dusty environment though.

Having said that, a new Pure One every 6 months at about £40 a time isn't a bad investment over the year, and I would imagine makes a 0.00003% dent in your turnover.

 

[baz]

Big Chris, how very dare you sir, times are tough and I am now down to my last 3 Bugattis !

Good advice from both of you, I think I'll probably just stick to the Pure One/Mini route and get a Chargepak - it's mainly the poxy mains lead that perishes first, so I did get a much sturdier adjustable-voltage number from Maplins, but it seems the two Ones I currently have don't want to play....so maybe it's the mains connection and the battery power will sort this, who knows ?

Anyway, I think I'll get me a One and a Chargepak, and then, sod's law, I'll have 3 radios to choose from (i.e. one for each Bugatti !)

Thanks,

Baz

 

[Anonymous]

My husband is in the market for the exact same thing- a decent sounding, robust radio for using at work. Someone recommended a Pure Oasis Flow to him as it's meant to be pretty solid; waterproof (to a degree) and dust-proof too. Not sure how great the sound quality is, but as it's by Pure you'd hope it's reasonable at least... I know the price is a bit high, but it might be worth it if it lasts longer than the Pure Ones have been?

 

[baz]

Hi LadyMacB,

On the back of the last couple of comments I've basically seen sense (I think) and bought another Pure One Classic for £40 from Richer Sounds....I figured that if it goes bang after 6 months or a year, £40 isn't really too much of a loss over that period, if it means I can make the day go more quickly by listening to the radio whilst working (and also plug my iPod in when the assmbled line-up of DJs from various stations start driving me mad, as they often do !).

Also, the first thing to go on these Pure One models (in my case) is the flimsy mains wire, which tends to gradually wear through and eventually snap, probably because it's unplugged and wound up quite frequently (and is flimsy and rubbish !), so I've got a Chargepak coming in the post next week, which apparently gives 15 hours playback between charges.

Anyway, I figured it best to shell out a relatively small amount on a fairly prosaic yet ok-sounding radio that I don't mind getting scratched and/or dirty, rather than spend upwards of a £100 on something that's better finished and might sound a bit better, but would make me wince at the sight of the first scratch !

He may have bought one by now though, would be interested to hear what he went for ?