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The Pure Move 2500
The design of the Pure Move 2500 appears to be inspired by the iPod, with a circle on the front containing the controls. Despite its age, the Pure Move 2500 remains popular. Let’s see what it can do…
Features
- FM/DAB/DAB+ radio
- Internal ChargePAK battery that offers up to 14 hours of listening time
- Saves 20 preset radio stations (10 on FM and 10 on DAB)
- Can be bought with a protective carrying case (costs extra)
- Comes with noise-cancelling earphones included
- Digital Tick approved, so it will still work after a potential digital switchover
- Separate treble and bass controls
- Sleep timer
- LCD screen
Technical specifications
Dimensions: 10.2 cm tall x 5.6 cm wide x 1.5 cm deep
Weight: 104 g
Mode number: VL-61851
Ease of use
With the Pure Move 2500, you select radio stations using the rotary dial, which can be fiddly as the dial doesn’t click into position. This is one of the biggest drawbacks with this radio, as it can make it frustrating to change the station, even when using the presets. This might not be a problem if you mainly just listen to one station, but if you want to change frequently it could be a problem.
Apart from the issue with the tuning dial, the Pure Move 2500 is generally very easy to use, even if you’ve never owned a pocket DAB radio before. It’s quick and easy to set up, and scans and saves digital radio stations automatically.
Sound quality
The in-ear headphones included aren’t especially high quality, and can easily fall out of your ears. It’s a good idea to replace them with some higher quality earphones or headphones. When used with good headphone, the Pure Move 2500 has excellent sound quality, provided you have a strong FM or DAB signal.
Battery
The Pure Move 2500 has a rechargeable ChargePAK pre-installed. The battery can be charged by using the mains adapter included or by connecting it to a computer using a USB cable.
Pure state that the battery can last up to 14 hours, and this is probably true in ideal conditions. However, in practice the battery life will usually be less, often between 6 and 10 hours. This is common with portable DAB radios, since DAB radio uses more energy than AM and FM radio.
The Pure Move 2500’s battery is actually very good compared to some other pocket DAB radios, whose batteries can only last 4-5 hours after a few uses.
Design
The Pure Move 2500’s orange LCD screen looks quite dated compared to the blue screens of newer pocket DAB radios. It displays useful information including the station name, volume, battery life, signal strength and song name when in DAB mode.
The iPod-style circle on the front contains the tuning dial, which is probably this radio’s biggest design flaw. The dial makes it quite tricky to tune into the station you want, as instead of clicking into place it just keeps freewheeling.
At roughly 10 cm tall, the Pure Move 2500 is large enough to prevent you losing it but small enough to fit in your pocket easily. It’s also nice and light at just 104 g.
Pros
- Comes with a 3-year warranty
- Can be connected to a car or van stereo using its aux port
- Good build quality
- Good DAB reception
Cons
- Tuning dial is fiddly
- Looks quite dated compared to some newer pocket DAB radios
- Earphones provided are poor quality (they can be replaced though)
- Relatively expensive
Verdict
The Pure Move 2500
This radio could be a good alternative to a DAB car radio adapter for getting DAB radio in your car or van, as it can be connected to a car stereo using an aux cable without any loss of signal.
Despite being over 5 years old, the Pure Move 2500 still holds its own in the increasingly crowded pocket DAB radio market. Hopefully Pure will release an updated version of this pocket radio with an improved tuning mechanism soon.
Similar Radios
Another highly respected pocket radio from a well-known British brand is the Roberts SportsDAB2
A cheaper alternative is the Romsey DAB radio from budget brand Majority. Like the Roberts SportsDAB2 it also has a built-in speaker, but it comes at a much more attractive price.
For a roundup of some of the most popular and highly rated pocket DAB radios, check out this article: Best Pocket DAB Radios.