First impressions count as we all know, and the Flow elicited its fair share of admiring glances, drawn by its gloss black finish and silver trim. Which was my initial reaction as well; on the surface it looks quite chic, something to generate pride of ownership. On closer inspection though the facade drops a little. The beauty is a bit skin deep, the Flow feels a little plasticky, slightly 'blingy'. Pick it up and it weighs less than you expect.
As an internet radio things pick up though. Connecting it to my network was straightforward, finding a preferred station was easy, and away I went. Setting up a favourites list is also simplicity itself; just tune into the station and then press the button with the heart icon.
The on-radio search facilities are particularly helpful, allowing you to search by name, genre, country, language, and quality. Partial names are allowed e.g. type in BBC to get all Auntie's programmes. Genre is very useful to match the music to your mood, and I found the ability to filter out lower quality stations gratifying. You can also search against multiple criteria. All credit to Pure for these facilities, which do make it stand out.
Pure has developed its own portal, (www.thelounge.com) in preference to using others such as Reciva's. The ability to search and store favourites is replicated here, but the functionality goes beyond the basics and encourages you to stay around and explore a bit e.g. there are recommendations from Pure's staff. The user interface is also more engaging than Reciva's rather utilitarian one. All in all a useful adjunct to the impressive on-radio features.
Media streaming is somewhat less successful, although to be fair this is a function of the technology rather than Pure's implementation. All basic media players suffer the same woes; a fundamental lack of ease of use, to the point that personally I find them almost unusable. Yes the technology works, but don't expect intuitive iTunes-like interfaces, ones that allow you to browse with ease. Buy the Flow for its internet radio capabilities, if media streaming is important go for one of the more expensive options from Logitech, Sonos, and the like.
In terms of functionality the Flow incorporates DAB and FM tuners. DAB sensitivity was reasonable, but not as good as an Evoke-2S tested alongside it. You can not replace the telescopic aerial with an external aerial either. The radio runs on mains power or using an optional rechargeable ChargePAK battery.
iPod connectivity is via an auxiliary input on the rear, which also houses a stereo output and headphone socket, as well as one to connect the optional external speaker. The USB input is only to update the firmware, and the Flow is upgradeable for DAB+.
The radio is controlled by a combination of two rotary dials and several touch sensitive buttons. The interface is not easy to use at first but over time familiarity kicks in and it gets easier.
There are many easy to use menu options such as controls for the brightness of the excellent OLED display, as well as easy to use presets; 30 for DAB and 10 for FM.
Sound quality is, well, fair. It doesn't have the welcome warmth of my benchmark Tivoli PAL, itself bettered by the Evoke-2S. But it was perfectly acceptable, particularly when you remember that the vast majority of internet radio stations are broadcast at low-ish quality.
In summary the Flow is a mixed bag. Looks are a personal thing; you may score it highly. Facilities are fine, and the sound is acceptable in absolute terms. Internet radio is implemented better than I have seen elsewhere, and given that this is the Flow's raison d'etre it may well swing things in its favour.
nPhil Wright
