We have had problems with analogue alarm radios in the bedroom as reception has been very poor. With the last one ( a Sony so expected better) you could only get good reception whilst listening in bed by holding your arm in the air!!
Pure DAB radio has solved all the reception problems and sound and alarm setting flexibility are highlights. The design is smart and buttons easy to use once you get used to the menu system.
Agree with other reviews on the "need to improve areas" which are the display. When in the "one line" clock display mode the figures are hard to distinguish especially from a distance; and at night, in a dark room, the display is too bright, even on the lower setting.Fine if you want a night light as well, but not if you like a dark room to sleep.
I have found a solution to this over-brightness problem though by cutting out a piece of red transparent plastic to fit over the display. (A red filter darkens the blue display enough but allows the whiter characters to show clearly as a pale pink.)
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
I've been waiting for a good DAB bedside radio to come onto the market and had high hopes for the Pure Chronos. It's probably the best on the market so far and almost there.
On the good side, the radio is good looking, easy to set up & use and has the characteristically clear DAB sound. However the sound quality from the box can at best be described as average. Also the menu is fiddly and the buttons are hard to distinguish by touch so tasks like setting the alarms or the sleep timer are unnecessarily difficult. The dimmest display setting is also rather bright for the bedside.
I hope Pure bring out a revised/upgraded model soon. As well as improving the above I'd love to see: (1) an aerial socket so that a better one can be attached to replace the default thin wire if the local signal is weak and (2) the option to set the radio channel and volume settings with the alarm. I want to be woken in the morning by a louder radio that the one I went to sleep with the night before. The only way to achieve that so far is to have two separate radios.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
If you like sleeping with a torch being shone continuously in your eyes, then this is the clock for you. This alarm clock radio got great professional reviews - it looks good, the DAB sound is crackle-free and there are some nice functions. However I suspect the reviewers never actually lived with one of these units. The display is comedically too bright (even on its dimmer setting). One solution, of course, is to cover the readout - although that perhaps defeats the purpose of a clock?!? Searching for a solution to this problem via the service center at Pure Digital is a delight - " I can only suggest you return it to your vendor for a refund or swap for an alternative product", they offer cheerily! There are a number of other niggles - such as the inability to determine when you have deactivated the alarm each morning (the alarm clock icon stays on irrespective of whether it is still activated during the current snooze cycle or whether it is simply ready for the next morning - all of this is vital stuff for a reluctant daily waker.) The designer of this clock needs a good talking to.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
I really, really wanted to like this radio as I'd asked for it as a Xmas present.
There is little point on me going to town on the Chronos' good points. Looks, sound quality and ease-of-use-wise it is brilliant. It's faults make it unusuable for purpose though.
Firstly, the lowest volume is very LOUD. Too loud to fall alseep to at night or listen to through a headset whilst still drowsy in the morning. If you like listening to the radio on your day off and want to stay half alseep in the hope you can drift back to sleep, then this is not the model for you.
Secondly, the display does not dim sufficiently. Even the lowest (of the two) settings will light up your room at night and is far brighter than it needs to be. All you want to do is glance at the time if you stir in the night. This thing bathes the whole room in blue light.
Wait for the next generation of DAB clock radios in the hope that Pure will have addressed the obvious faults.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
I was looking for an update of my 20 year old trusty Sony Cube radio alarm clock that has stood by my bed for that long with its ariel chewed by a playful kitten some 15 years ago.
The Pure Chronos was the ticket! Despite reading other reviews about the light being too bright - it was not as bright as the dim setting on the Sony - so I was already accustomed to the Chronos's brightness - it didnt worry me at all.
Easily usable buttons and settings for several times whcih can be used for a one-off, daily, weekdays or weekends - perfect for me.
The DAB radio is superb reception and easily tuned.
Brilliant and Value for money.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Multiple alarms are great for splitting weekday/weekend wake-up times. Radio is fine and clock sets itself!
However, the display is too bright to sleep with on its low setting. Therefore, I cover the display with the user manual. I found the volume too loud on its lowest audible setting and as the volume is contolled in steps rather than smooth graduation, the next lowest notch cannot be heard.
A friend with a Robertson radio alarm had a display issue dealt with as they told him to send the unit back to factory. Pure told me that the display would require internal work and the don't do that. Pity!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
I am an early adopter of DAB devices and my other Pure radio has great sound. The sound quality of the Chronos is acceptable if a little tinny sounding.
So what does the Chronos excels at? Alarms are very easy to set up, modify and control. You can have multiple alarm settings and they are easy to manage. You can have an alarm turned OFF but set up so that when you do something irregular it's easy to activate (for me this is the 4AM rise to fly to London). Alarms can also be daily, weekly, weekdays, or a one off. A flawless system and much easier to use than describe.
The one feature that makes me regret this purchase is that even on the Lower of the two brightness settings the backlight shines like a lighthouse. I have to have the clock on the floor as a consequence and aim it away from the bed. I find it interferes with sleep otherwise and my wife finds it doubly irritating. For this reason I cannot recommend what is very nearly and excellent product.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
The pure chronos is a fantastic dab digital alarm clock. The radio has 4 alarms which can be set as a one off alarm or just for weekdays or even weekends. when the alarm goes off you can either listen to your favourite dab station or just a simpke tone. The pure chronos has a large blue backlight lcd display with dimmer control to alter the brightness of the display. The display shows the date and time which is constantly updated from the broadcast signal you are on even in standby mode. the toblerone shaped chronos's dimensions are height 6 cm width 19cm and depth 17cm. it's mains powered and comes with pure digitals 2 year guarantee as standard. If you are after a high performing alarm clock then the pure chronos should be top of your list for features as well. Buy it now
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
I bought this radio for my mother, but although it comes with plenty of functionality it does also have some flaws. Specifically, the display is still too bright to sleep at night even when set to "low". Also, for someone who has problems reading without glasses, the time shown on the display is not "wide" enough, i.e. while the numerials do appear double height, but they are not spread out across the display with the result that an 8, a 6 and a 5 can be seen to be the same thing if you look at it without your glasses.
Finally, the aerial is a flexible cable. Since the signal strenth was not high, the only way in which we good get a decent signal was by fixing it vertically to the wall paper with blue tack!
We've had to take it back....
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
My first DAB radio and I am very pleased - except for how bright, even on the dimmest setting, the display is at night! We live close to Gatwick airport and I am sure we have confused several aircraft. I wish I had read these reviews first, as I thought of coloured acetate to calm it all down - but got blue. Seems I should have got red. Oh well, it'll do until there is an upgrade.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Amazon Home
