Pure Oasis, Sensia and Sirocco 550 internet radios hands-on

Pure's WiFi-enabled radios are making their US debut here at CES, and we've gotten to grips with the top trio on offer. The Oasis (pictured above) is a weatherproofed, rubber-rich unit, which can resist splashes of water and go on for between 10 and 15 hours on a single charge. We agree it looks like a durable machine, but -- while it can reach some pretty high volumes -- the sound itself was predictably lacking at the furthest ends of bass and treble. Moving up in the world to the Sensia delivers a snazzier touchscreen interface with built-in Facebook and Twitter integration, but we clashed with some deal-breaking lag while using it. Finally, the top tier Sirocco 550 offers a more conventional styling to go along with a CD player (those still exist?) and an iPod / iPhone dock. Priced at $249, $349 and $449, respectively, these should all find American shelves to sing from by the middle of this year.

Pure Oasis, Sirocco 550 and Sensia internet radios hands-on

[JoseElMaton Posted Jan 10th 2010 3:58AM]

Yes, they still exist. And they sound better than digital downloads.

[sharkync Posted Jan 10th 2010 10:22AM]

@JoseElMaton

But not near as good as licorice pizza - and they still exist as well.

[GrantMeStrength Posted Jan 10th 2010 5:20AM]

I have the Sensia and have been using it for a few weeks.

On the plus side, the sound quality is good and the screen looks pretty. The nature sounds are a nice idea. However, as pretty as it all might look, in usability terms it's incredibly badly implemented.

1. The response to the touch screen is very slow. It uses 'swipes' to navigate between some sections, and it's so slow as to be unusable. Even tapping a button takes ages. Frustrating.

2. It takes over a minute to start up from cold. I can turn it on, then get my cereal ready and it's still not ready. Not everyone wants to keep it switched on 24/7 as a clock radio.

3. It allows multiple sources for audio (internet, DAB, FM, external sources) but you can't create presets that jump between sources. You have to select a source first, then a preset. This makes it stupidly annoying to use. The UI handling the presets is abysmal.

4. The built-in apps comprise of a weather widget, a Twitter client and a Facebook client. All are slow, limited, poorly implemented and badly integrated into the rest of the radio UI.

5. DAB picture information doesn't show up for me at all, ever.

6. The ability to stream audio and pictures over your own network doesn't seem to work if you have a Mac, even after installing the awful server software. I didn't try it on Windows.

Also, this thing is huge. It's about the size of a rugby ball - it's bigger than the photographs might suggest. If you were planning on using this on a bedside table, you better have a large one.

Overall, I'm disappointed the most by the user interface. It works, but it all could have been SO much better. It's not cheap, and it should be have been a lot better. And if they had included some printed instructions that might have helped too.

(Note: DAB is the UK and Ireland's digital radio standard, sort of like - but not compatible with - the US HD Radio)

[slipdisc Posted Jan 10th 2010 6:06AM]

An internet radio for $450? Ok, thanks Vlad.

[rocke86 Posted Jan 10th 2010 8:58AM]

I've been considering the $120 chumby one, after adding a good pair of speakers to it why would I pay more for limited function internet radios vs the chumby? Crosses fingers on a new chumby release with a thinner photo frame form factor and a bigger screen.

[darex Posted Jan 10th 2010 11:23AM]

@rocke86
Actually, it's the Chumby that's limited: you can only listen to the internet radio stations that THEY have selected for you on their "channels". The number of formats they support is also limited. Stand-alone internet radios are the best. Unless you've had one, you can't understand. I have one by my bed and in my bathroom. I don't ever listen to FM or AM anymore. There's no reason to. That, and much, much, MUCH more is available on Internet Radio, and much clearer.

As "bad" as the touch interface on the Sensia is supposed to be, it's got to be 100X better than the Chumby's.

I had a Chumby. It was returned. It was unstable and very difficult to live with, and the screen was a pain. As an internet radio, which is the reason why I got the Chumby, it was a major fail. The rest is just fluff.

[darex Posted Jan 10th 2010 11:24AM]

@rocke86 You don't have to cross your fingers. Sony is making just that: "The Dash"

[artist Posted Jan 10th 2010 9:10AM]

that PURE oasis is a boston horizon solo ripoff.

http://dvice.com/pics/Boston%20Acoustic%20Horizon%20Solo-XT.jpg

[darex Posted Jan 10th 2010 11:28AM]

@artist I disagree.

1) it's NOT a WiFi radio. It's just a crummy AM/FM radio.
2) it's not water resistant
3) It only has a passing resemblance to the Pure Oasis.
4) It has a crappy LCD screen, versus Pure's OLED screen.

[Wolfticket Posted Jan 10th 2010 10:42PM]

@artist

Also, the Pure Oasis design was released in the UK about 2 1/2 years before the Boston Acoustic Horizon Solo was.

Impressive levels of fail.