Pure Woodland with DAB+ review

Pure is not necessarily the best known brand in the mobile wireless box market. But a small Bluetooth speaker in olive green camouflage could certainly change that. The Pure Woodland Outdoor Speaker not only features the popular wireless interface. It even has two tuners for DAB+ and FM radio for a moderate price of 150 Euros. This means that the all-rounder, which appeared just in time for the vacation season, is highly recommended for vacations – especially in times when camping and motorhomes are enjoying great popularity. In this respect, this first review of the brand’s new beacon of hope has the perfect topical relevance.

The construction of the 900-gram Bluetooth box-radio combination seems simple, but robust and well thought-out. The entire upper side of the case, which is wrapped in mesh fabric all around, is made of a flexible, rubber-like plastic in which all buttons are embedded. This creates a perfect protection against the penetration of dirt or moisture in this sensitive area. This is underlined by the IP67 certification. Numerous competitors do not get it right, even with relatively expensive Bluetooth speakers: All of the Woodland’s buttons are the right size, offer a clearly defined pressure point, and are also marked with large white imprints. This means that they can be easily recognized and operated even in dim light or by people with impaired vision.

Intuitive, practical operation

Instead of assigning a few buttons with non-intuitive multiple functions, there are dedicated buttons for start/stop and track skip during Bluetooth playback. In radio mode with DAB+ or FM, the three buttons are used to change stations (press briefly) or search (press longer). With three favorite buttons, easily identified by hearts, favorite stations can be stored on the display by pressing and holding with visual feedback and then conveniently recalled by a short press. Each button can store one FM station and one DAB+ station.

This small, monochrome dot-matrix display provides clearly understandable feedback in any operating mode. While listening to the radio, it displays not only the station name, but also the reception strength and battery capacity, but switches off after each operating step to save power. After all, the manufacturer promises that the rechargeable 5000 mAh battery lasts for up to 14 hours of gaming. After that, it has to be charged via a USB-C port on the back. A long charging cable is included with the Pure Woodland. Software updates can also be installed via the same port.

Sound check: One for all types of music

As for the Bluetooth box’s equipment, Pure relies on 7.5 cm full-range speakers and Class D amplifiers with a power of 10 watts. This does not sound like much, but in practice it is enough for an impressive playback level. Particularly noteworthy would be that the Woodland is very balanced and pleasantly tuned. And this virtue largely holds even near the maximum volume. Countless competitors already start screaming below two-thirds of the volume range and noticeably reduce the bass to protect against distortion or damage. Not so the Woodland. The Bluetooth speaker really gives its all even near the level stop to maintain a certain bass foundation.

The Pure remained pure and balanced at high levels in our sound check. The bass on rock classics like “Psycho Killer” by Talking Heads or rap tracks like “Monster” by Eminem feat. Rihanna still gives pleasure with richness and punch even at a very considerable level for compact Bluetooth speakers. Even the still rarely achieved, enormous kick of the 90s dancefloor classic “Ready Or Not” by the Fugees was convincing until shortly before the upper limit of the volume control, which is synchronized with the controller of the smartphone paired via Bluetooth 5.1, stopped.

Natural, pleasant voices

But the natural voice reproduction is also particularly successful, regardless of the biological or perceived gender of the singers. The very good tonality is rounded off by clear, yet not too sharp treble reproduction. You can also enjoy excellent jazz or classical music with this Bluetooth speaker, which should be especially convenient for many who want to listen to classical music on vacation with the Pure Woodland. DAB+ in particular reliably delivered natural, lively sound. FM also sounded decent, but could not keep up, at least in the Stuttgart valley basin, especially in terms of reception reliability. While it wasn’t usually noticeably noisy, moving near the Pure Woodland caused temporary reception interference with many stations. However, the quality is sufficient for contact with the outside world at the campsite.

Concierto de Aranjuez as performed by Rabih Abou-Khalil, Edmar Castañeda & Alex Acuña on my iPhone streamed via Bluetooth sounded enormously lively, with nuanced reproduction of guitars and winds with rich, deep acoustic drums. There was nothing to criticize about the tonal balance – especially for this price.

Conclusion and alternatives to the Pure Woodland

This small radio with FM, DAB+ and Bluetooth interface may look inconspicuous with its camouflage color and green-brown nylon carrying strap. But the practical, generous equipment and the excellent sound for this class make you sit up and take notice. If you only want Bluetooth playback, the Tronsmart Halo 100 is an even more powerful mobile outdoor speaker at a comparable price, which even has a light organ. However, if compactness for camping vacations or radio playback count, the 2.7 kilogram alternative does not keep up.

The Nubert nuGo! One which was tested by STEREO GUIDE a few months ago, is also larger and heavier, almost twice as expensive, and only IPX5 protected against rain and splashing water. But it proves to be an alternative from the radio function and the balanced sound tuning, which once again lasts much longer in terms of battery life. However, we rather see the Bluetooth box from Schwäbisch Gmünd in the camper than in the tent.

Pure Woodland: Technical Specifications

• Manufacturer’s suggested retail price: 150 Euro
• Dimensions (W x H x D ): 17.4 x 13 x 10.6 cm
• Weight: 0.9 kg
• Battery life up to 14 hours
• Features: IP67 protection class, USB C
• More at: www.pure-audio.com

• Roberts Radio Beacon 335 review
• Magnat Monitor Active 2000: review
• Teufel Boomster review

For links on this page STEREO GUIDE may receive a commission from the merchant. This applies, for example, to those marked with *.