"Quintessentially British" audio gear company Ruark has launched the first in its new series of integrated music systems. The R410 offers modern streaming, internet radio and connection to legacy hi-fi gear – all enclosed in gorgeous 1970s-inspired wrapping.
A family business founded in 1985, Ruark Audio launched its first loudspeakers the following year and moved into home theater setups in the late 1990s before entering the DAB radio market in 2004, and on to "one box" stereo systems, smart speakers and hi-fi music systems.
The R410 is the first in a new line of 100 Series integrated music systems, similar to Naim's excellent Mu-so but going for a cool vintage vibe rather than slick future-modern.
"The striking design of R410 conjures up high expectations, and we’ve worked tirelessly to ensure that it fully delivers, providing sublime performance that will connect you closer to the music you love," announced the company.
The system's dual bass reflex cabinet measures 150 x 560 x 290 mm (6 x 22 x 11.4 in) and sports a classic radio-like sustainable walnut grille that fronts two 20-mm dome tweeters and two newly-designed 100-mm NS+ bass-mid speakers driven by a 120-W Class D amplifier, for "a soundstage and effortless performance that belies R410’s size." There's also 32-bit Burr-Brown digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital conversion at up to 192 kHz.
The R410 can be connected to a home router over Ethernet or 802.11ax Wi-Fi for music streaming from cooked-in Spotify and TiDAL services, as well AirPlay and Chromecast. Bluetooth 5.1 with support for aptX HD decoding is included too, and listeners can also tune in to DAB radio.
It rocks a built-in phono stage for direct connection to a turntable, and can also be cabled up to other audio sources such as a TV via HDMI with eARC. The user interface comprises a funky RotoDial control up top and a 4-inch auto-dimming TFT display offset in the grille, though folks can also tap into a companion mobile app – and there's a handy USB charging port to help keep your smartphone topped up.
The mains-powered R410 comes supplied with a UFO-shaped Bluetooth remote and is available now for the premium retail price of £1,299 (which converts to around US$1,600, though there's no word as yet on international sales).
Product page: Ruark R410
