It might be reductive to name the Ruark Audio R2 Mk4 only a radio. Sure, it primarily features as a superb radio with FM/DAB/DAB+ tuners, web radio and alarms all half and parcel of the product. And it seems to be like a radio, albeit a really luxuriously designed one.
However like many trendy radios from Roberts, Revo and Tivoli Audio, it may accomplish that far more. From wi-fi streaming through Bluetooth and supported music apps to bodily wired connections, the Ruark R2 Mk4 may be very a lot a contemporary music system that may compete towards any premium wi-fi speaker.
With its slightly hefty price ticket of £479, you’d hope it feels, sounds and total performs higher than you’d anticipate “only a radio” to do, as nicely. Fortunately, it does.
Construct & design
Ruark has an extended historical past of mixing trendy and retro designs to ship among the most visually interesting merchandise we’ve come throughout, and the R2 Mk4 isn’t any exception. It’s had a big redesign since its predecessor, the five-star R2 Mk3, which we reviewed again in 2015 (additionally an Award-winner that 12 months), and we’re huge followers of the brand new look.
We known as the final mannequin “beautiful”; the brand new R2 Mk4 is much more elegant and elevated. A lot of the Ruark R2’s enchantment lies in its fashionable, modern design that exemplifies the modern-retro development so prevalent throughout hi-fi merchandise in the present day. The R2 would take a look at house in any area: the house workplace, on a kitchen counter, bedside desk, on a shelf – you may even have it as the primary audio system in your home. The R2 Mk4 is about 20 per cent slimmer than its predecessor too, which means it may match higher on most cabinets or bookcases. No matter floor you place it on, the rubber toes beneath the unit will hold each the radio and floor protected.
The sturdy cupboard is made for sound high quality in addition to magnificence. The damped polymer cupboard is acoustically tuned and is available in two finishes: the sunshine cream lacquer of our evaluate unit, or a darker espresso model, with ash or walnut grilles respectively. The rounded edges of the cupboard, the brand new handcrafted slatted wooden grille on the entrance, the bonded glass show – all are made to a really top quality.
Ruark R2 Mk4 tech specs
Tuners FM radio
Digital radio DAB/DAB+
Web radio? Sure
Bluetooth? Sure (5.2)
Show? Sure
Distant included? No
Dimensions (hwd) 18.5 x 34 x 15cm
Weight 2.9kg
The glass show spans the width of the cupboard, however the precise TFT color display for displaying the time, supply, station/observe/artist data is restricted to a small nook on the left-hand facet. We want that show was greater (there’s a number of empty actual property on the glass display). Nonetheless, it’s splendidly crisp and clear, and the textual content is simple to learn even from throughout the room. Whereas a rival radio system just like the very good Revo SuperConnect Stereo (£489) has a bigger show display, as compared the textual content is extra crammed in and tougher to learn from a distance.
The R2 is powered by 18 watts of Class A/B amplification, with two 75mm of Ruark’s personal NS+ (NeutralSound+) full-range drivers for stereo sound. There are two small bass ports on the underside of the unit. It doesn’t matter what floor we place the R2 on, there’s sufficient area for the downward-firing ports to function with out feeling restricted or cramped.
There are quite a few methods to manage the R2 Mk4. In the beginning is Ruark’s customary RotoDial controller that sits on high of the unit. It’s a splendidly tactile and responsive dial that permits you to intuitively choose sources, management playback, modify quantity in pleasing increments and entry the R2’s settings.
Should you favor controlling your radio system utilizing a smartphone display, you might have the selection of two third-party apps: Undok and Oktiv. Each work nicely, with Oktiv the slicker of the 2. Saving and accessing presets for every radio choice is marginally simpler by way of the apps than the management dial. And at last, there’s a slim, primary distant management that you would be able to purchase for an non-obligatory payment of £14.99 – to be sincere, we by no means felt the necessity for it.
General, we discover ourselves utilizing the RotoDial controller probably the most. It’s a tactile, sensible expertise that’s sorely lacking from many wi-fi audio system nowadays, and we ended up having fun with the R2 radio much more just by bodily interacting with it recurrently.
Options
We’d advocate connecting the R2 to your property’s wi-fi instantly after you’ve taken it out of the field. This not solely offers you entry to hundreds of worldwide web radio stations at your fingertips (from Absolute Radio to Seattle’s KEXP) however will make it simple to stream out of your music streaming providers.
The R2 has built-in help for Spotify Join, Amazon Music and Deezer. These with Apple Music or Tidal can use the R2’s Bluetooth enter as a substitute. There’s no AirPlay 2 or hi-res help, nevertheless – two options that, whereas not essential, would’ve been good to see included within the R2.
In fact, Ruark hasn’t forgotten its roots in terms of radio. FM and DAB/DAB+ tuners come as commonplace, and it can save you eight presets for every. The sign energy naturally will depend on your proximity to a transmitter; we lucked out with a really sturdy reception from a neighborhood FM station, and the radio high quality was splendidly stable, clear and detailed. Even when you find yourself solely utilizing the R2 as a bedside radio, you’ll be able to spend hours simply listening to the radio and nothing else.
That’s not all, after all, as Ruark caters to bodily connections alongside the wi-fi ones. There’s a 3.5mm aux line enter for connecting exterior audio sources and a 3.5mm headphone jack for plugging in your favorite pair of wired cans. Moreover, a USB-C port (changing the previous Mk3’s USB-A) can be utilized to play saved audio recordsdata on a flash drive, however solely as much as MP3 high quality. Extra usefully, the USB-C port can cost up your smartphone or different transportable units like an Astell & Kern hi-res music participant. Helpful.
Sound
Should you aren’t charmed by the Ruark R2 Mk4’s seems to be and have set to this point, you can be when you begin taking part in music on it. Whether or not it’s radio, Bluetooth streams or podcasts, it sounds vastly pleasant.
The R2 has that naturally wealthy, weighty and expressive sound signature that we’ve come to know and love from Ruark’s earlier merchandise. Radio stations come by way of clear and punchy, and the R2 has a full-bodied method that makes even the lower-quality digital stations nice to hearken to.
It’s a likeable presentation from the get-go. Play higher high quality stations or stream songs out of your favorite music app, and also you’ll get solidity, element and dynamic expression in spades. Sure, the R2 is a shade on the nice and cozy facet of impartial, however by no means as far as to color the pure tone and feeling of the songs we play, no matter style.
The bassline in Large Assault’s Paradise Circus offers an important impression of depth, and retains the music’s momentum driving together with a superb sense of timing. There’s loads of texture and snap to the bassline’s rhythm too; there are nuances right here the place loads of rival merchandise of the same sort would current it as a one-note, shapeless sound.
Beneath that genial, likeable method is a powerful quantity of sonic prowess for a product of this sort. There aren’t any harsh edges to that easy treble; there’s ample headroom for increased notes to soar as nicely. For what is a reasonably compact unit, the sound that emanates from the R2 Mk4 is surprisingly huge and spacious, and it may attain decently loud volumes with out getting too strained or shedding composure. Much more importantly, the musical cohesion of a music stays intact and a compelling hear even at decrease volumes.
Voices particularly thrive by way of the R2. That is clearly an necessary side for speak radio and podcasts, and the R2’s pure heat and textural depth lend a lot life by way of the midrange. There’s a lot element right here. From Nick Cave’s sombre, gravelly tones to Run The Jewels’ punchy, snappy rapping; from Agnes Obel’s ethereal singing to PJ Harvey’s snarling, grunge-tinged vocals – the Ruark delivers ranges of subtlety that you would be able to sink into.
The midrange sits ever-so-slightly ahead within the presentation, particularly in comparison with a rival unit just like the Revo SuperConnect Stereo at comparable cash. The Revo provides a much bigger, extra roomy character, but it surely’s barely reserved and understated in contrast with the Ruark’s extra energetic and rhythmically succesful sound. We like each items, but it surely’s the Ruark that sounds extra musically attention-grabbing and will get our toes tapping extra.
Verdict
Should you’re after a high-quality music system that appears nice, is beautiful to make use of and sounds great, the Ruark R2 Mk4 ought to be on the high of your wishlist. It’s the sort of product that might – and will – be thought of alongside any funds hi-fi separates as a extra way of life (however nonetheless very hi-fi-sounding) various. It might appear expensive for a radio system, however the Ruark provides a lot extra and it has the musical prowess to justify its price ticket. Should you’re in a position to afford it, the R2 Mk4 deserves a spot in your house.
SCORES
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