Ruark R410 review

Retro-styled music console boasts fashionable options and spectacular audio versatility

The Ruark R410 integrates each high-end sound and design, to ship a standout music expertise that feels fashionable but steeped in nostalgia. It’s crafted to fulfill audiophiles with its premium sound high quality and adaptive EQ, whereas design lovers will recognize the superbly constructed cupboard that harkens again to traditional Nineteen Seventies techniques. Regardless of some minor drawbacks – corresponding to the dearth of a devoted companion app and built-in voice assistant help – the R410 is a incredible selection for these in search of a classy, full-fat, music streaming system… albeit at fairly a bumper value.


  • Attractive design

  • Wonderful sound high quality

  • Plethora of enter choices

  • Multitude of streaming companies


  • Expensive

  • No companion app

  • Not natively multi-room

  • No baked in voice assistant

Ruark R410: Introduction

  • Connectivity: Twin band Wi-Fi, Ethernet, Bluetooth, DLNA
  • Ecosystems: AirPlay, Google Solid, Tidal Join, Spotify Join
(Picture credit score: The Ambient)

On the finish of final 12 months Ruark Audio, the UK speaker specialist, launched the Ruark R410 Built-in Music System, the primary instalment of its new 100 Sequence line (which has now been joined by the 610 and the 810.)

With the R410 Ruark, as soon as once more, managed to meld timeless design with the newest music streaming expertise, interesting to each music aficionados and design fanatics.

Basically a contemporary twist on Nineteen Seventies-inspired design, it packs in the entire streaming tech you’d count on from a music system half a century on from when its console cousin inspirations have been the should have units.

Is the Ruark R410 worthy of a hefty outlay and a spot in your sideboard? Learn on to search out out.

Design and construct

  • Two kinds to select from
  • No CD drive
  • Improved RotoDial and distant management
ruark music console R410
(Picture credit score: The Ambient)

Let’s begin with the design and whether or not you go for the Fused Walnut Veneer or Delicate Gray Lacquer, you’re getting an absolute beautiful piece of equipment, which has loads of eco credentials.

Engineered from sustainable woods which are “expertly spliced and recomposed”, the ensuing materials seamlessly blends in together with your furnishings, as you may see from the picture above on my hardwood eating room sideboard.

Measuring 150 × 560 × 290mm, it’s a bit chunkier than the (now-discontinued) R5, and weighing in at 9.5kg, it sits on some little metallic legs and simply appears very good. The walnut grille entrance someway manages to invoke a nostalgic current feeling, extra so than the cloth-mesh on the R5.

ruark r410 diagonal
(Picture credit score: The Ambient)

The RotoDial controller from earlier Ruark audio system continues to be there however has been upgraded for enhanced usability and the distant management is actually a transportable model of this.

ruark r410 rotodial
(Picture credit score: The Ambient)

Each of that are tremendous straightforward to make use of, though you’ll should undergo a pairing course of with the Bluetooth-powered distant management, and you will want to cost it by way of USB-C each on occasion.

ruark r410 roto remote control
(Picture credit score: The Ambient)

Nonetheless, as I discussed, it’s not all slick aesthetics because the R410 signifies a convergence of Ruark’s storied heritage and forward-thinking creativity.

Gone is the CD loader of the R5 and as a replacement is a 4-inch TFT color show. That doesn’t imply your analogue music isn’t supported, there’s a RIAA phono enter stage inbuilt to help exterior music gamers and a CD drive will be hooked as much as the USB port, however extra on that in a bit.

Ruark tells us that the portrait orientation of the show is designed it to resemble a smartphone, and it really works properly.

ruark r410 amazon music playback
(Picture credit score: The Ambient)

The total color TFT show presents wonderful visibility from varied angles, making paintings look simply as vibrant because it does on a contemporary cell phone.

The preliminary setup is pretty simple, though typing in your Wi-Fi password utilizing the RotoDial is a little bit of a faff.

ruark r410 setup wizard
(Picture credit score: The Ambient)

Options

  • Intensive streaming help
  • A number of playback strategies
  • Could be a TV speaker because of HDMI

Regardless that there are a raft of line-in choices on the R410 – together with Stereo RCA enter (as much as 2.3Vrms) and turntable enter with an MM phono achieve stage- the actual focus is the digital streaming smarts that, because of an inner Burr-Brown DAC, are able to high-resolution audio information as much as 32-bit/192kHz PCM.

ruark r410 rear ports inputs
(Picture credit score: The Ambient)

The place you get your digital music piped into the R410 is as much as you, however there’s an absolute plethora of choices together with Spotify, TIDAL, Amazon Music, BBC Sounds, Deezer, Qobuz and lots of extra.

There’s additionally DAB/DAB+/FM & Web radio plus aptX HD Bluetooth connectivity, in addition to UPnP media server help for native digital file playback.

ruark r410 sources
(Picture credit score: The Ambient)

Not like the Ruark R sequence, there’s no native multi-room however with Spotify Join, Google Solid and AirPlay 2 on board, you may group with different audio system from a number of manufacturers to your coronary heart’s content material.

If you wish to manually hook up with different techniques, and even your TV, then you can also make use of the TOSLINK digital enter, HDMI with eARC.

Whereas this speaker is first rate for TV use, it doesn’t fairly measure as much as being an excellent TV speaker; nor do you have to count on it to be.

Simply because it options an HDMI connection doesn’t imply it must be thought-about a alternative for a devoted soundbar – there’s no Dolby Atmos or voice enhamcement tech, for instance.

Though it delivers audio high quality considerably higher than most TV audio system and low cost soundbars, that’s probably not the explanation it exists.

It will have been good to see Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant voice controls baked in, however you do have the choice of including in a wise speaker by way of the line-in on the again so as to add some voice controls (though you’ll clearly then be streaming at a a lot much less high quality.)

ruark r410 display
(Picture credit score: The Ambient)

As talked about, there’s no CD drive on the R410 itself however you may join an exterior CD drive utilizing the USB port and play your CDs via that; Ruark tells us that it’s going to even be launching a local CD drive to accompany the R410 sooner or later too.

I examined it with an previous CD drive I had from my Napster ripping days (Google it youngsters) and it labored simply high quality.

The USB drive may serve for file playback of your domestically saved information. The Ruark R410 helps AAC (320kbps/96kHz), WMA as much as 48kHz/320kbps, WMA 9 as much as 48kHz/256kbps, and it handles FLAC, ALAC (Apple Lossless), and WAV information at resolutions as much as 32-bit/384kHz.

One downside of the R410 is the absence of a companion app, which is a bit annoying.

Having a devoted Ruark app, just like what we’ve loved with a few of the model’s earlier audio system, would improve the consumer expertise considerably.

An app may present larger management over settings, software program updates, and even perhaps personalised sound profiles, making it simpler to tailor the audio expertise to particular person preferences.

With out it, customers miss out on the comfort and performance {that a} companion app can provide, particularly given the preset favourites possibility on utilizing the RotoDial isn’t probably the most intuitive.

Efficiency

Audio high quality is completely top-notch, which is hardly shocking on condition that this a high-end Ruark providing.

Powering the present is a pair of 20mm silk dome tweeters, alongside a pair of Ruark 100mm NS+ bass-mid items and a 120W RMS Class D amplifier.

The cupboard is a tuned twin bass enclosure and, though the sound emits from a slim-ish rectangular form, is extremely sure and properly rounded.

Testing with lossless 44.1 kHz m4a information, Amazon Music Extremely HD, and lossless Apple Music information (24-bit/192 kHz), I chosen a variety of tracks to push the speaker’s limits.

Spine by Stormzy delivered deep, thumping bass that was each highly effective and well-controlled, whereas Birds of a Feather by Billie Eilish showcased crisp highs, permitting her delicate vocals to shine with none harshness.

A Fragile Factor by The Treatment revealed a wealthy soundstage, with every instrument superbly separated, making it a pleasure to take heed to.

The bass was very good, grounding the sound with heat and depth, whereas the trebles have been superb, clear, and detailed.

I didn’t even trouble adjusting the EQ settings in any respect, because the speaker’s adaptive EQ characteristic supplied a super listening expertise proper out of the field. There’s additionally a Stereo+ 3D possibility, which makes the stereo impact much more pronounced.

Ultimate ideas

Ruark’s R410 isn’t only a speaker, it’s a crafted piece of audio furnishings that marries retro aesthetics with fashionable tech capabilities.

From its wealthy soundstage and dynamic bass to the flexibility in connectivity, it’s designed for the discerning listener who values each sound and elegance.

Whereas a companion app and native multi-room capabilities would have rounded off the expertise, these don’t actually detract from the very good audio efficiency wrapped in that timeless aesthetic.

Put brief, the Ruark R410 delights in each type and performance.

How we check

Once we publish our evaluations, you may relaxation assured that they’re the results of “dwelling with” long run checks.

Good speaker normally reside inside, and even management, a wise house ecosystem, or a variety of merchandise that – supposedly – all work in concord. Due to this fact, it’s unattainable to make use of a related speaker for every week and ship a verdict.

As a result of we’re testing good house equipment all day, on a regular basis, we all know what issues and the way a selected good speaker compares to options that you may additionally be contemplating.

Our evaluations are complete, goal and truthful and, after all, we’re by no means paid on to assessment a tool.

Learn our assessment course of for good audio system to study extra.

FAQs

Can I exploit the Ruark R410 as a soundbar for my TV?

Whereas this speaker has an eARC HDMI port and might hook up with your TV, it’s not designed as a devoted soundbar. It would nonetheless present audio high quality that’s superior to most built-in TV audio system and price range soundbars, however for the perfect TV sound expertise, a devoted soundbar like a Sonos Arc might be a more sensible choice.

What audio file codecs does the USB port help?

The USB port helps playback for a number of codecs, together with AAC (320kbps/96kHz), WMA as much as 48kHz/320kbps, WMA 9 as much as 48kHz/256kbps, and FLAC, ALAC (Apple Lossless), and WAV information as much as 32-bit/384kHz.

Does the Ruark R410 play CDs?

No, the Ruark R410 doesn’t have a built-in CD participant. Nonetheless, you may join an exterior CD drive by way of the USB port if you wish to play your CDs.

Ruark R410: Specs

US Worth$1,799
UK Worth£1,299
Frequency Response35Hz – 22kHz
Speaker Models2 × Ruark 20mm silk dome tweeters, 2 × Ruark 100mm NS+ bass-mid items
Amplifier120W RMS Class D amplifier (0.02% THD @ 30W/CH)
EnhancementsAdjustable bass and treble settings, Stereo+ 3D audio enhancement, Adaptive EQ for quantity
Cupboard SortTuned twin bass reflex enclosure
ControllerRotoDial management system
Distant ManagementRotoDial BT LE rechargeable distant
ShowHello-Res auto dimming 4-inch color TFT show
Presets20 World presets
App ManagementNo
Auto-StandbyAdjustable auto-off energy saving mode
Adjustable Enter RangesAdjustable line-in and optical enter ranges
USB Cost PortUSB-C 5V 1A (5W)
DSTComputerized DST adjustment
Software program UpdatesOver-the-air or USB updates
Consumer Interface LanguagesMultilingual
RadioWeb Radio DAB / DAB+ / FM with RDS (87.5-108MHz)
Multiroom FunctionalityThrough Apple AirPlay and Google Solid
Wi-Fi802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, WPS2, WEP, WPA, WPA2
StreamingApple AirPlay and Google Solid
Constructed-in Music ProvidersSpotify Join, TIDAL Join
Supported Music ProvidersAmazon Music, BBC Sounds, Deezer, Qobuz, and extra
Bluetooth5.1, aptX HD, SBC, AAC, BLE, A2DP
EthernetRJ45 connector 10/100 Mbps
DLNAUPnP™ DLNA media server appropriate
CD ParticipantCD playback by way of exterior USB CD drive (optionally available)
HDMIARC and eARC
Line-inputStereo RCA enter (as much as 2.3Vrms)
Transferring Magnet RIAA Phono EnterTurntable enter with MM phono achieve stage
Optical EnterTOSLINK enter as much as 24-bit 192kHz
Subwoofer OutputThrough mono RCA
USB2.0 kind C FAT32 playback port
Aerial75Ω F-type aerial connector

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