Mixing vintage 1960s looks with modern-day technology, this Ruark R410 retro all-in-one music system could be the perfect addition to your living room.
But you will need to have a healthy bank balance. Rural makes some wonderful audio kit for the modern era, but it does come at a price. It’s an investment, but hopefully, one that’s built to last.
Compact, but definitely designed to catch the eye. I love the handcrafted grille on the front, both options for the finish of the handcrafted cabinet (white or walnut) and the sleek, streamlined look. But this isn’t just a pretty face. This unit has plenty of audio bases covered, too.
In terms of the sound, Ruark Audio has ‘painstakingly tuned’ the reflex enclosures to house NS+ bass-mid units and, combined with the tweeters from their award-winning MR1 speakers, the result is performance way beyond its size.
As for streaming, Spotify and TIDAL Connect are built-in (if you have a subscription), but you can also browse and stream music from other devices on your network. The inputs also allow you to connect a turntable or play CDs by connecting a CD-ROM drive to the USB input.
Other features include Apple AirPlay and Chromecast built-in, so you can stream directly from apps such as BBC Sounds, Amazon Music, Deezer and Qobuz, and you can also easily create a multi-room system, linking it with other AirPlay and Chromecast speakers. Note also that it has DAB, DAB+, FM radio, internet radio, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.
There’s also a lovely RotoDial control system, with a Bluetooth remote included too. So just sit back, browse and enjoy the music.
But before you do that, make sure you have £1,299 to spare, as that’s the price of this unit.
