RUARK AUDIO R410 integrated music system
+ Polished, engaging sound; great looks and design; extensive list of features and broad compatibility.
– No smart device control app; may be too large to fit under the TV; no compatibility with DSD and AV audio formats; screen size too small
Sound: 9/10
Value: 8/10
THERE is a long track record of hi-fi manufacturers coming up with spectacular products when they try something different. Think all-in-one audio systems like B&W’s Zeppelin, Naim’s Mu-so, Sonus Faber’s Omnia and Devialet’s Phantom (among many others), and you’ll get where this train of thought is headed.
The point is, all the aforementioned manufacturers established their brand on how great they sound, not how good they look. But by “thinking outside the box” (in both the literal and geometric senses of the word), they have come up with legendary designs that not only achieve sonic excellence but are objets d’art in their own right – which is what Ruark Audio wants to achieve with its R410 integrated music system.
Let’s talk about form first. The R410 may be box-shaped, but it’s a good-looking one indeed. Finish options of walnut veneer and soft grey are available, but one of the unifying design factors is its wood-slat grille (common in Ruark gear) that runs across the entire front panel and broken up only by a small LCD screen placed what it calls an “intuitive RotoDial control system”.
Even with its big footprint of 15 x 56 x 29cm (h/w/d) and weight of 9.5kg, it is a truly gorgeous piece that combines retro and modern design cues, which won’t look out of place in any living room. I’d go as far as to claim that it will be tough to find someone who doesn’t like it.
On to the topic of function – quite simply, the R410 aims to provide, in a single component, anything and everything you want, for both analogue and digital format playback.
To perform its core function of reproducing sound, the R410 employs a pair each of 20mm silk dome tweeters and 100mm mid-bass drivers, driven by 120 watts of Class D amplification. Without looking under the hood (any attempt to dismantle it seemed like a bad idea), internal components are unlikely to fill up the large enclosure and I can assume that most of it acts as the cabinet for the drivers – a pair of bass ports in the centre of the bottom panel appears to back this supposition.
The R410’s list of features is very extensive (visit the website for the full run-down) but let’s cover the salient ones. The R410 is Wi-Fi enabled and also features an Ethernet port, so audio streaming services like Tidal Connect and Spotify Connect are fully supported and work flawlessly. And since it is Apple AirPlay and Google Cast compatible (as well as Bluetooth), any other streaming service (Deezer, Qobuz, Apple Music, etc.) will work with the R410 – in tandem with a smart device, of course.
The R410’s back panel also lets on to what else it can do. It has an antenna (FM radio and DAB+), a phono input with grounding post (MM only), HDMI (ARC and eARC), optical input, RCA line-level stereo input, USB-C input (for USB CD drives), and an Ethernet port (which in tandem with Wi-Fi handles UPnP and Internet radio).
File format compatibility is extensive but not comprehensive – DSD isn’t covered nor are the DTS and Dolby Digital AV formats.
PLUGGED IN
Due to the R410’s size, there was some initial trouble figuring out where to best place the unit. It won’t be a problem for those with large domiciles and loads of table/countertop space, but in more compact housing units, under the TV (also to make use of its HDMI eARC function) makes the most sense. Problem is it’s too big to fit directly under any TV, so it needs one shelf to itself or you can wall-mount the TV. Fortunately, I had a pair of low 18-inch speaker stands that did the trick.
Setting up the unit is easy using the RotoDial to navigate through its uncomplicated menu system.
The remote is an exact replica of the integrated RotoDial and doesn’t have backlit keys, so figuring out the right orientation of the handheld unit may be tricky with the lights turned down. There are no dedicated input selection buttons on the RotoDial either, so this means you have to engage the “input” button and then scroll through the sub-menu to select the desired mode.
At only four inches, the screen on the R410 is quite small, so one has to be up close to the unit to see what’s being displayed, which means operating the unit from a distance isn’t viable. Unfortunately, there’s no dedicated phone/tablet app available for the R410, so operating the unit is only possible via RotoDial or the Tidal/Spotify app.
Once connected to the Internet via Wi-Fi, the R410’s pedigree is evident from the get-go. Tonally, it exudes a sense of ease and sophistication with whatever you feed it. The sound is full-bodied, with good extension and detail across the frequency spectrum. There’s a slight emphasis in the bass, but this is tastefully done and well-controlled, and not overblown. Its mid-range performance is the stand-out, though. Vocal presence, both spoken and sung, are clear and natural-sounding, without any exaggeration of the lower-mids you sometimes hear with other gear. Higher frequencies are crisp and detailed, yet never to the point of stridency.
Needless to say, qualitative improvements are evident with the use of higher resolution formats compared to lossy compressed files – but what doesn’t change is the R410’s poise and polish in its sonic presentation. What’s notable is that the R410’s forgiving nature makes whatever it plays sound good – even at its worst, it’s more than an acceptable level of finesse.
Another of the unit’s strengths is its ability to “fill a room with sound”, so to speak. Not a very scientific phrase, admittedly, but no matter where the listener is within the room, the R410 has an uncanny ability to sound full-bodied and coherent.
CONCLUSION
The Ruark R410 is a well thought out piece of gear. Admittedly, a well thought out separates system will easily trump it in terms of pure performance. It will not, for example, be the device I’d choose if I wanted to hear the minutiae of detail from high-resolution formats or to hear an expansive soundstage that transports me to a concert hall – I have other gear for that. But I would happily turn to it if I just wanted to enjoy the music I’m listening to.
Add the R410’s stunning looks to the equation and there’s no doubt that Ruark Audio has a winner here.
Gear
Sources: Spotify and Tidal Connect from various devices via WiFi; HDMi eARC from Mi TV Q1; Technics SL1200 Mk3 turntable with Nagaoka MP-200 cartridge
Price: £1,299 / US$1,699
Malaysian price: RM8,899
Malaysian distributor: VSTECS Astar Sdn Bhd (03-6286 8222) / Find your distributor.
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