Ruark Audio
Founded by trained engineer and lifelong music enthusiast Alan O’Rourke and Neil Adams, the origins of Ruark Audio can be traced back to 1985. Ruark Acoustics developed their own high fidelity loudspeaker systems- respected by hi-fi enthusiasts worldwide, winning numerous accolades and awards.
As with all stubborn people who want better, the emergence of DAB radio and poor offerings within the market, Alan wholehearted believed Ruark could do better. This was 2004, and from loudspeakers Ruark applied their expertise to designing a small range of quality radio based products. Since launching in November 2006, their products have become regarded as the finest available, ‘the Aston Martin of DAB radios’ as described by some.
We were fortunate enough to test the new Ruark Audio R2 (third generation) in white- a compact audio system that looks and sounds sublime. Handcrafted casework and metal panels are sleek and the LCD display has a modern OLED (organic light-emitting diode) display, providing exceptional text clarity from any viewing angle. It’s markedly easy to use with their new RotoDial control system- a highly intuitive operation.
Radio performance is delivered via DAB, DAB+ and FM, while Internet and Bluetooth capabilities mean you can access Spotify, and radio stations from around the world and stream music directly to the new R2 from numerous devices. Multiple R2s connected to a single wireless network can simultaneously stream music from a central computer, creating an easy to manage, multi-room system. In addition, the new model features a USB playback port and this socket can also be used as a charging port compatible with most smartphones.
There is technology-a-plenty within but what makes the new R2 really special is its sound. Sound quality is Ruark Audio’s heritage- ‘made for music’, and the new R2 seriously impresses here.
