Ruark R410 Integrated Music System

Our old-school Roberts radio in the kitchen has broken, the tuning dial does not work, and we are stuck on Virgin Radio. Luckily, at the same time, with a bit of tidying, the Ruark R410 has undertaken daily kitchen duties, with composure. Think of a Naim Mu-so 2 in terms of size; over the top, yes, a compromise, no. We may be better off with Ruark’s R2 smart music system, size-wise, but needs must, and our kitchen has never sounded better.

Design

The Ruark R410 is a large integrated music system with built-in loudspeakers and a very cool Hi-Res 4″ full-colour TFT (Thin-Film-Technology) display, in portrait. It has wooden slat styling, and it looks great with Ruark’s distinctive RotoDial control system on the top and a separate Bluetooth rechargeable RotoDial remote included.

There are two Ruark 20mm silk dome tweeters built into the unit, and two Ruark-designed 100mm ‘NS+’ bass-mid units. The class D amplification boasts a combined 120W RMS, with an adaptive EQ that adjusts according to volume.

Connectivity

The connectivity list is comprehensive, the only thing I cannot see is Roon (see below). Internet Radio, DAB/DAB+ and FM are covered on the radio side. Apple AirPlay and Chromecast are there, with Spotify Connect and TIDAL Connect built-in. Many of the usual music services are supported including Amazon Music, Deezer and Qobuz. There is Bluetooth 5.1 too with the aptX codec supported amongst others.

Network coverage is via WiFi or wired RJ45 Ethernet and the unit is compatible with UPnP DLNA media servers if you have one.

Inputs include a line-level stereo RCA input, ARC and eARC and there is even a Moving Magnet RIAA phono input at the back. There is an optical TOSLINK input supporting 24-bit, 192kHz files. Finally, there is a USB C playback port for music stores or an external CD player and a subwoofer RCA output if required.

Quality

The unit itself is beautiful with, in this case, a fused walnut veneer or a soft grey lacquer finish. The R410 is H150 × W560 × D290mm and is 9.5kg. In terms of relative size, it is wider and taller than a standard HiFi separate.

There is an auto standby function if needed.

The SRP UK is £1299

List of Dealers here. The full specification is here.

Performance

Review Equipment

Obviously, the Ruark R410 is standalone but I do have a Hitachi LG-GP 70 slot CD player/reader for CD playback with this unit. The CD takes its power through the USB connection making it a stylish companion for when your kids just can’t wait to stick on Taylor Swift’s new album.

Physically

… the RotoDial remote, which is flawless by the way…

The Ruark R410 has been on our island in the kitchen for several weeks. Until you have a strict system in place the RotoDial remote, which is flawless (in connectivity, response and build quality) by the way, does get mislaid quite a bit. The R410 unit is way too big for our island but in the absence of anywhere else to place it, it has been fine. Having a wide flat top means it ends up being the natural place for post, kitchen towels, keys, etc.

Ease of Use

The R410 is as intuitive as it gets in terms of setting it up, sorting out the remote control was a breeze and whilst I played with the settings, the 20 preset favourites, I was tucking into some very nice chocolate that I nearly missed in the box with excitement. The chocolate gets a Highly Recommended as a start!

Sound quality

The unit itself is fulsome and excellent, Amol Rajan (BBC Today programme), sounds like, well, Amol Rajan; Norah Jones (singer/songwriter), like Norah Jones. It is all very natural, and neutral and the ease of access makes it the more compelling as the dirge of Sky TV takes a back step.

What about some big bass from Warren G? Regulator (Tidal Connect) fits the bill for big bass and here it is fulsome, engaging and goes pretty loud.

Chromecast Built-In

…Chromecast is perfect…

The Chromecast is perfect with BBC Sounds, Qobuz, TuneIn Radio and YouTube, it works perfectly, I cannot fault it. Tidal Connect is similarly perfect in terms of accessibility from the App, I have no reason to doubt Spotify Connect. If you use Tidal with Chromecast, I believe the Chromecast pulls the files directly from the Tidal servers, which is what I understand Tidal Connect to do as well. Please do not ask about MQA, presumably, Tidal unpacks it for you in these cases.

Whilst the R410 isn’t Roon-certified, it is possible to use Roon via Chromecast, full details are here.

USB/CD slot

The USB slot (USB C) works well with a flash drive and my 24-bit, 96kHz download of OKNOTOK sounds detailed, lively and deep.  This is a nice feature.  The screen can display the track information which is reassuring with Hi-Res recordings, like this.  The USB C slot doubles as a charging point as well which is rather handy on the kitchen island.

An external slot CD Player works with the R410 and since I am into CDs again at the moment for their ease of use and flexibility it works well here with a quality and resolving output.

Media Servers

The R410 has connected faultlessly with my dodgy (10-year-old) networked Naim UnitiServe, with excellent quality as before.

Thoughts

Is the Ruark R410 a Naim Mu-so killer? Well, the Mu-so 2 is currently £900 vs £1300 for Ruark so maybe not. I recall the Mu-so sounding pretty fantastic with big ‘Warren G’ bass but this is at least as good as I recall, you would need them side by side to decide which is best. In terms of style, it is a winner, the top doubles up as a shelf so the unit doesn’t take up any spare space.

There are many, all-in-one, type systems similar to this one, Sonus faber offers the Omnia at £1600. I recall seeing the Devialet Mania (around £700) at Oxford Consultants a few months ago and that was fun. Then of course, for fully kitchenable and portable use there is the Escape P6 (£600).

Overall

A premium room-filling All-In-One luxury solution that is a brilliant bit of kit that does everything you’d expect of it.  Good sound, and very stylish vibes, it is a simple question of budget in my view.  The Unique Selling Points for me are the comprehensive choice of music solutions and the superb rechargeable RotoDial remote.

Specification

Full details are on the company’s site.