A premium radio system that looks and sounds stunning? Count us in
Radio | £479 | whf.cm/RuarkR2Mk4
It would be reductive to call the R2 Mk4 just a radio. Like many modern radios from Roberts, Revo and Tivoli, it can do so much more. From wireless Bluetooth streaming to physical wired connections, the R2 Mk4 is a modern music system that can compete against any premium wireless speaker.
So much of the R2’s appeal lies in its stylish, sleek modern-retro design, and it would look at home anywhere – you could, at a push, even have it as your main audio system. The sturdy cabinet is made for sound quality as well as beauty. The damped polymer cabinet is acoustically tuned, while the rounded edges of the cabinet, the slatted wood grille and bonded glass display are made to a very high quality. The R2 is powered by 18 watts of Class A/B amplification, with two of Ruark’s 75mm NS+ (NeutralSound+) full-range drivers for stereo sound. No matter what surface we place it on, there is enough space for the two small, downward-firing bass ports on the unit’s underside to operate.
If you prefer controlling your radio with a smartphone, you have the choice of two third-party apps, Undok and Oktiv. Saving and accessing presets for radio options is marginally easier this way than via the RotoDial control on the top of the radio – but we find ourselves using the RotoDial the most. It’s a tactile, practical experience, and we enjoy the R2 even more simply by physically interacting with it regularly.
Connecting to wi-fi gives you access to thousands of global internet radio stations from Absolute Radio to Seattle’s KEXP, and makes it easy to stream from your music streaming services. The R2 has built-in support for Spotify Connect, Amazon Music and Deezer (those with Apple Music or Tidal can use the R2’s Bluetooth input). FM and DAB/DAB+ tuners come as standard, and you can save eight presets for each.
There’s also a 3.5mm aux line input for external audio sources and a 3.5mm headphone jack. A USB-C port can be used to play stored audio files on a flash drive (up to MP3 quality), and charge up your phone or hi-res music player. Handy.
Naturally rich sound
Whether it’s radio, Bluetooth streams or podcasts, the R2 has that naturally rich, weighty and expressive sound signature that we have come to know and love from Ruark’s previous products. Radio stations come through clear and punchy, and the R2 has a full-bodied approac
