The R410 has great sound and the looks to match
Music system| £ 1299| whf.cm/RuarkR410
The idea of the ‘music system’ never really went away – it just needed a moment to catch up with consumer requirements. Ruark Audio is the latest brand to offer an ‘all-in-one’ option with this, the fully loaded-to-compete R410. Looks the part, doesn’t it? So as long as it has the performance to match, the likes of Naim might perhaps be worried…
As you might have discerned, the Ruark R410 is a rather premium system. In the United Kingdom it’s priced at £1299, and so budget, it ain't. This price puts the R410 up against some pretty formidable all-in-one competition. Everything from the Technics SA-C600 (£899, just add speakers) and the KEF LSX II (£1099, entirely speakers) to the Naim Mu-so 2 (£1149) and the Sonus Faber Omnia (£1599) is ready to offer you a viable alternative.
Ruark Audio has worked its specific magic with the way the R410 looks. Those 15 x 56 x 29cm (hwd) dimensions are just correct, somehow, and the aesthetic is familiar. From the little metal legs on which it stands to the trademark vertical wooden slats that constitute a grille, this is a product with a confident, coherent look. And while beauty is in the eye of the beholder, it seems fair to say the R410 will find favour with any number of interior decorators and/or set-dressers.
Build quality is exemplary, and the ‘fused’ walnut veneer is both elegant and unusual. It is engineered from sustainable woods, and then spliced, coloured and recomposed. The result is a consistent grain pattern and a resistance to colour change over time, and consequently a finish that is admirable both on a visual and a tactile level. If this is all a bit too much wood for your taste, Ruark Audio offers an equally successful, if slightly less unusual, ‘soft grey’ finish as an alternative.
Feature-heavy
The interface options available here are all well implemented – but there could, perhaps, be more of them. The top of the cabinet features Ruark’s familiar RotoDial controller; it covers all major functions, feels nicely weighted and is simple to operate. The R410 also comes with a second RotoDial – it’s identical to the integrated control, but it’s portable and can be recharged via USB-C. It’s as pleasant to hold and operate as they come.
A product as feature-heavy as this needs quite extensive menus, and here they are accessed via the 102mm (4in) col
