Ruark’s latest CD player and speaker combo is the music gear from your dreams
The new Ruark R710 CD Hi-Fi Console and Talisman-R speakers hit all the right notes
Classy. Timeless. Quality audio. Those words spring to mind whenever someone bellows “Ruark” in my ear. Or, you know, sends over a press release. Either way, I’m happy, because I do like Ruark gear. I have MR1 speakers peppered about my home and an R3S all-in-one that helped me get back into CDs. But now I have something new to lust over, with the two-pronged announcement of the Ruark R710 Music Console and the Talisman-R floorstanding speakers.
Ruark seems keen for these products to be the centrepiece of your listening experience. This is audio gear that wants to make a statement, drawing on the British company’s 40 years in the business to blend the best of old and new.
The R710 Music Console “combines analogue charm with digital convenience”. This means it’ll effortlessly handle high-res streams of up to 32-bit/192kHz from all the major services, along with music stored on local networks and connected drives. Or you can go old-school and hook it up to a turntable or shove in a CD. Power shouldn’t be an issue either, since the Class-D amp pumps out 200 watts per channel.
The mix of old and new is also evident in the design. The retro-futurist RotoDial Remote is a standalone take on the tactile controls on the main unit and resembles a tiny UFO. And there are echoes of the 1970s in the chunky knob up top and wooden grille. But I’m pretty sure hi-fi gear when I was (very) young didn’t come equipped with a 6.8in display for showing off album art.
Comeback tour
There are, however, no built-in speakers, which is a snag if you don’t fancy listening to your Phil Collins collection through wired or wireless headphones. Fortunately, Ruark has a solution, having resurrected and reimagined its famous Talisman-R floorstanding speakers.
The fourth-gen take still looks the business, with a slim design that remains every bit as gorgeous and (quite literally) stands tall. The innards are just as impressive, with cabinets and components alike designed to minimise distortion and maximise signal integrity.
The Talisman-R sticks with a classic two-way bass reflex design and Ruark’s preference for natural driver materials. Inside is a 165mm long-throw treated fibre NS+ woofer paired with a 27mm silk-dome tweeter, helping deliver a claimed in-room frequency response of 35Hz–22kHz. All this, along with further design and acoustic wizardry, gives the Talisman-R ultra-low colouration and a purer sound.
Which all sounds rather lovely. And that’s just as well, given that this gear won’t do your bank balance any favours. The R710 costs £2,199, while a pair of Talisman-R speakers will set you back £1,499. Those prices might not be music to your ears, but I suspect everything that comes out of this new Ruark kit will be.
Craig Grannell
Contributor 
