Tag Archives: AirPlay 2

Ruark Takes A Step into High-Resolution Digital Audio with the Ruark R410

Ruark is one of the biggest names when it comes to premium audio experiences. The England-based audio company has built a name for itself with its classically inspired and timeless audio products. They’ve delivered everything from bookshelf speakers with the MR1 to the aesthetic R3 to full audio speakers within a table with the R7. Now, the company is introducing a whole new lineup of speakers that build upon its successful foundations. The new Ruark R410, the first in the 100 series, brings Ruark’s offerings into the realm of high-resolution digital audio with support for Qualcomm’s aptX HD and HDMI eARC.

Updated Aesthetics with Classic Touches & Modern Finishes

The hero of the 100 series is the new R410 speaker. Still keeping with Ruark‘s signature classical wooden design, the R410 brings Ruark’s design a decade into the future with inspiration taken from the late 1970s. The speaker is uniquely designed with horizontal wooden grilles accented by the soft brown tones of the mesh and the metallic silver of the legs.

Ruark Audio R410 24

The whole body is made of sustainably sourced wood. This wood mimics the appearance of hardwood and delivers the qualities that allow for Ruark’s signature sound. To achieve the deep wooden texture and finish, the wood is treated and dyed to the intended colour. The R410 is also designed to blend seamlessly into any space.

Nestled in the face of the Ruark R410 is a small touch screen which shows you what’s playing and enables you limited controls. The R410 is also built to produce the best audio quality you can get. Ruark proudly boasts that its new audio products come after 3 years of research and refinement.

The R410 comes with a brand new “RotoDial” control system. The RotoDial has been a signature feature of Ruark’s audio offerings since its conception. The new RotoDial features an updated design which retains the signature Ruark touches and tactility. In addition to the one embedded in the top of the speaker itself, the R410 comes with a remote RotoDial which connects to the speaker via Bluetooth.

Still Built for Sound

Ruark has spent time optimising the design and build of the R410 for the best audio quality. The R410 comes with optimised reflex enclosures that allow it to throw crisp sounds with warm tones and full body over large distances. It comes with Ruark’s NS+ drivers which empower deep bases and natural mids. The custom 20mm tweeters bring added detail to the already full sound.

The Ruark R410 also comes with new-generation digital amplifiers. This allows it better efficiency and output with ultralow distortion. A two-channel amplifier assembly is mounted directly onto the rear of each bass mid-unit for shorter signal paths and to prevent signal degradation.

The new R410 system supports all new-generation streaming connections including Chromecast, Apple AirPlay 2, Tidal Connect and Spotify Connect.

Pricing & Availability

The Ruark R410 will be available at the end of Q4 2023 at specialised stores. It will be priced at MYR8,899.

R410 Features at a Glance (provided by Ruark Audio)

Streaming Support(High resolution music file support up to 24-bit 192kH)
Spotify Connect
Tidal Connect
Apple AirPlay 2
Chromecast built-in
Broadcast SupportDAB/DAB+/FM & Internet radio 
ConnectivityaptX HD Bluetooth connectivity
HDMI with eARC 
TOSLINK digital input (24-bit 192kHz)
UPnP™ media server compatible 
RIAA phono input 
DimensionsH133 x W560 x D290mm 
9.5kg
NavigationHigh-resolution 4in colour TFT 
AmplifiersFully Active 120W RMS Digital Class D amplifier 
2 x 20mm silk dome tweeters
2 x 100mm long throw NS+ bass mid units 
Dual bass reflex enclosures 
PeripheralsRechargeable RotoDial Bluetooth remote included. 

Spotify Will Support Apple’s AirPlay 2, Eventually

Apple’s AirPlay function is one of the best things to have in the IoT focused world today. The system allows your Apple devices to connect to anything wireless in your home with AirPlay support and allow you to stream anything from any of your Apple devices in your home to the AirPlay supported devices.

Apple’s AirPlay 2 comes with added functionalities too. One of them really makes Apple’s ecosystem one of the most seamless in the world, if not the most seamless. It added streaming over WiFi function, which also means you get to play a single audio, from anywhere in your house, to your entire house, as long as you have speakers with AirPlay 2 enabled. It also allows you to choose between left and right speakers on enabled speakers, especially if you choose to use those speakers as your TV speakers.

We are not going to elaborate on the kinds of things you can do with AirPlay 2 though, because it has been launched for a while and you would have known its benefits by now, especially if you are coming from the iOS ecosystem. If you still do not know how to work with AirPlay 2 and the benefits of the system, get learning.

While AirPlay 2 has been Apple’s standard for three years now, it does not automatically become an industry standard. Not all smart TVs in the market gets AirPlay 2 support. Some of them could be hardware limited too though, so there is nearly nothing you can do about that. The big surprise is from app developers instead. For example, Spotify has not been supporting AirPlay 2.

A few days ago, there was an apparent posting in Spotify’s community forum that mentions that Apple’s AirPlay 2 support will not be coming to Spotify “for now”. This is in response to the numerous requests from Spotify’s iOS users in adding its support to the app. Of course, that might not have gone too well with users.

Spotify has since then clarified to the statement. Spotify says that they are still working on AirPlay 2 support on the app. In the clarification also Spotify did shed some light on why their app has not supported the function and why users may not see its support coming too soon.

https://twitter.com/marcoarment/status/1423744958541058052

The developer that clarified the issue reveals that including AirPlay 2 support on the app is more complex than just adding a provided API to the current app and just let it work its own magic. There are a bunch of new commands that has to be written into the app. While adding a bunch of new command lines may not be the most complex thing for engineers to work with, Spotify says that the API, or at least Apple’s documentation on the API is a big stumbling block for its developers. In that case, developers might have to do a lot of guess work, and experiments to get the API to function without entirely messing itself up.

Spotify, with the new clarification, has not set a timeline for AirPlay 2 support though. While they did say that they are working on it and is assuring users that it is coming, there are no confirmations as to when. Still, at least you know it is coming, unless Apple comes back with AirPlay 3 this year.

Source: The Verge, Engadget

Samsung Brings TizenOS to new Lifestyle Smart Monitors with Apple AirPlay 2

Samsung is bringing TizenOS to its popular monitor line up. The South Korean company, Samsung has unveiled a brand new line of innovative Smart Monitors. It touts the new line up as a do-it-all screen that will be able to seamless transition from work to play; perfect for the realities of today’s work and education climate. The monitors can connect to PCs, mobile devices, and even work independently.

The new Samsung Smart Monitor comes in two variations: the 32-inch M7 model and the M5 line-up consisting of 27-inch and 32-inch models.

Built for Work & Learning

The Samsung Smart Monitor M7 comes with a 32-inch UHD display with 4K resolution. It supports HDR10 and has a 178-degree viewing angle. The M5 Smart Monitor line-up comes with a lower resolution FHD display. That said, it still sports HDR10 support.

Both models come with a variety of connectivity options. The M7, being the higher specc’d model comes with an additional USB-C port which supports data, display and power (65W). Aside from that, the Smart Monitor M7 and M5 share the same connectivity options which include HDMI 2.0 ports, USB 2.0 ports, WiFi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac), and Bluetooth 4.2

Source: Samsung

Running on TizenOS, the Samsung Smart Monitor comes built in with wireless connectivity options that work well with smartphones as well. This includes Tap View, App Casting, and even Apple AirPlay 2. Samsung’s DeX can also work wirelessly with the Smart Monitors.

The monitor is able to work independently without input from a PC or smartphone source as well. When it comes to productivity, users will be able to run Microsoft’s Office 365 suite independently over WiFi.

Seamlessly Adapted for Entertainment

It’s not all work when it comes to Samsung’s new Smart Monitors. The display comes with Samsung’s Smart Hub to for all your content streaming needs. You can access apps such as Netflix, YouTube, HBO without a connection with your PCs or smartphones. You’re able to navigate the interface with the provided remote control or, if you so please, using Samsung’s Bixby voice assistant.

Source: Samsung

The Samsung Smart Monitors also comes with Adaptive Picture. This allows the monitor to intelligently optimize picture quality according to the environment. It will automatically adjust color temperature and brightness according to surrounding conditions to help reduce eye strain. The monitors also feature a special eye-saver mode to reduce blue light.

Pricing & Availability

The Samsung Smart Monitor is now available in United States, Canada and China with availability in other countries coming by the end of November.

The M7 will be retailing at USD$399.99 (MYR1,635.07) while the M5 will be retailing at USD$229.99 (MYR940.148) for the smaller 27-inch variant and USD$279.99 (MYR1,144.57) for the 32-inch version.

Official Specifications

Source: Samsung
Source: Samsung