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Lifestyle, News

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

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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.

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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.

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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. 
Lifestyle, News

Enter the Era of Immersive Audio with the Sonos Era 100 & Sonos Era 300

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Sonos is entering a new era of audio in more than one way with its new Era 100 and Era 300 speakers. The new line brings an immersive audio experience to a lineup of devices made for audiophiles. It also marries the simplicity of design that Sonos is known for with bold new features that have never been on Sonos’s mainline products.

Sonos Era 300: Immersive Audio for the Audiophile

The new Era 300 brings Dolby Atmos into a single speaker and ups the immersion when paired with other Sonos audio products like the Arc. The Sonos Era 300 comes with six powerful drivers that send the sound in all directions enveloping the space and listener in an immersive soundstage.

Sonos Era 300

The speaker has been designed to deliver a crisp and immersive audio experience which is enhanced by its complex acoustic architecture. The six drivers are positioned to deliver audio in all directions with two tweeters positioned outwards, to the sides, a single forward firing mid tweeter and a sub. All of these are loaded into a sleek, clenched hourglass body. The hourglass body also comes with a revamped user interface which comes with a tactile strip for volume control.

The performance of the Sonos Era 300 is further enhanced when pairing the speaker with a Sonos Arc or Beam (Gen 2). The new setup allows Sonos to finally deliver a complete theatre experience with 7.4.2 sound. You’ll be taken into your content and placed in the middle of the action with the new Era 300’s Dolby Atmos audio.

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Speaking of pairing, the Sonos Era 300 comes with Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity. Also along for the ride is a combo USB-C port which allows you to connect a USB-enabled storage or line in for playback and also for a direct line to your router. This comes, in addition, to support for Apple AirPlay 2 and WiFi 6.

Sonos Era 100: The Sonos One Remastered for Immersive Audio

Yes, Immersive audio is the word for the Sonos Era lineup. The Sonos Era 100 brings the best Sonos has to offer into the familiar form factor of the Sonos One. The sleek, compact cylindrical form factor packs a whole load more power than the Sonos One though.

Sonos Era 100

The new Era 100 comes with stereo sound out of the box with two angled tweeters and a larger midwoofer. The combination delivers crisp high frequencies and a fuller bass for true sound immersion. Designed to be powerfully compact, the Era 100 will seamlessly blend into your home and deliver well-rounded, full audio.

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Just like its bigger sibling, the Era 300, the Sonos Era 100 comes with Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, support for Apple AirPlay 2 and WiFi 6 support. It also sports a USB-C port for ethernet, line-in and USB connectivity. It also shares the new revamped on-device user experience with the tactile strip for volume control.

Sonos TruePlay Comes to Android Devices

One of Sonos’s signature features has been locked to iOS for the longest time. TruePlay, the technology which customises your Sonos sound experience uniquely to fit your space is finally coming to Android. It does this by measuring how sound reflects off the walls and furnishings in your space and fine-tunes the Sonos speakers to deliver the best audio quality. Initially, this was only possible via the on-device mics of the iPhone.

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However, with the new Era series, the capability is being built-in into the Sonos Era speakers themselves. The Sonos Era 300 and Era 100 come with mics which enable voice control via Sonos voice and Amazon Alexa. These mics are also being used by Sonos to enable TruePlay for Android devices. So, instead of relying on the on-device mics in Android devices, Sonos is bypassing the complexity of coding for hundreds of devices by relying on the built-in mic of the Sonos Era speakers.

If you’re worried about your privacy, both the Sonos Era 100 and the Sonos Era 300 come with physical kill switches to “disconnect” the mic.

Pricing & Availability

The Sonos Era 300 and Sonos Era 100 are available for pre-order starting 7th March 2023 at 10 p.m. In Malaysia and Singapore, you will be able to order them from the TC Acoustic website. Internationally, you’ll be able to place your orders at Sonos’s official website.

Both the 300 and 100 will be available in Black and White. The Era 300 will be priced at MYR2,799 while the Era 100 will be priced at MYR1,599. Both of them will be available on shelves starting 28th March 2023.