Never heard of RuarkAudio? We cannot blame you. It is practically a brand that technically does not exist in Malaysia before today. If you are not an audiophile, you might not have heard of the brand before. If you are, there is also a slight chance you may not be too familiar with the brand.
RuarkAudio is a British company that makes speakers. Unlike Senheiser or Bose though, they have less than half the resources these company boasts. That said, their offerings are not half as bad. In fact, their offerings can be highly competitive in terms of audio performance compared to the likes of Senheiser.
For some context, the company was founded in 1985 by Alan O’Rourke. It started in an industrial estate in Raleigh, Essex as a small workshop to make their own loudspeakers. Over the years they have been making high-end speakers, studio monitor speakers and even DAB radio receivers. They receive high praises in making all these products.
Fast forward to 16th July 2020 and they are launching their brand-new compact speaker system for the discerning millennials. They introduced the Ruark R3. It sits in between their R2 and R4 wireless speakers, effectively making the R3 a mid-range product in Ruark Audio’s highly acclaimed product range. Yes, they have quite an extensive range in their workshop.
Their flagship Ruark Audio R7 is something of a furniture. It looks more like a very thick table you put in your living room rather than play your audio. With that solid wood finish too, you can easily mistaken it to be decorative coffee table. It is a powerful speaker with a class A-B amplifier built into the wooden chassis though. You can plug any audio source like a turntable, your media player, or even your smartphone to it and it will work. You can also tune into the local radio channels, if you really want. Or, if you still carry CDs, you can put that into the R7 and it will play too. This one will set you back a cool MYR 15,999.
The R7 too rich for your taste? The R5 then, a shrunk down tabletop version of the R7. Smaller body does not mean smaller power though. It still packs the same amplifier from the Ruark Audio R7. That makes the Ruark Audio R5 the perfect audio furniture to own in a smaller condominium unit.
The class A-B amplifier combined with a downward firing subwoofer, the Ruark R5 produces excellent low frequencies while maintaining powerful mid and high frequencies. You can even put a CD into it like the R7. This has a specific RIAA turntable input though, this would be the one you want if you have a turntable. This will set you back MYR 6,999.
The Ruark Audio R3 is their latest product to grace the audiophile market. It is even smaller than the R5, which makes it quite perfect for your bedroom technically. Then again, your home is your home, so you decide where this goes. Being the latest product from Ruark Audio, this is also one of Ruark Audio’s most cutting edge product to date. You can easily stream music via Spotify Connect, TIDAL, Amazon Music, and Deezer over WiFi, or Bluetooth with aptX (not aptX HD, sadly). Its Smart Radio can tune into internet based radios, or DAB or DAB+, or local FM Stations, making this the most flexible radio set you have in your room. You can even play CD through it. The R3 is also compatible with your smart TVs, or Amazon Echo Dot, or Google Home Mini to make it even cleverer. This sets you back MYR 3,999.
No need audio for the room? Need a stereo set up for your desk instead? The MR1 is the perfect desktop speakers for that. Be it your work station, or even your media player centre, the Ruark Audio MR1 will sit on the desk like it belongs. It still packs the class A-B that the R3, R5, and R7 has. That also means that this is a powerful little speaker that produce clean, crisp audio. Unlike most desktop set ups, you only need two of these little boxes to get a full aural experience. You do not need a secondary subwoofer for this. This one is MYR 2,099.
If ease of use is your thing, then there is the MRx instead. The single speaker unit has more in likeness to the MR1 than the other products in Ruark Audio’s product range. It does not have a player unit or a large display unit. It plays audio via Bluetooth, or USB stick, or the internet, or even an AUX input. You can only control the speaker via the UNDOK app available for Android and iOS. This will set you back MYR 2,399.
The Ruark Audio R7, R5, MR1, and MRx will be available in Malaysia at the end of August. You can get them either online or Ruark Audio’s retail partners in Malaysia, Atlas Sound and Vision at the Gardens Mall, Mac Studio at BB Plaza KL and Bangsar Shopping centre, and Flash Gadgets at Sunway Pyramid. You do need to experience the products first before justifying the investment though. To do that, you can head to Atlas Sound and Vision at The Gardens Mall for a Ruark experience. For more information, you can head over to their website.