Ruark Audio R4 Mk3 Review
Thanks to Ruark for the loaner.
First
Impressions: I always seem to picture these sort of audio products as
being rather like some bedside alarm clock. I really don’t know why I
do this because I know what size they are but there is just something to
the look of them. Hmm maybe someone needs to make a mini version for a
bedside table? Of course you could squeeze this on to a little bedside
table if you wanted but at £650, yeah its clearly not a bedside alarm /
radio at that price!!! So fishing the thing out, it’s really a weighty
little beast. It feel very solid and I especially notice its legs as
being solid lumps of metal. It’s really quite nice actually. Hmm not
sure I get why the front is grey but the main body is white, why isn’t
it all white? Hmm yeah if it was my own money the black or walnut ones
look better in pics. Soft white, yeah I can’t say I’m particularly
taken with it.
Powering
it up, the oled little display lights up but I see it’s got a line
that’s dead. That’s unfortunate but its review unit so these things
happen I guess. It’s a clean simple display. I do think it touch odd
that the front is perfectly vertical yet the controls all require you to
be looking down on them to read what they say, so you can’t really see
the display while pressing. Eh? Still as this a Mk 3 of a largely
unchanged layout clearly it doesn’t seem to be thought an issue. I
however can’t help but feel I’d like the front angled upward a touch but
whatever.
Inserting
a shiny coaster to for simplicity and bugger me there did that bass
come from!!! Playing about I see someone has bumped its bass output
level up. Still, there is a serious power output potential from this
little box. Jesus it’s got some oomph in there.
Setup:
Well for reviews it’s nice to just have one, plain simple set up and
for most components that something easy to do. However this is a device
that wants to be your all, your everything so its “setup” is variable
dependant on which of its many inputs are being used
Inputs:
The R4 Mk3 is a myriad of inputs. It wants to be your everything and I
can see why that the device is so popular with nicer hotels. The
first one I’m going to look at is the one you can instantly see. The CD
drive, the slot on the front where you can slide in those musical shiny
discs. While they may be in decline they still represent the major way
people buy music and in my case, it’s pretty much the only way I buy
music. Right under that CD slot there is a sticker listing the other
options you have available, of which there are many. There is (fingers
crossed I don’t miss any) Radio, including FM, DAB and the newer
standard DAB+. (DAB+ uses higher bitrates and better codec’s than the
original DAB that foolishly the BBC jumped on when no one else in the
world did.) It has a USB socket so you can plug in a USB drive and play
MP3 files from it, not just MP3 but AAC and WMA. However the socket is
on the back which I find rather curious a placement particularly given
its obvious use as a USB charging socket. On the front we do have a
3.5mm aux input socket in addition to a phono connector one on the
back. Next to which is a phono connector out.
The
most interesting input, for me at least is that it has an optical input
connection. For all the things that this could be used for the one
that stands out in my mind in for connecting a TV. As we all know that
thin TV’s need thin speakers and by stint of their shape are all
terrible. Not just, not very good but utterly terrible. If you don’t
realise this then you have never used anything else.
Last
of all, we have Bluetooth. For me it’s not such a big dear but I’d bet
that it will be the R4’s primary input source. With not just Bluetooth
but aptX support it is intended for audio streaming. You pair up your
phone and then you can go nuts with whatever musical option you like, be
it on board, Spotify, Deezer, Google Music, Itunes or whatever else you
fancy.
It’s a very broad selection of options and I can see why it makes the R4 so popular with Hotels.
Audio
Output: For many this section will be the heart of the review. After
all at its core the R4 is a musical device, that is its rason-detre.
Naturally it’s not the devices only consideration as the most cursory
glance at it, its self-evident that its looks and thusly its form factor
are of massive importance. As is with modern thin TV’s there is a
great deal of compromise made to fit a pair of speakers into ever
thinner screens the R4 is better shaped yet it still retains
limitations. Namely that it’s small, it may be huge for a bedside radio
but its hardly vast. The most obvious impact this has is on driver
size, the mid/tweeters are 3.5 inch drivers and then there in an
additional 4 inch “sub woofer.” While the bass output produced by a 4
inch driver will blow away the things you’ll find in a TV it simply
cannot compare to the likes of output that a 10 or 12 inch drivered sub
can produce. It is simply a matter of air movement in the same way a VW
Golf estate may be a great little car for hauling stuff about but you
cannot compare it to a Transit van.
Lows:
In the controls we have a curious set up, not just a bass level
adjustment but a “sub” adjustment too. It only has a variation between
-2 and +2 whatever they mean and the “bass” control has -4 to +4. I
would say slap the bass to 0 and the sub to -2 but I suspect that many
users will want to max them both. There is this notion that more bass
is the same thing as better. Now if you are one of those people you
will no doubt be impressed with the capability of the R4 to produce a
hearty lower ish end roar. I have no doubts that when demoing one of
these in a cavernous John Lewis that this elevated response will be
smile inducing and for many be the key reason they desire to throw £650
Ruark’s way.
However,
I am a bit of an audio snob and so I don’t want a gigantic heap of
monotone bass any more than I want a coffee with 10 sugars in it. It
isn’t nuanced or in any real way articulate. It’s a tiny little hammer
smashing away with astonishing vigour beside a crane mounted wreaking
ball. Real bass needs a big driver, it needs to move a larger volume of
air and there is simply no way an itty bitty 4 inch “sub woofer” can
keep up.
However……..
yes yes another however, that is for music and not even all music, just
bass heavy stuff. You slap on a little Nora or Susan Wong and you
really don’t notice its shortcomings as there music has very little down
low anyway for the R4 to explode. Anyway….where the R4’s low end
shines a little bit is when you hook up that optical out to a TV. TV
speakers cannot in anyway go near a low note and the R4 will very
happily fill in. You want to watch some Hollywood visual extravaganza,
things exploding left right and centre, the R4 will blow you away.
Mid’s:
Once more in purest musical terms the drivers at work in the R4 are not
best suited to the task they have been landed with. Still the main
drivers, the 3.5 inch woofer/tweeter is physically best suited to the
mid-range most of all. So, given they are some pretty reasonably
capable drivers they are not bad, not at all bad. A little rich, warm,
smoothly capable. It’s that so common and so generally quintessential
“British” sound when it comes to Hi-Fi. Vocals may not be the most over
explicit and crisp but they have a gently natural joy and civility to
them. It is about being kindly gently to the ear. Slap on some Nora,
Regina or Tori, something of that ilk and you’ll be presented with a
highly pleasant rendition. It’s not capable of comparing to a real
Hi-Fi of ability but for something so diminutive, so compact and
convenient it’s something that you could live with. Actually not just
live with but come to rather enjoy I think.
Once
more however the start use case is when used as a TV speaker
replacement. Its musical abilities may be a wash of compromises but
compared to any TV, it will blow them away. Voices sound full bodied
and authoritative. This in a hotel room, or perhaps a minimalist living
room and you could really live with it. While I know that the same
expenditure could get me something acoustically superior I not only find
the vocals to be liveable but enjoyable.
Highs:
Those drivers’ strike again. 3.5 inches for a tweeter is rather on the
large side. Actually if it were a dedicated tweeter that would be
enormous. The tuning however with that afore mentioned “British”
acoustic style, warm, rich etc etc comes into play and thus we don’t
really need all that much treble. That generally suits me too as I am
quite treble sensitive, far better to be somewhat muted than to be
harsh. There is nothing harsh here, that smoothly welcoming feel again
shines through. This is just so exactly wat you want in a hotel,
something to warmly and gently envelop, creating a warm, inviting, a
homely comforting feel. It’s just perfect for making a stranger feel
welcomed.
It’s
not as crisp as some might want but I suspect those people aren’t
looking as such a convergence device as this anyway. The treble here is
nice, ear pleasing, delicate, lightly refined and moderately subdued.
It’s pleasant and pleasing in equal measure.
Soundstage:
On its default setting the R4 is small, no two ways about it it’s got
physically hardly any separation in the driver placement and thusly it
can’t magically fool your ears. It however does have a couple of
“features” to attempt to. First up we have something called “3D” and
when you turn that on it adds something sort of timing flutter to
things. Personally as a bit of an audio purist this got on my nerves
quickly. It certainly did make to overall sound more diffuse and
ill-defined in placement so, sure I can see it being thought of more
room filling. Personally though I’d keep its use only for movie
playback. There it really helped to make things seem larger than just
from some little box.
Dynamics:
Then we come to the second sound adjustment feature. This one is
called “loudness” to which I’m curious, what the volume dial is for then
but anyway……. Mostly this seems to increase the dynamics. Music seems
that bit more excitable, agitated, dramatic and for pop music I can see
there being some benefit. However for more grown up music I just found
it irritating. For movie use though, yep it’s pretty nifty, you want a
rip roaring time full of drama and explosions then its surely the way to
go.
Volume:
How loud can it go? Well I don’t know because I chickened out long
before getting near its cap of 31. Okay Ruark I’ve got to ask, why 31?
I got to 21 before I felt I was pushing things to a level I’d never use
in real life. Certainly not for music anyway. For movie playback
where there is a full dynamic range at work then perhaps but I’d be
expecting neighbour complaints if you do. Naturally it’s better to have
an abundance of power in reserve than to not.
Aesthetics:
I have the white one here and if I’m honest I’m not in love with it.
It’s a nice thing but I see photos and think the black or that walnut
one would look much nicer. That could just because I don’t have them
(grass is always greener) but regardless, the R4 is a pretty good
looking object. It’s just the sort of thing I would expect to see is
some boutique hotel room. Thoroughly modern but with a bit of a hint of
more rustic time past. Everyone tastes are their own but I’d struggle
to imagine any having a strenuous objection to the R4’s looks.
Power:
For all the volume it can output the raw power available is a touch
uncontrolled. It’s really that “sub” and the bass in general. They are
just trying too hard, much, much too hard for such little drivers to
spit out such a bass quantity. You crank that volume and it just can’t
scale comfortably. While the spec sheet says 80 watts it avoids any
specificity on that number. If you want a rampaging dinosaur attack
while watching Jurassic Park you’re grand, if you want Carmina Burana……
yeah, not so much.
Build:
Lovely. No question it’s a nice object that is nicely put together.
It feels extremely solid and the dial with buttons feels pleasantly firm
and quality in the hand. It’s a premium product and it both looks and
feels justified in its premium price tag.
Headphone
Amp: Well I was a little bit perplexed here. Thea headphone socket
was quiet, very quiet, so quiet that on the occasions I tried it I ended
up with the volume maxed at 31. It wasn’t particularly loud at that
either. I truly don’t know what to make of it. So while headphones may
be my area of expertise I’m simply going to say that the R4 has a
headphone socket but I don’t expect it to see much if any use, ever, by
anyone.
Alarm
Clock: One of the key features of the R4 is its Alarm clock talents,
you can in fact set the thing up to have a two different alarm times. A
nifty feature but I’m a little unclear on how you make the first alarm
not wake the person the second alarm is for? Anyway……. For a potential
bedroom or hotel room it’s a boon feature on a convergence device. One
things for sure, you can set the volume to be easily loud enough to wake
anyone.
Controls:
The dial on top is a nice control method. The interface however leaves
a little to be desired I felt. While I see that most settings are
things you’ll set up once and then never touch, for a review where you
are playing about with the bass and treble adjustments, it felt a little
clumsy. Likewise the singe button to cycle through the various inputs
rather than simply have a list of them as separate buttons. Now I grant
that in the real world the device is likely to primarily use the
optical in and the Bluetooth connections, it felt a little superfluous
to have the multi button hit to cycle through, then accidently missing
and having to go round again. The remote was a little more clear,
actually I rather liked its shape in my hand. Particularly when I was
playing back a CD.
One
thing to note, the play/pause/select button on the remote doubles
(quadruples?) as a mute button. So if you’re playing back Bluetooth or
optical connections and the phone rings, you can hit the mute rather
than fiddle about.
Value:
The R4 MK3 comes in a substantial £650. Google tells me that right now
that’s just over US$915 (though that includes UK tax so may retail for
less in the US.) Let’s not try to argue that the R4 is not a bit of
wallet ouch, £650 is a fair chuck of money. You do get a premium object
that’s for sure, it’s an attractive, nicely build thing that has a
great deal of versatility to it. In terms of value it shall depend on
how you plan to use it, what you expect from it and just what level your
expectations are. If you want a proper audio experience, size,
cabling, placement all be dammed then frankly it won’t score highly.
However the R4 isn’t pretending to be that, it’s very upfront about its
being a convergence device. It want to be a bit of a jack of all
trades, acoustically, physically, visually and in terms of its input
capabilities. If you’re after a TV sound bar / CD playing Hi-Fi /
Bluetooth capable player for the odd dinner party / super fancy alarm
clock to show off your swanky guest bedroom, then you’re onto a winner.
Conclusion:
I have somewhat mixed feelings oubt the R4 MK3. In purest audio terms I
find it lacking, not just lacking but then I see that price tag and I
cannot help be a little horrified. The things is though I have a set of
Acoustic Energy Radiance 1’s sitting on my desk, flanking my computer
monitor. I recognise that they are far too big to really belong on a
desk and that any normal, rational person simply wouldn’t put up with
it. The R4 therefore couldn’t possibly be less aimed at me. It a
device that while I call convergence, to me I also mean compromise. It
is a device that is full of compromises, that they call a 4 inch driver a
“sub woofer” has the audio snob in me aghast. So let’s be clear the R4
MK3 is not a product for me, that however does mean it’s not a device
you shouldn’t think about.
There
are many people who this device is just perfect for. That it’s on a
MK3 variant should make that clear. For instance if I ran a nice little
hotel, it would be just perfect, just simply perfect for going in every
room. That the thing has a Kensington lock on the back goes some way
to making clear that it’s an obvious target market. One of these,
sitting below the TV in a hotel room providing the audio out for the
screen, plus its Bluetooth abilities would be perfect. In fact the only
thing that I’d change would be to put the USB socket on the front
rather than the back. Why on earth its hidden back there I have no idea
but it’s nothing leaving a cable plugged in can’t fix, to allow guests
to charge their phones or whatever. It’s just made for that occasional,
little bit of everything scenario. It doesn’t have to a paragon of
sonic balance and purity, that isn’t what it’s trying to be in the
slightest.
So
should you buy one? Well it depends on what you’re wanting. If you
want a real Hi-Fi and all you care about is audio quality then, no,
absolutely not. That would be like wanting a car to drive Formula 1 and
picking some Golf GTI. The Golf may be a more capable than many but it
can’t compete with a purist, specialist F1 car. Likewise the R4 MK3
has too many masters it’s trying to please and while it does a highly
adept job at pleasing on all fronts, its size, its looks, its
connectivity options and its acoustic talents. By stint of being a
device that has so many concerns it makes compromises acoustically. Yet
it is for all that a crowd pleaser, to be cherished by many I’m sure.
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