The Ruark R5 is a seriously high-specced, do-it-all machine

The Ruark R5 is a seriously high-specced, do-it-all machine

Ruark R5

£999, ruarkaudio.com

I’m not sure if this is a warning sign, but my wife and I not only have separate coffee machines, we also have entirely separate and opposing music collections.

Much in the same way as I despise her Nespresso machine (expensive, watery, noisy), I roll my eyes at the fact that her music lives on expensive CDs and records, while I’m paying for a perfectly adequate Spotify subscription. This could of course be related to the fact that I’m Scottish.

Ruark made its name with small wooden radios, then branched out into hi-fis that doubled up as pieces of furniture. This is basically one of the furniture things with its legs chopped off

So the Ruark R5 may finally bring peace across the barricades in our household (although the coffee war will rumble on). It’s a super-posh wireless streamer, but it also packs a CD player and FM radio.

That it looks absolutely gorgeous doesn’t hurt, with a wooden surround and a strokeable cloth face plate. Even the remote is beautiful, a little flying saucer with buttons that my children find irresistibly attractive to run off with making aircraft noises.

Ruark made its name with small wooden radios, then branched out into hi-fis that doubled up as pieces of furniture. This is basically one of the furniture things with its legs chopped off, and it’s a seriously high-specced, do-it-all machine.

Even the remote is beautiful, a little flying saucer with buttons that my children find irresistibly attractive to run off with making aircraft noises

Even the remote is beautiful, a little flying saucer with buttons that my children find irresistibly attractive to run off with making aircraft noises

It’s a pure delight to use, like all Ruark gear, though if you’re into pure wi-fi hi-fi (Spotify, Tidal and so on), it’s pipped at the post by Naim’s Mu-so for absolute sound quality.

But if you’re after an all-rounder that can deliver ‘proper’ radio, streaming music and good looks (and turn its hand to extras such as my wife’s Kate Bush CDs), look no further.

 

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