Ruark Audio Launches New R3 Home Speaker

Ruark Audio is a pretty established brand, and we tested out the Ruark Audio MR1 previously, which really impressed us. Now, they’ve decided to launch a new speaker that sits between their existing R2 and R4 speakers, the R3 Compact Music System.

Aesthetics wise, it’s even more similar to the R5 because the speaker gets the same gray fabric covering the front, with a bonded OLED screen displaying the time and song playing. It also features new cantilevered legs that raise the speaker upwards pretty subtly. The RotoDial control system makes its comeback with the R3 as well, which is nice.

There’s a 30W analogue class Class A-B amplifier inside and Ruark’s 75mm neodymium drivers. You get several options for music playback too. The R3 is able to tune in to both FM and DAB/DAB+ broadcasts, while audiophiles with CD collections will be happy to hear that there’s a multiformat CD player built-in.

There’s also Wi-Fi streaming directly on the speaker that supports Spotify, Tidal, Deezer and other music streaming services. Devices can also be connected via the USB-C charge/playback port for music playback.

At 5.3kg, this isn’t a portable speaker by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s still relatively compact at 42cm long and 22cm wide. This will easily fit on a TV console or a desk with space to spare.

While we haven’t had the chance to try the new speaker out yet, this definitely looks like a promising choice for people who love the Ruark aesthetic but don’t have quite as much space in the house for the bigger speakers like the R4 or R5.

The Ruark R3 (S$1,299) will be available in stores from mid-August 2020 onwards, but will be available for preorder from today on Hachi.tech and Musica Boutique with a free six-month subscription to Spotify bundled in. More information can be found on the Ruark website.

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Written by Cheryl Tan