With its fused walnut veneer cabinet with walnut slat trim, Ruark’s new R610 Music Console harks back to another era.
“The Stereo Music Centres of the 1970s started the hi-fi revolution and our new R610 Music Console brings this highly popular concept back and completely up to date,” Ruark says, by way of explanation.
The console is built to be paired with the company’s latest Sabre-R bookshelf speakers, which are making a return. The company introduced the Sabre name in 1985.
Powering R610 is a “modern switch mode power supply, providing optimised powerlines to the system’s motherboard and latest generation digital amplifiers”.
There are Burr-Brown DACs and audio grade components used throughout, Ruark says, and a nominal output of 75 watts per channel.
It leads to what the company claims is a “delightfully natural sound”.
Ruark’s latest RotoDial controller, which has been around since 2006, has “tactile soft touch buttons and a precisely weighted control dial”.
The 5-inch TFT display confirms every command and shows album or station artwork.
Also included is a matching rechargeable remote. Bluetooth means aiming is not required.
The R610 streaming amplifier has built-in connectivity to internet radio, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Apple AirPlay and Google Cast, while a phono stage means you can connect a turntable.
As for CD playback, Ruark will soon be unveiling a CD player called R-CD100, which will connect with R610 and other 100 Series models via the USB socket on the rear.
The console has an HDMI ARC/eARC connection for TV and film.
The R610 is released on November 24.
