It’s not every day that an audio legend brings back one of its most iconic names and while also charting brand new territory. But that’s what Ruark Audio is doing with its R610 Music Console and Sabre-R bookshelf speakers. And while the looks and name of the speakers echo Ruark’s greatest hits, and the music player has a design harking back to the stereo music centers of the 1970s, this new system and speakers are anything but old-fashioned.
Let’s start with the speakers. The original Sabre loudspeakers were introduced way back in 1985 with a combination of clever drive units and gorgeous cabinet work, and these new Sabre-Rs follow in that tradition. They come with 26mm silk dome tweeters with neodymium motors, 14cm natural fibre cone woofers with 30mm 4-layer voice coils and long-throw motors, and you can choose between Fused Walnut and Satin Charcoal lacquer. The price is £599 (about $800 / AU$1,170) per pair.
An all-in-one streamer
The R610 Music Console is a first for the brand, an all-in-one music streamer with twin 75W Class D amplifiers and all the connectivity you could ask for: Spotify Connect, TIDAL Connect, AirPlay 2 and Google Cast; DAB/DAB+/FM and internet radio; hi-res audio support up to 32-bit/384kHz; HDMI with eARC; a moving magnet RIAA phono input; aptX HD over Bluetooth; and a TOSLINK optical digital input. A matching CD drive will be launched shortly.
The player is powered by a modern switch mode power supply that provides dedicated and optimized powerlines to the motherboard and amps. Audiophile-grade components are used throughout, including Burr-Brown DACs, and according to Ruark it “is controlled and dynamic – but most importantly, it delivers a delightfully natural sound that makes music all the more enjoyable.” The Ruark Audio R610 has a recommended UK selling price of £1,200 (about $1,600 / AU$2,340) and once again is available in Fused Walnut or Satin Charcoal lacquer.
According to Ruark MD Alan O’Rourke, “Early in 1984, my father and I were laying the foundations of Ruark and launched our first Sabre loudspeakers to great acclaim in 1985. Forty years on, the revival of analogue formats and an ever expanding world of music streaming means it’s the right time for Ruark to return to its roots with the Sabre-R. What’s more, our new R610 Music Console allows music lovers to build an entire system that looks every bit as beautiful as it sounds.”
We’re inclined to agree with them about the looks, even if the sound will have to wait to be judged. We saw this in the flesh at the Munich High-End show, ahead of its official reveal, and it’s a lovely thing (although the dull lighting of a trade-show floor perhaps doesn’t do it any favors in the image at the top of the article). But with those stark, clean lines and especially in the two-tone wood of the darker finish, it’s very retro-chic. And yes, you can choose to just buy the streamer/amp and pair it with some of the best stereo speakers, but… you’ll want the combo package, won’t you? Of course you will.
No release date was given, and we don’t know yet if they’ll be released outside the UK.
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