Ruark’s new music console and slimline speakers are the CD playing, vinyl spinning, hi-res music streaming system your small apartment craves

Ruark unveils R710 Music Console and Talisman-R floorstanding speakers
The R710 is Ruark’s ‘most powerful’ console yet, with CD player and phono stage
It costs £2,199 (about $3,000, AU$4,000); Talisman-R is £1,499 (around $2,000, AU$2,800)

Let me be clear: UK audio specialist Ruark is a master of compact hi-fi products — just see the five-star MR1 Mk3 petite powered desktop speakers for starters.

Although the duo of products that Ruark has just unveiled at High End Vienna may look heritage, they’re chock full of thoroughly modern tech (and also some slightly older tech too) under their delightful exteriors. And yes, they absolutely can be purchased together to make a beautifully simple, space-conscious hi-fi system.

Those slim floorstanding speakers put me in mind of the electrostatic designs Quad made in collaboration with the BBC in the 1960s, but Ruark tells me they actually hark back to one of the company’s own original flagship designs, first launched in 1990.

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Ruark R710 Music Console and Talisman-R floorstanders: key specs and pricing

The R710 is an update to the firm’s Ruark R610 console (and Sabre-R bookshelf speakers) that I adored when I saw them in the flesh, back in 2024.

Alongside its built-in CD player, phono stage (so your vinyl-spinner can be added as a source) and onboard dual 200W Class-D amplifiers, high-resolution music file support and streaming is here, at up to 24-bit 384kHz, thanks to R710’s quad-core CPU, with Spotify Connect, Qobuz Connect, Tidal Connect, Apple AirPlay, Google Cast, Internet Radio and apt-X HD Bluetooth all baked in.

For local music libraries, R710 also supports playback from both networked media servers and attached USB storage devices — and if you want to hear your film soundtracks through it, R710 adds an HDMI ARC/eARC connection for TV connectivity too. And while you get a gorgeous rotary Bluetooth remote with your purchase, to make playback control easier (it’s not too dissimilar to something the aspirational amplification brand Moon might offer), a huge selling point for me is that large front-mounted color display for album artwork and text.

And those Talisman-R speakers? You’re looking at a two-way, bass-reflex passive wired system, comprising a 27mm Ruark silk-dome tweeter and 6.5-inch long throw woofer with a lovely long, slim profile and sloped front baffle — although take note, they still weigh a reassuringly hefty 17.6kg each.

Ultimately, Ruark wants you to consider the R710 and Talisman-R speakers as a beautiful system — and I get it. Both products are available in Fused Walnut or Satin Charcoal lacquer, and the R710 is priced at £2,199 (so around $2,000 or AU$4,000, as rough guesstimates) with Talisman-R at £1,499 (which is $2,000 or AU$2,800, or thereabouts).