Ruark R610 + Sabre-R Review: Signed, Sealed, Delivered

Design

• Option of two finishes
• Colour display
• RotoDial for control

The R610 is designed to evoke the music consoles of the 1970s, which might imply this is for an older audience (older than I am); but its looks should have appeal to anyone who was even a minor interest in interior design – it’s a fab looking piece of hi-fi.

Build quality is rock solid – the hand-crafted cabinet is sturdy, the combination of wood (fused walnut or satin lacquer versions), glass and other materials gives the R610 a warm, inviting look.

The size of the R610 is an awkward if placed in front of a TV – it’ll more than likely block the TV’s sensor for the remote. If connected to a TV, it seems best suited to one that’s hanging off a wall.

The 5-inch colour TFT display is both bright and easy to read from far away or at wider angles (sources also look great on the colour display). On top, you’ve got an integrated Rotodial for switching sources, changing the volume or barrelling through the menu settings.

It’s swift and responsive, the ring of light embedded in it also makes it easier to spot in darker conditions. If you’re not used to the menu system, it can take a while to navigate and find where things are. There is another ‘detached’ and rechargeable Rotodial remote included if you want to control from the comfort of your sofa.

The Sabre-R speakers follow a similar aesthetic, and though they’re still speaker boxes at the end of the day, they’re much nicer than most. There’s no baffle/grille to add to the speaker.

They don’t feel too deep that they can’t sit in a bookshelf, but they are tall speakers – taller than the Q Acoustics 3010i I’ve got, which means they aren’t the most compact. They’ll need space to operate.

The speakers can be bi-wired (if you believe in that philosophy) and there’s a rear bass port, which will help control the bass performance when sat in front of a wall. They’re not wireless in the manner they connect to the R610, but Ruark does include two 3m high quality speaker cables so you won’t have to factor in the cost of buying one yourself.

Features

• Physical sources
• Lots of wireless options
• Radio support

The R610 is a music system, and that categorisation essentially means it’s got many strings to its bow. On its own, it’s a music streamer, and it can connect to a turntable, TV or CD player which makes it quite the versatile piece of hi-fi kit.

In terms of music streaming, you’ve got Spotify Connect, Apple AirPlay 2, Tidal Connect, Qobuz Connect, and Google Cast from which to use. Internet Radio support means you can listen to stations from all across the world (Apple and Google support bring the R610 into the realm of multi-room as well).

If you’re not one to dole out your Wi-Fi password, there’s Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity with support for SBC, AAC, and Bluetooth LE codecs.

The Ethernet offers a hardwired route to the Internet if the Wi-Fi is shaky, while DLNA UPnP support converts the R610 into a media server on your home network. Did I forget to mention DAB/DAB+ and FM tuners? You’ve got 20 presets to save your favourite stations with those sources too.

The R610 supports Ruark’s external R-CD100 player for those who still have shiny silver discs in their library, while the HDMI ARC/eARC port allows it to connect to a TV.

A built-in phono stage brings up turntable compatibility, there’s USB-C for portable media, a subwoofer out for adding more bass, stereo RCA input and output, plus an optical digital input for connecting to more devices.

You’ve got an array of possibilities with the Ruark R610, helpful if you already have these sources at hand or are planning to add them in the future. It should be said though, that there’s no app support.

Music file support is FLAC, AIFF, ALAC and WAV up to 32-bit/384kHz (Hi-res audio is well and truly covered), and you’ve also got MP3 and AAC/AAC-LC/HE-AAC/HE-AAC v2 to add to the hi-fi spaghetti list of features.

With a Class D amplifier powering the performance (75W per channel), a Burr-Brown DAC processing audio; you can also make changes to the EQ of the R610 in terms of treble, bass, and loudness.

Sound Quality

• Rich, warm sound
• Slightly soft bass
• Spacious stereo image

What I’ve come to expect from Ruark products is a rich sound and the Ruark R610 with its Sabre-R speakers doesn’t disappoint. It’s a very typical performance but if there’s a weak spot, it’s the Sabre-R speakers. I suspect with another type of speaker, the R610’s potential might be even higher.

But, I’ve tested this music system with R610 and Sabre-R speakers, so that’s what I’ll assess. With a stream of Kavinsky’s Nightcall over Qobuz Connect, there’s a rich, thumping sense of bass the system conjures up. The soundstage is open and expansive while the vocal performance comes across as smooth.

Jumping to Greg Foat’s Symphonie Pacifique and the top end of the frequency range isn’t the brightest and it’s a similar performance across several tracks (Sufjan Steven’s Chicago, Will Sessions’ The World Is Yours) with highs that are clear and detailed but lacking that brightness to really stand out.

Vocals come across with excellent levels of clarity and detail, but best of all, there’s a natural-sounding tone to voices. The soulful, slightly gravelly aspects of Benjamin Clementine’s voice in London is planted right in the middle of the soundstage, and it sounds great.

While I’ve mentioned the bass is rich in tone and weight, there isn’t as much bass depth and power to the low frequencies. There’s a slight softness to the Ruark’s low-end performance, as if it doesn’t want to cause a ruckus but wants to come across as more tasteful. That aggressiveness is missing in Baauer’s Can I Say, the slam and depth the track needs is missing, and I’d put that on the Sabre-R speakers rather than the R610 itself.

A switch to Billie Eilish’s Wallflower over AirPlay 2, and it’s the same characteristics as before: spacious sound, a strong stereo image, clear vocals, and rich weighty bass that delivers a thump even if it doesn’t reach quite as deep as I’d like.

Bluetooth offers a similar performance to Wi-Fi with Tate McCrae’s Greedy, though Wi-Fi would be my main choice as it sounds louder, clear and offers more weight and power to the low frequencies. Regardless of whether you’re listening over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, you get a very entertaining sound.

With Internet Radio (Jazz FM), the Ruark delivers a musical sounding performance with a good sense of timing and flow.

The softness of the bass is perhaps most apparent here but there’s weight to the low end, and while it’s not the most insightful performance, the smoothness of the performance locks out any trace of sibilance; while the character of warmth, richness and openness that’s been present from the get-go is retained. Across its various sources, the Ruark R610 maintains a very consistent sound.

That tonality does change over an HDMI input where it becomes slightly sharper. Dialogue is both clear and natural-sounding and positioned correctly on the screen, the soundstage is wide and spacious; and there a good levels of detail and sharpness – especially with the highs when watching Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning. For me, watching at a volume of 15 was a bit loud, but you’ll find what fits you.

What the R610 and Sabre-R speakers lack is – you guessed it – that prowess with the low-end. There’s decent snap, detail and punch to the gunshots in various films I watch, but that sense of outright power is missing even when the volume is relatively loud. There’s not much depth or raw power. At least you can add a subwoofer, but considering this set-up costs close to £2000, you’re looking at more than that by adding a subwoofer.

It’s worth reminding the R610 only supports PCM so you’ll need to switch to that in your TV’s settings. While the Ruark automatically powers up when you turn the TV on; this isn’t enabled automatically. You have to jump into the settings and manually enable an ‘automatic’ feature.

Should you buy it?