Your favourite chair. The well-worn sweater you always reach for. The watch your grandad gave you. Life’s full of things we treasure and for us, it’s the Ruark Audio R1 Mk4 Bluetooth radio. It was the first product we launched in 2006 and we still cherish it today – and so do numerous Ruark owners. It’s perfectly proportioned, beautifully made, deceptively powerful and entirely adorable. What’s not to love?

Each generation of the R1 has been an evolution of the original, but with Ruark Audio R1 Mk4 we wanted it to be more progressive both in design and performance.

Using a precision moulding process has allowed the design team to gently profile the enclosure providing a fresh new look and the perfect surface for the new Light Cream and Espresso finishes. With acoustic treatment the enclosure is sturdy and acoustically inert, providing the ideal housing for our electronics and NS+ driver.

Enhancing the design further is a beautiful hand-crafted slatted wood grille. This brings added sophistication and creates a timeless Eames like vibe, but overall, the design is still unique and distinctly Ruark.

The previous Ruark Audio R1 models were critically acclaimed for their sound, but with R1 Mk4 we have further raised the bar! With our heritage in high-fidelity loudspeakers we understand the complexities of enclosure and drive unit design and making sure that both are matched to each other. In particular our latest neodymium NS+ driver, as used in our R3 and R5 models, provides a smooth and extended frequency response and in the Ruark R1 Mk4’s tuned enclosure delivers an impressive bass performance.

Driving the system is a punchy Class A/B linear amplifier for exceptional dynamics and with adaptive equalisation an eminently listenable sound is provided at all volume levels.

The crisp OLED display clearly shows time, alarm and programme information and auto adjusts to suit ambient light levels, making it a perfect bedside companion. Radio reception is excellent, and a Bluetooth receiver allows you to enjoy the Ruark Audio R1’s great sound when streaming from your phone or computer.

The Ruark Audio R1 Mk4 features a real time clock built in, time and date are kept active when power is disconnected or when transmitted data is not available.

The list of features continues, but other highlights include a USB-C charge/shuffle playback port, headphone output, switchable line input and of course Ruark’s trademark RotoDial control system. Finally, for those seeking distant operation, we have an optional compact remote control available.

With its battery status display and improved power management the Ruark Audio R1 Mk4 works even better and longer with the optional BackPack 3 and means you can enjoy the R1’s rich mains powered performance where mains power is unavailable.

The BackPack 3 attaches seamlessly to the Ruark R1 and once fitted can be left permanently in place as it charges automatically whenever mains power is re-applied. A full charge will provide up to twelve hours of mains free listening depending on volume.

The BackPack 3 is also compatible with the Ruark Audio R1S Smart Radio and MR1 Bluetooth Speaker System.

Features

• Class leading sound with adaptive EQ
• DAB, DAB+ and FM tuners
• High quality Bluetooth receiver
• USB charge and shuffle playback port
• Auto dimming high contrast OLED display
• Easy-to-use dual alarms and sleep timer
• Adaptive EQ provides ideal sound at all volumes
• Multiregional FM (World, USA, Japan and Korea)
• High fidelity Class A-B amplifier
• Ruark NS+ neodymium full range driver
• Acoustically tuned and damped polymer cabinet
• Adjustable bass and treble settings
• Hand-crafted slatted wood grille
• Intuitive RotoDial controller
• Optional remote control with 4 direct access presets
• Presets to store favourite stations – 8 per band
• Real time clock with battery backup
• Easily customised for hotel use
• USB-C multi format shuffle playback port
• Switchable analogue input for aux devices
• Headphone output memorises last used volume
• Multilingual UI (EN, DA, DE, ES, FR, IT, JA, KO, NL, NO, PL, RU, ZH)
• Automatic standby after 20 minutes of inactivity
• Power adapter: 100-240VAC, 50-60Hz input, 14VDC 1.5A output
• Dimensions: H175 × W130 × D135mm
• Weight: 1.5kg

Technical Specifications

• Frequency response: 55Hz – 20kHz
• Driver: 75mm Ruark NS+
• Amplifier: 9W
• Enhancements: Adjustable EQ, loudness
• Cabinet type: Tuned reflex enclosure
• Digital radio: DAB / DAB+FM Radio
• Bluetooth V4.2 SBC, AAC, BLE, A2DP
• Line-in: 3.5mm stereo jack (1.4Vrms max)
• Headphone: 3.5mm jack, 25mW into 16-32 Ohm
• USB: 2.0, (5V 1A) MP3, AAC up to 48kHz 320kbps,
• FLAC: up to 24-bit 96kHz, WAV up to 24-bit 96kHz,
• WMA: up to 44.1kHz 320kbps
• External telescopic aerial: 75Ω F-type connector
• Finishes: Espresso, Light Cream
• Box contains: R1, AC power adapter, quick start guide
• Power adapter: 100-240VAC, 50-60Hz input, 14VDC 1.5A output, 1.8m cable, 2.1 × 5.5mm DC plug
• Power consumption: 0.7W standby, 4-8W typical
• Product dimensions: H175 x W130 x D135mm
• Product weight: 1.4kg
• Inner carton dimensions: W180 × H270 × D210mm
• Packaged weight: 2.2kg