7.12.2016

This is an excellent machine, as it should be for the price, but there are a few issues that detract and annoy. Whilst it would not replace a 'proper hifi set up, at room-filling volume it is really impressive and sounds better than many budget stereo systems. Turn the volume down low however and it is less impressive.1. The speakers are pretty directional and sound great if you are straight in front of the device but the sound is noticeably less clear off axis. Used as a bed-side radio, the sound is compromised.2. Using the 'Loudness' option OR the '3D' option just made the sound muddied to my ears. It is better on-axis but not off-axis.3. There is a few millisecond delay in FM radio sound compared with every other FM radio that I own.That causes an echo effect if you can hear two radios at once. A great shame as I wanted FM specifically so that I could walk from room to room with various radios playing. Not awful but it does spoil it a bit.4. FM sound is good but the built-in aerial is not up to the job of giving an adequate stereo signal where I live (Romsey) even though other radios work fine. I will have to feed an external aerial to it one of these days. DAB works OK - if you can stand the reduced quality of our awful DAB system. It is DAB+ ready so hopefully we will be rid of our shamefully poor DAB system before too long.I also have a Ruark R1 and also have a pair of Ruark MR1 speakers for my computer. Both are excellent and both are more impressive sound-wise than the R2 - but they don't have the facilities of the R2. Interestingly, the Ruark R1 radio produces the best DAB radio performance I have heard from any radio but the R2 is not as good at covering up DAB's failings. If the R1 did streaming and internet radio, that would be a better proposition. If the MR1s had a radio and streaming, that would be a better proposition.Internet radio works fine BUT the high bit-rate BBC streams are not available. Ruark promise an update in 2017 to enable the DASH-AAC streams to be received - and they are certainly needed. In case you have not yet auditioned the HLS-AAC or DASH-AAC streams, you really should. They are a huge step up in quality from the old BBC MP3 streams but that is all you can get on the R2 for the time being. The BBC streams are literally world leading quality but not through the R2 - yet. (UPDATE April 2017: The excellent quality BBC DASH streams are now available following the last software update. Do make sure you have the latest software.)Streaming from your own NAS, PC, USB, etc is dead easy but I think it a great shame that Ruark have not adopted the Quallcom Allplay system that is fast growing in popularity. The Quallcom Allplay system allows just about anything to be streamed AND synchronised with any other Allplay device regardless of manufacturer, be it Musaic, Lenco, Panasonic, Hitachi, Monster, Gramofon, Goodmans, Medion, etc. Now that HiRes is a part of normal day to day life, Sonos and any other system incapable of handling HiRes would be a questionable investment for use with a decent hifi system. OK, this isn't a hifi system but why aim low?Ruark do not make it clear if HiRes is playable. My HiRes FLAC tracks are selectable but then I just get a "code error" message and no sound - so I expect is doesn't play any HiRes in any format. For a bed-side radio, this is not a big issue.I do like it, as I do most Ruark products. It is just not perfect and could so easily have been made more capable by adopting the Allplay system. An opportunity missed and, like Sonos, Ruark are unlikely to change their system in the foreseeable future - shame.The UNDOK App is certainly WELL worth getting. The bundled remote is far too basic to take advantage of the R2's exceptional capabilities but the UNDOK app is better even than operating the R2 from the machine itself.

10.1.2016

This is a great sound system with lots of different functions but it is quite expensive.I had previously purchased a Pure Evoke D2 for my bedroom and a Pure Evoke D4 for a relative. I was not completely satisfied with the sound quality on either of these systems and decided to treat myself to a bigger and more expensive system. The Ruark R2 Mk3 is a lot better than the smaller less expensive radios I had tried before.There are two issues with radio in the UK which anyone buying a sound system should be aware of:1) DAB radio in the UK is using very low bit rates and suffers from poor sound quality on most stations eg Radio 4 Extra is 80kbps mono on DAB vs 320kbps stereo on BBC iPlayer.2)The BBC have annoyed a lot of Internet radio users by making changes which have stopped them being able to listen to the highest quality live streams and on demand programs. The Ruark R2 Mk3 is affected by these changes but there is some hope that the services will be restored when the BCC starts providing MPEG-DASH streams and Ruark release a firmware update. Most BBC Internet radio stations are currently only available as live128kbps mp3 streams on the Ruark (Radio 3 has a live 320kbps AAC+ stream which has to be added manually). Using BCC iPlayer on another device and using Bluetooth to play on the Ruark is currently the best available option for listening to BBC radio programs with this device.The plus points for the Ruark R2 Mk3 are:- The sound quality is good.- Having twin speakers for stereo sound is good.- The rotary controller works very well. The middle alarm/sleep button has a ridge so that you can identify it by touch and it is easy to remember where the other buttons are and use the control in the dark.- The display is a good size and can be set to be off when the system is in standby or sleep modes for use in a bedroom.- The remote control is useful.- Phone charging from the USB port is very useful (saves a mains socket).- Option to use an external antenna is good.- DAB, Bluetooth, Internet Radio, playing from DLNA sever, playing from USB, and Spoitfy all work well (but see notes below on FM and Internet radio).- UNDOK app on Android is very useful.The minus points are:- Poor FM radio sound quality from the telescopic aerial provided. This is much worse than the Pure Evoke D2 which in turn was worse than my old Roberts FM/LW/MW radio. In mitigation you can connect an external aerial and most users would probably not use FM anyway.- No option to turn off stereo in FM which could help with poor signal problems.- Noise on wired earphones when using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth (I will be contacting Ruark about this issue).- The device does not seem to support IEEE 802.11a (5GHz Wi-Fi) as it should according to the specifications (I will be contacting Ruark about this issue).- The device does not support the HLS/AAC streams that the BBC are currently using for high quality live Internet radio and on demand Internet radio.- It would better if the device had at least one USB socket on the front as well as the one in the back. (I could then leave a USB stick plugged into the back and plug my phone into the front socket to charge it).- The light around the power button and the light in the rotary controller stay on in sleep mode even if the display is set to turn off.- Ruark do not publish release notes for the firmware updates on their web site so it is hard to know if they continue to support old products or abanadon them as soon as a new model is released.- Remote control could be improved.- It is too easy to accidently set the system to maximum volume when using the UNDOK app.

6.4.2017

Well I have only had this radio for one day so these are my initial thoughts I would guess. I originally purchased a similar item from a competitor brand which was around £90 cheaper and yes in my view looked a lot nicer! However it worked for 15 minutes and then stopped it said it was working but there was no sound at all. That manufacturer did not provide a helpline other than by e mail! They were quick but of course their suggestion was return it for a replacement. Well once bitten twice shy for me so I thought I would try the Ruark even thogh as well as being dearer it had no CD player, the latter was not really an issue for me.Top Kudos to Amazon I handed in my old radio to a collection point and within hours they confirmed my refund.

27.5.2017

I don't make a habit of reviewing everything I buy on Amazon. On this occasion I wanted to convey my thoughts. I spent ages reviewing & researching audio ideas for our dining kitchen. I had previously been using my I-phone and a blue tooth speaker. This was fine but I wanted a one device option that would look good, sound good and offer internet, blue tooth, spotify and DAB. The Ruark does all that. I had even signed up to "Which" in an effort to see expert opinion on the best buys and ones to avoid. I started off buy purchasing a Roberts system recommended by which. I wasn't happy with it and sent it back, the same again with my second purchase. Third time lucky when the Ruark arrived and I tried it out,

3.1.2016

Fantastic build quality, awesome sound, lots of functions, a really great device, well worth the money, you won't be disappointed. I tried the cheaper Roberts i93 radio at first which is a good product, but it felt a bit lost in our roomy kitchen. So I decided to splash a bit more money and go for the R2 MkIII. It's a great system, solid construction, lovely sound quality and easily fills the room with sound. We've got the R1 in our bedroom and that is also a great device too. Ruark is a brand you can trust and enjoy!

20.11.2019

Having a Ruark product before this lives up to the expected quality .It took me a little longer to set up mainly because of my age. This was setting up to the internet etc. and getting used to different remote. There is a lot more potential with this model against my older one .The Bluetooth opens up a lot and a USB port at the back is great. The sound quality is excellent ,it is a pleasure to listen to. I have still some work to do setting the radio side up but just need time but it will not be a problem .

5.12.2017

Everything arrived next day and bearing in mind I ordered the product on a Saturday I was very impressed. I have a B&O zeppplin which I still use after several years of service - I waanted to buy the best I could for the outlay in a smaller room and although I have only had it for a few days - so far so good - fantastic looking - equally great sound and easy to set up and use... love also that It’s a uk product!

6.4.2016

set up in seconds, great unit, good sound. even better, without even needing to open the manual, it found my audio collection on the NAS drive (and raspberry pi) and so was playing back from all the sources....audio quality is great, lots of volume - love this. its pricy but worth it

10.2.2017

Nice system, Looks good, sounds pretty good too...one annoying point I have to make though is the mains adapter. If the plug socket is low to the floor, there seems to be no way of plugging it in without the use of a multi plug adapter, - If only it was a one piece plug...!

6.1.2017

Excellent sound quality. Work very well with a Spotify premiiun account but that's not essential as you can stream via Bluetooth from other devices.The 3D feature fills the room with sound without compromising audio quality.

12.9.2017

Unbelievable sound from this small little network radio very easy to connect to your internet build quality is excellent oh yes once again the sound is excellent especially through Spotify connect I would highly recommend

24.8.2017

Sound is very pleasant even in a quite large open space, browsing through preset stations is not one button/click action, but it doesn't bother too much normally (I did not try or use remote control), sound is just great.

12.6.2015

Superb device, I've already got the big Brother r4 and this complements it perfectly. Bluetooth is great and Internet radio is a big bonus. Easy to set up too

28.1.2015

Great looks and sound, everything you could ask for is included.

7.2.2015

A truly excellent product - worth the investment.

Ruark R2 Mk3 - Reviews

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