Ruark's new music console and slim speakers are the CD playing, vinyl spinning, and high-resolution music streaming system your small apartment craves.

Ruark presents the R710 music console and Talisman-R floorstanding speakers
The R710 is Ruark’s “most powerful” console yet, with a CD player and phono stage
It costs £2,199 (around $3,000, AU$4,000); Talisman-R costs £1,499 (around $2,000, AU$2,800)

Let me be clear: UK audio specialist Ruark is a master of compact hi-fi products; For starters, just look at the five-star MR1 Mk3 small self-powered desktop speakers.

While the duo of products Ruark just unveiled at High End Vienna may look traditional, they’re packed with thoroughly modern tech (and some slightly older tech, too) beneath their charming exteriors. And yes, they can be purchased together to create a wonderfully simple, space-saving hi-fi system.

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

Ruark R710 Music Console and Talisman-R Floor Stands: Key Specs and Pricing

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

In addition to its built-in CD player, phono stage (so you can add your vinyl turntable as a source) and dual built-in 200W Class D amplifiers, it supports streaming and streaming of high-resolution music files, up to 24-bit 384kHz, thanks to the R710’s quad-core CPU, with Spotify Connect, Qobuz Connect, Tidal Connect, Apple AirPlay, Google Cast, Internet Radio and apt-X HD Bluetooth all built in.

For local music libraries, the R710 also supports playback from network media servers and connected USB storage devices, and if you want to listen to your movie soundtracks through it, the R710 also adds an HDMI ARC/eARC connection for TV connectivity. And while you get a gorgeous rotary Bluetooth remote with your purchase, for easy control of playback (not unlike something aspirational amplification brand Moon might offer), a big selling point for me is that large front-mounted color screen for album art 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 a 6.5-inch long-throw woofer with a beautiful long, slim profile and sloping front baffle; Take note though, they still weigh 17.6kg each.

Ultimately, Ruark wants you to consider the R710 and Talisman-R speakers as a beautiful system, and I understand that. Both products are available in Fused Walnut or Satin Charcoal lacquer, with the R710 priced at £2,199 (about $2,000 or AU$4,000, as rough estimates) with the Talisman-R at £1,499 (that’s $2,000 or AU$2,800, or thereabouts).