Ruark Audio – the brand behind the likes of the stylish Ruark Audio R410 all-in-one music system and the Award-winning Ruark Audio R1S digital radio – is back with something for fans of physical media. The Ruark R-CD100 is the brand's new CD player which, thanks to its smooth operation and signature design, aims to get the best out of your CD collection. You still have a CD collection, right?
Ruark is calling the R-CD100 a CD player, but it's more akin to a CD transport, as there is no DAC built-in and needs to be paired with one of Ruark's 100 Series of products, such as the Ruark R410, R610 or R810, to work properly. Once connected, the CD100 pops up as an option in the product’s source list, with signal processing carried out by the DACs built into the 100 Series product.
The CD player features a similar design to many of the company's recent constructions, with precision machined top and bottom plates coming together with a hand-crafted walnut cabinet to give the ensemble a "tactile and sleek aesthetic". It's not all about mere looks, either, with Ruark promising that the specially designed enclosure isolates the CD mechanism from external vibrations for improved sonic performance.
In terms of controls, the slot-loading R-CD100 offers an eject button alongside a power LED housed at the front of the unit. The new player is compatible with CD-DA, CD-R and CD-RW discs and features a USB-C connection at the rear.
Ruark is on a mighty hot streak at the moment and continues to impress us with products that merge robust, convincing sound with some of the most handsome designs on the market. Let's hope that the Ruark R-CD100 – available now and priced at £250 / $349 / AU$499 – offers more of the same.
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