Ruark MR1 Bluetooth review

You might think bookshelf speakers are a little old-fashioned, but the Ruark MR1 are Bluetooth-enabled, so you can stream music to them from your tablet or smartphone. They also pack in a surprising amount of power for a pair of Bluetooth speakers and look the part too, but won’t take up a lot of room in your study or bedroom.

The minimal styling looks gorgeous, either in the contrasting white finish with black speaker grilles seen here, or the alternative black and walnut finish. Each speaker has a 130mm square footprint and together the pair weigh around 3Kg, so they should comfortably sit on a bookshelf or a desk. The four rubberised feet on each speaker are screwed in place, and with no mounting points on the back they’re clearly designed to sit on a desk rather than float above it on mounting brackets. The speakers are connected by a 1.5m cable that terminates in a standard RCA phono connector, so you could swap the cable for a longer one if necessary.

Beyond aptX Bluetooth, which worked flawlessly with smartphones, tablets and laptops throughout our testing, the MR1 also has a 3.5mm audio input for connecting wired devices. A switchable attenuation control lets you switch the line level input between low and high levels.

Power and volume can be controlled using the dial built into the top of the right-hand speaker, but the compact remote control lets you adjust volume, mute all sound or change the inputs from a distance. An automatic standby mode puts the speakers into a low-power sleep if it doesn’t detect a signal after a certain period of timer has elapsed. This worked well when we hooked up the MR1s to a TV, as there’s no need to turn the speakers off when you’re done watching and the sound automatically reactivates when the TV is turned back on. The MR1’s blue activity LED didn’t prove distracting at night either, as it only stays lit when a signal is detected and it isn’t overly bright.

An optional wireless battery pack (£49, www.vickershifi.com) can turn the MR1 into a wireless speaker system. According to Ruark it should provide enough power for several hours of music playback, but we haven’t tested it to see how Bluetooth streaming affects battery life.

The MR1 is powered by a 20W Class A-B Amplifier, which is able to produce enough volume to soon have the neighbours knocking on the door, which is an impressive achievement for such a small system. Each speaker has a 75mm main driver that’s paired with a 20mm tweeter. There’s also a bass reflex port located in the underside of each speaker, which improves bass.

Once hooked up to our test system and paired with our reference aptX smartphone, we were blown away by the MR1’s clarity. All our test files shone through with precise detail and a rich, warm tone that suited more energetic musical genres. The mid-range was clear, yet it never encroaches on either the crisp high-end or the surprisingly powerful lows.

When placed with a wall to their rear to give sound waves something to bounce off, the compact speakers generate an impressive amount of bass. This adds real presence to heavier rock and electronic tracks, giving them the aggressive rumble they deserve. We were impressed with how much low-end the MR1 was able to produce by itself, but if you demand more bass you’ll be able to connect an active subwoofer and truly shake the room. There’s no bass control on the speakers themselves, so you’ll need a sub with a power dial in order to balance the sound.

Although it produces excellent sound, whether your source is wired directly to the speakers or beamed wirelessly over Bluetooth, £300 is a lot for a pair of monitor speakers. You could buy two Best Buy-winning Sonos Play:1 speakers for around £340, but if you want classic styling and don’t plan on moving the speakers once they’re set up, the Ruark MR1 Bluetooth speakers are a great buy.