Ruark MR1 Mk2s bring stylish looks to a compact package

Ruark Audio has unveiled the follow-up to a pair of our favourite speakers, the MR1s.

The MR1 Mk2s are the same size as their five-star forebears, but are a cut above in the style stakes. In place of the rather staid wooden design of 2013's MR1s, there's a much fresher walnut or soft grey finish. The removable hi-fi grille has also been replaced by a fixed grille made of soft fabric.

The controller has been refreshed too, and now features three LEDs that show system status and input.

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Aside from the new looks, they should offer the same quality performance. You can stream tunes via Bluetooth with apt-X, and plug in a Chromecast Audio streaming dongle to the optical input. There's also an aux input for connecting any device with a headphone or analogue output.

They work seamlessly with Ruark Audio's BackPack II power pack, so you don't need to plug them into the mains. Disconnect a single speaker from the control unit, and it will revert to mono mode, making it ideal as a portable speaker.

They feature the same neodymium motor systems as their predecessors, but improvements have been made through refinement to the loudspeaker crossover and topology of the linear Class A-B amplifiers.

The MR1 Mk2s go on sale this month, priced £330.

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Joe Svetlik

Joe has been writing about tech for 17 years, first on staff at T3 magazine, then in a freelance capacity for Stuff, The Sunday Times Travel Magazine, Men's Health, GQ, The Mirror, Trusted Reviews, TechRadar and many more (including What Hi-Fi?). His specialities include all things mobile, headphones and speakers that he can't justifying spending money on.