Short on space? Just starting out on your hi-fi journey? A music lover who wants to embrace vinyl but also likes a bit of convenience when it suits? This little system will see you right.
Perfect for those of us with limited space to house equipment, this trio of products will provide brilliant sound for the £800 or so you will invest in them.
Of course we’re going to say “why not both?”
Comprising the five-star WiiM Pro Plus music streamer, the multi-Award-winning Pro-Ject Primary E turntable, and the compact, versatile Ruark MR1 Mk3 powered speakers, which picked up their Best Buy at the first time of asking (taking over from the perennially winning Mk2 version), this is a brilliant system that works wonders as a team. It’s a clean, compact, and profoundly musical setup that brings together the best of both the digital and analogue worlds.
The system
- Music streamer: WiiM Pro Plus – £219
- Turntable: Pro-Ject Primary E – £229
- Powered speakers: Ruark MR1 Mk3 – £399
- Total system price: £847
Music streamer: WiiM Pro Plus
Every modern system needs a streamer, and the WiiM Pro Plus is one of the most affordable and competent that we have seen.
The Pro Plus takes on the crucial task of bringing high-quality digital audio streaming to your system. And for just £219, it’s a genuine bargain. You don't need to be a maths whiz to see that this streamer is less than half the price of many of its 'affordable' rivals – and yet it consistently and comfortably outperforms its asking price.
It has a rather anonymous, plasticky build (but we’re hiding it away, aren’t we? So no great problem there). And, anyway, the performance is where the WiiM excels. It delivers a sound that is detailed, expressive, and well-organised. No matter how compressed the audio information you feed it, the Pro Plus remains a clear and dynamically adept listen, capable of creating a big, properly defined soundstage.
At its heart lies a decent AKM 4493SEQ digital-to-analogue converter, capable of handling files up to 32-bit/768kHz, so high-resolution music sounds just as it should.
Connectivity, too, is comprehensive. You get dual-band wi-fi and ethernet for a rock-solid network connection, plus Bluetooth 5.1. Crucially, for streaming convenience, Chromecast is built in, as is Apple AirPlay 2; and the excellent WiiM Home control app has native support for services such as Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Qobuz Connect, and Amazon Music.
If you want to hear music with minimal fuss – just a couple of swipes from your phone or tablet – this is pretty much as easy as it gets.
Turntable: Pro-Ject Primary E
For those occasions when you want to take a little more time and care with your tunes, though, the Pro-Ject Primary E turntable will step in and allow you to take things in your stride.
For years, this £229 turntable has held the top spot in our best budget record players buying guide, and for good reason: it’s a brilliant first deck for vinyl purists.
Pro-Ject has simplified the turntable experience to near plug-and-play levels. With the anti-skate weight and 1.7g tracking force pre-set at the factory, all you need to do is attach the belt to the motor pulley and connect the built-in RCA cable. It makes getting started a breeze, even for the newest vinyl enthusiast.
The sound is where the Primary E truly wins us over. While our sonic expectations are inevitably somewhat tempered for a turntable at this level, the Primary E is an entertainingly musical performer that confidently nails the basics. It offers an even tonal balance and a delivery that is clear, clean, and spacious enough to keep recordings coherent.
It manages to deliver a spirited sense of drive and momentum, ensuring your music doesn't just sound accurate, but truly enjoyable, and it promotes the warmth and substance of an LP nicely.
Powered speakers: Ruark MR1 MK3
The third and final part of this trio of Award winners is the new boy. Sort of. The Ruark MR1 powered speakers have been Best Buys at their level for many years now; this year, though, was the first opportunity for the Mk3 version to take the gong. And it has triumphed with a positive flourish.
They are predominantly Bluetooth speakers (supporting aptX HD), but Ruark has added two key physical inputs. First and foremost, for the purposes of this particular system, is the inclusion of a pair of stereo RCA phono inputs that include a good-quality moving-magnet phono stage, via which these fine little units can converse beautifully with the Pro-Ject turntable. There is also a USB-C input for connecting to a laptop or smartphone, and an optical input for adding on, say, a WiiM Pro Plus streamer.
The sound is a significant step up from previous generations – already Award-winners in their own right, remember. They deliver a powerful, punchy, and dynamic sound that is well suited to small spaces. With 25W of amplification and a bigger 8.5cm mid/bass driver, the MR1 Mk3 are capable of delivering a deeper, meatier low-end performance than their forebears, and excellent rhythmic drive. The soundstaging is impressive for such compact speakers, with vocals sounding wonderfully solid, fleshed out, and grounded.
The fact that Ruark has managed to fit so many upgrades into the MR1 Mk3 without drastically increasing the price or footprint is impressive.
For an affordable, five-star introduction to the many and varied charms of both music streaming and vinyl playback, this combination of the WiiM Pro Plus, Pro-Ject Primary E, and Ruark MR1 Mk3 is hard to lay a glove on.
If you want to do better, it’s going to cost you quite a lot more money. This is the entry-level system to beat.
MORE:
This 2-in-1 automatic turntable has an integrated CD player in a design we have never seen before
Active vs passive speakers: what's the difference? Which is better?
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