Ruark's five-star powered speakers claim a place on our guide to the best desktop speakers

If you want proper hi-fi sound but don't necessarily have acres of space to enjoy it, we'd direct you immediately to our list of the best desktop speakers.

It doesn't necessarily have the huge influx of competitors vying for a place in the same manner as our rundowns of the best floorstanding speakers or the best bookshelf speakers, but every entry on our list is a five-star candidate with impressive sonic credentials.

The Ruark Audio MR1 Mk3 powered speakers combine speakers, DAC and Class D amplification, along with versatile inputs in a compact package. They are facing off against stellar Award-winners in the shape of their own predecessors, the superb Ruark MR1 Mk2 and the current trophy holders, the Elac Debut ConneX DCB41.

The new MR1 speakers are a little more costly than their antecedents at £399 / $579 / AU$899, but their unique array of talents is just too hard to ignore, leading to us replacing the outgoing MR1 Mk2 with the newer, slightly larger model.

Given their small size and considerable abilities, the MR1 Mk3 have gained their place as the best compact desktop speakers that we'd recommend right now. They're a little different than what went before, but we think they're the best in class at their particular price point and for their given use case.

Different sound, same class

If you're familiar with the considerable sonic talents of the outgoing MR1 Mk2, you might find these third-generation boxes need a little getting used to. They're a striking sonic departure from their predecessors, and while Ruark took a risk deviating from a tried and tested formula, sometimes a change is as good as a rest.

While the MR1 Mk2 were leaner and nimbler speakers, with a beautifully sweet midrange and an inviting personality, the MR1 Mk3 are far more outward looking in their approach. These are punchy, powerful operators that go big on scale and authority, with emphatic and impactful basslines and greater large-scale dynamism.

Once you get used to that adjustment, you'll realise how good these third-gen speakers are. Their rhythmic drive is excellent considering their dimensions, while their composure and power handling, especially at higher volumes, are remarkable.

Their trump card, however, comes in the shape of their exceptional built-in moving magnet phono stage. We hooked them up to a Rega Planar 3 RS Edition and the result was a clear, well-defined and confident delivery that utterly outshone the effort of the price-comparable Elac Debut ConneX DCB41.

That's a real bonus, as we envisage many users will want to make a budget and compact turntable system, and plugging a compatible deck straight into the MR1 Mk3 negates the need for any extra boxes.

Yes, they're a little bigger than the MR1 Mk2, but these are still petite units that, combined with their lovely finish, will fit beautifully onto most desks, next to laptops or into almost any smaller-scale setup you care to imagine.

It doesn't hurt that they're a pleasure to use, either, boasting Ruark's signature RotoDial controller which makes changing inputs and adjusting volume a breeze. Speaking of inputs, the third-gen speakers add USB-C to the party, meaning they're easy to connect to modern devices such as smartphones and laptops.

Or, of course, you could simply wirelessly stream tunes from your mobile device using Bluetooth, with support for the higher-quality aptX HD codec for playing 24-bit streams from compatible sources.

All in all, an easy to use pair of desktop speakers with a sound that's made to please. The Mk3 are a switch up for Ruark's excellent MR1 line, but it's a change we've heartily embraced. We think you should embrace it, too.

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