Ruark MR1 Mk3

Stylish desktop speakers get a powerful upgrade

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Improving on exellence is never easy, which is probably why this 'threequel' has been a long time coming, Ruark no doubt finding it tricky to better its winning combination of petite size, musical sound and affordable price.

The British audio brand has cleverly made the cabinet size a tad bigger and fitted a larger mid/bass driver, while still retaining that compact footprint that fits so neatly on either side of a laptop.

The rich walnut veneer of our review sample (charcoal lacquer also available) now wraps seamlessly around the cabinet with no discernible break in the grain, whereas it was composed of separate panels in the Mk2 model.

The build quality is excellent and exudes subtle luxury. The customary RotoDial controller on top is well made, instinctive to use and responsive when changing inputs and adjusting volume, while the slim, plastic remote for basic controls is also unchanged from before. Both work well in daily use.