Ruark R710 / Talisman-R

When a company is good at something, logic dictates it keeps doing it because that’s what drives custom. Ruark is a fascinating exception to this rule. For years, the company was exceptionally good at making conventional box loudspeakers. Then, without much warning or fanfare, it wound down production of speakers and pivoted to making all-in-one -type speaker systems. For many years, you couldn’t buy a traditional Ruark passive speaker.

The reason why this wasn’t cataclysmic for the company is that Ruark proved to be really very good indeed at all-in-one systems. Take the R710 you see here. The specification is one honed to do all the things we have come to expect from equipment like this in 2026 - it includes a streaming module that can support sample rates to 24/192kHz and can access Tidal, Qobuz and Spotify Connect as well as access music you have stored locally. This is supported by internet radio, Chromecast, Airplay and Bluetooth.

The R710 is also fully equipped to play compact discs via a skilfully concealed ‘inhaler’ -type drive in the front panel. This is joined by a moving magnet phono stage, additional line-level input, optical input and HDMI eARC connection - which should allow the R710 to be used however you choose. You also have a pretty free choice in speakers, too thanks to the 200 watts of Class D amplification built in. 

What you can also do for the first time in a very long while is stay with Ruark for your speakers. The company tested the water with 2024’s Sabre-R bookshelf model, and the reception was sufficiently positive that the Talisman-R has joined it. The original Talisman was the product that really put Ruark on the map as a speaker builder, and the -R is built to the same recipe - which means it is a relatively unusual design in the present landscape. It’s a two-way floorstander combining a custom-designed 165mm long-throw treated-fibre ‘NS+’ woofer partnered with a 27mm silk dome tweeter. 

These drivers are placed closely together, and the front baffle angles back to help with time alignment and to make the speaker look smaller than it is. A bespoke crossover unites the drivers and provides communication to the outside (and allows bi-wiring, interestingly enough). The hefty output of the R710 should be more than enough to drive them, as the Talisman-R is not an especially demanding speaker in sensitivity terms.

Sound Quality 

One of the reasons Ruark was able to make the radical transition it did is that it has proved exceptionally good at making wireless speakers and all-in-ones. Key to this is a well-developed ‘house sound’ that is present across everything I’ve ever tested from the company. At first you might reach the conclusion that the presentation on offer is actually a little smoothed off and overly warm - but the reality is a little different. What Ruark does is deliver effortless civility, even in the face of extremely uncivilised listening material - and eventually you realise all the fine detail is there but those aggressive volume points you thought were baked into the recording are, in fact, not something you have to endure.

Neither is this sound something a bit safe or boring. Even at low levels, this is a propulsive and engaging sound that latches onto tempos and time signatures in a way that is wholly and consistently convincing. Without ever forcing slower tempos the R710 is able to handle complex, high-speed material in a way that is exciting but composed. Once again, it feels like Ruark has made the decision that no part of your collection should ever be off-limits. 

The good news is that the Talisman-R understands this brief implicitly too. I have long felt it’s the ultimate cop-out to describe speakers as ‘musical’ - it’s a statement of the blindingly obvious because unless you’ve called upon your speakers to handle a sound-effects album, they all make music. Having said this… there is something exceptionally gratifying about how the Talisman-R goes about its business. It encourages you to wind a bit of level on (something that the 200 watts of grunt lurking in the R710 makes very easy indeed) and stop doing distracting things like taking notes.

Things aren’t completely perfect, though. The Talisman-R has excellent bass extension for a speaker this svelte, but it can lack a fraction of control and agility when partnered with the R710. I would never describe the result as slow, but there are options available for the same sort of price that can be a little tighter and better controlled. Interestingly, using the Talisman-R on some other electronics does suggest that it can be made to sound a little tauter. 

For many people (and I count myself as one of them) the sheer capability the Ruark brings to its extensive functionality means they will be tempted to stick with it. CD is handled with the same assurance as the rest of the digital board, and the HDMI eARC connection ensures that connected TV and film content benefits from the same refined-yet-detailed presentation that music does. I like the phono stage, too - while I feel confident in saying you might extract more performance from an external phono stage, the Ruark’s internal fitment will easily do justice to a turntable up to the £500 - £600 mark.  

Living with the Ruark R710 / Talisman-R

Setting up the R710 is a game of two halves. The business of making connections and attaching it to a wireless network is completely logical and quick to do. Pairing the remote, though, takes three times as long as the rest of the setup procedure. The remote itself is gorgeous - it’s an exact replica of the rotary control on the top panel of the R710 itself - but it needs to pair with the unit to work, and for reasons unknown it fights me every step of the way. Although once paired, it works well and provides an excellent control point.

This feeds into an operating system that, while lacking some of the slickness and functionality of rivals from NAD and Cambridge, works in a wholly logical way and is unconditionally stable in use. The handing off of control to the ‘Connect’ functions of a music-streaming app makes for a slicker, more logical control point, though streaming one’s own music is less slick than some alternative options on the market. The CD section, on the other hand, is really good. I don’t love ‘inhaler’ drives, but this one is well integrated and loads discs quickly and quietly.  

The R710 and the Talisman-R are available in the same finish options as one another and, perhaps oddly, I think that they turned up in the wrong finishes. In black, some of the interesting details that make up the Talisman-R cabinet are masked - it looks a bit austere, whereas the walnut veneer really brings out and complements the appearance. By contrast, the all-walnut R710 is a bit too much of a good thing and looks a bit kitsch. The black option with walnut detailing does a better job of complementing its lines and proportions. The standard of build and finish on both items is excellent. 

Conclusion 

There is always a danger when you return to a category you left a long time ago that the world has moved on and you’ll look out of touch. In Ruark’s case though, combining what it used to be good at with what it is currently good at shows it hasn't lost its touch. The result is a deeply capable, musical and stylish system that will make a lot of people very happy. 

Listening notes 

Brian Eno and David Byrne My Life in the Bush of Ghosts
The Ruark system take this dense and complicated album and successfully reveals that, underneath a chunky layer of pretension is something that is really, really good fun and deeply engaging.

Cari Cari Welcome to Kookoo Island
This is a deliberately lo-fi album and it can sound a bit grim on some equipment. The Ruark set-up handles the rough edges, and reveals that some of the tracks on it are absolute bangers. 

L'Impératrice Pulsar 
Picking up where Daft Punk left off, this gorgeous slice of French disco nostalgia is sumptuously recorded and shows off just how rich and engaging the Ruarks can sound when given a chance to shine.

As one-make systems go, this is a bit of a doozy because neither component feels like the weak link. It looks good, it sounds good and it does all the things you might reasonably ask. What’s not to like?

Connect the Sony Bravia 7 II 65in (K65XR75) to the R710’s HDMI eARC and you can enjoy its eye-popping colour backed up with the sort of sonic welly that does proper justice to events on screen.