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By: S Lam
2nd Apr 2024
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"A rare talented smaller format speaker"
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I found these for a bargain on eBay last year at a fraction of the new price and I'm really impressed.
I normally prefer the larger sound stage of my custom-built Wilmslow audio floor standing speakers, but this time I was only looking for something for a smaller room of 3metres by 4metres.
I've paired them with a Linn Sekrit DSM and Marantz CD6007 and I can genuinely hear the detail across a range of different material. It's a versatile speaker for everything from Radio 4, Radio 5 and almost everything from classical, 50's to 90's and heavy metal.
It does live performances justice with great staging for units that are relatively small. They like to be driven whereupon they excel with control and just enough authority without sounding overly punchy. Fast rhythms are it's forte.
They won't pour out oodles of low frequencies like a 12" sub will, but they sound a lot better than the Wharfedale Diamonds they replaced.
On a placement front, they are versatile although I prefer them quite high up.
I suspect the sonic excellence is down to how well these cabinets are put together and the well chosen components . I don't think many manufacturers could match Ruark's build quality in their heyday and modern manufacturers struggle even now.
I feel like I'm in the room when I hear the guitar and bass strings on Bread's "Make It With You". Queen's, "Another One Bites The Dust" sounds just like I remember it from the 80s. Nanci Griffith's live vocals are shrill and delicate evoking memories of the concerts I've attended. Fleetwood Mac's, "You Make Loving Fun" and Roxy Music's, "Dance Away" and "More Than This" are brilliantly detailed and rhythmic.
I have the original purchase receipt and manual from Richard's Audio Visual from Greyfriars, Bedford in 1998. Here's to another 25years of great sounds.
If you can find a pair of these iconic Icons, just buy them.
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2 people liked this review.
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By: JC
8th May 2015
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"Amazing stage"
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Little speakers with amazing depth. Tweeter placement means you get the highs straight to the ear, which some have described as harsh, but is really just accuracy. Could be smoother, but it's the depth of staging that sets these apart. Front facing ports for easy placement in tight spaces. Sound great with Naim kit. Absurdly cheap second hand, compared with speakers that offer far less at many multiples of the usual price.
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44 people liked this review.
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![[Thumbnail]](https://www.hifidatabase.com/static/gallery/9/9699-Ruark_Icon_wm.jpg){kind=icon}
