Ruark Audio has unveiled the follow-up to a pair of our favourite speakers, the MR1s.
The MR1 Mk2s are the same size as their five-star forebears, but are a cut above in the style stakes. In place of the rather staid wooden design of 2013's MR1s, there's a much fresher walnut or soft grey finish. The removable hi-fi grille has also been replaced by a fixed grille made of soft fabric.
The controller has been refreshed too, and now features three LEDs that show system status and input.
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Aside from the new looks, they should offer the same quality performance. You can stream tunes via Bluetooth with apt-X, and plug in a Chromecast Audio streaming dongle to the optical input. There's also an aux input for connecting any device with a headphone or analogue output.
They work seamlessly with Ruark Audio's BackPack II power pack, so you don't need to plug them into the mains. Disconnect a single speaker from the control unit, and it will revert to mono mode, making it ideal as a portable speaker.
They feature the same neodymium motor systems as their predecessors, but improvements have been made through refinement to the loudspeaker crossover and topology of the linear Class A-B amplifiers.
The MR1 Mk2s go on sale this month, priced £330.
