Ruark Audio R1 MK3 deluxe Bluetooth radio (Wild Plum)

I bought this for my wife to use on her bedside cabinet. Although it doesn’t have Wi-fi connectivity, I thought I would use a Google AudioCast then connect it to my whole house system, with the added bonus of using the USB socket to power the AudioCast. Don’t know if mine is faulty or just the way it is designed, but when powering the AudioCast from the built-in usb, the sound is poor, full of pops and cracks, like listening to a dirty record. Using an Apple iPhone Charger improves the sound considerably. Should have bought the John Lewis one!

Plugged it in and it immediately scanned for radio stations, taking a minute or so. After that it started playing the first station. Good quality and volume of sound, many stations available. And Wild Plum is a really attractive finish, not too startling but more interesting than 'wood' or 'black' (YMMV).

The build and sound quality is really impressive