A Ruark CD Player for the 100 Series
Compact disc never went away. Collections built over decades still fill shelves, and a new generation is discovering the pleasure of holding an album while the music plays. The Ruark R-CD100 CD Player is the Ruark CD player designed for the 100 Series: a compact, beautifully made drive that connects to a Ruark R410, R610 or R810 with one USB-C cable and adds CD to the list of sources on the display.
Playing a disc offers pure, uncompressed sound and a tactile link with the history of recorded music, and the Ruark R-CD100 makes that experience as effortless as streaming.
Precision in the Mechanism
A high-quality slot-loading mechanism forms the core of the drive, paired with an optimised servo and USB interface so that data leaves the disc cleanly. Precision-machined top and bottom plates and a hand-crafted cabinet do more than look good: the enclosure isolates the mechanism from outside vibration, so each disc is read under calm conditions.
Conversion Left to the System
Rather than housing a converter, the Ruark R-CD100 passes the digital signal to the connected music system, where the advanced converters inside the 100 Series product do the work. Load a disc and playback starts automatically; skip tracks from the system or the remote, and eject with the button on the drive or from the system’s menu.
Made to Match
The Fused Walnut case and anodised aluminium top were drawn to sit alongside the 100 Series, and the drive is small enough to rest beside a music system on a sideboard or shelf. One braided cable carries both the audio data and the power, so there is no extra mains lead to hide.
The drive has no display or remote, and needs neither: playback is controlled from the music system and the system’s remote, exactly as for any other source, which keeps the whole arrangement uncluttered.
Hearing the Ruark R-CD100 in London
Enquiries about the Ruark R-CD100 are welcome on Wigmore Street, and Audio Lounge can suggest the Ruark system that best suits a collection. For a Ruark with a disc slot built in, the Ruark R710, Ruark’s CD hi-fi console, is the alternative, and the wider choice of players sits in the CD players collection.
About Ruark
The Art of Listening is the phrase printed on Ruark specification sheets, a phrase that sums up four decades of work. Founded in Essex in the mid-1980s by Brian and Alan O’Rourke, Ruark has grown from loudspeakers into radios, desktop speakers and the 100 Series, always designed and engineered in Southend-on-Sea and always judged by ear before release, with Alan O’Rourke still at the helm to this day. Ruark believes physical media still matter, which is why the 100 Series welcomes turntables through built-in phono stages and compact disc through the Ruark Audio R-CD100. Explore the complete Ruark range.
Questions About the Ruark R-CD100
What is the Ruark R-CD100?
The Ruark R-CD100 CD Player is a compact, slot-loading USB CD drive designed for Ruark’s 100 Series. Connected to a compatible Ruark music system with the supplied USB-C cable, the Ruark R-CD100 appears as a CD source on the display, while the music system’s own converters handle playback. The case is Fused Walnut with an anodised aluminium top.
Which Ruark systems work with the Ruark R-CD100?
Ruark designed the Ruark R-CD100 for the Ruark R410, the Ruark R610 and the R810, each of which accepts the drive at a USB-C socket on the back. The R710 has an integrated slot-loading player instead.
Does the Ruark R-CD100 work with a computer?
The drive is a Plug and Play USB device and will work with most Windows and Apple computers, but Ruark only guarantees full functionality with compatible Ruark music systems. The Ruark R-CD100 must be connected to a USB host, so the drive cannot feed a DAC or active speakers directly unless those act as a USB host.
Which discs does the Ruark R-CD100 play?
The Ruark R-CD100 plays CD-DA audio discs, recorded CD-R discs and CD-RW discs, all at the Red Book standard of 16-bit and 44.1kHz.
Does the Ruark R-CD100 need a separate power supply?
One cable does everything: the supplied 0.5m braided USB-C lead carries both the audio data and the power, drawing 5V at up to 1A from the connected Ruark system.
How compact is the Ruark R-CD100?
The Ruark R-CD100 measures H45 × W175 × D167mm and weighs 1.2kg, small enough to sit beside a Ruark music system on the same shelf.
Is there a Ruark with a built-in CD player?
Yes. The Ruark R710 console has an integrated slot-loading CD player alongside streaming and amplification for a pair of passive speakers. The Ruark R-CD100 is the add-on route for the R410, R610 and R810.
