New Ruark cd transport - R-CD100

[PJB]

Hi everyone.

I’ve just received Ruark’s new cd transport designed for use with its 410/610 units - this was long awaited for me, Ruark having advised me to return a third party transport and await the launch of their own as they were struggling to maintain compatibility with non-Ruark devices. For my use case it’s generally great - sound fine, easy plug and play, looks great (one of Ruark’s obvious selling points).

But… it makes a prominent double whirr noise between tracks in normal play back (ie not when skipping forward or back, or on shuffle or repeat). It’s as though it’s re-indexing the disc (noisily) at the beginning of every track. At best it’s annoying, but for anything continuous or with a quiet intro it’s very intrusive. I’d really appreciate any views as to whether this is a common or acceptable, or whether Ruark’s units with integrated cd players behave in the same way. As background, I’ve tried two units, and approached Ruark who claim this is normal.

Thanks

 

[podknocker]

If Ruark claim this is normal, they obviously don't care about the people who install and use this product. If it's noisy, then it's not made to a high standard and I would consider it to be an inferior design. Servo and transport noise is unacceptable in 2024 when most companies were making silent CD transports and players from the get-go. Sony CD players, especially the high end ES models were built like tanks and were silent. The logic controlling the moving parts worked correctly and they never struggled to read discs. It's a common thing these days to buy an expensive player and the insides are cheap and nasty budget pieces and there seems to be no quality now. Perhaps because CD is not the new kid on the block, as it was 40 years ago. Companies don't feel the need to compete and produce something quick, quiet and have top quality sound. There are still a few companies making CD players, but there's no real effort now and I think they shove all the necessary parts into a new and shiny case and that's the end of it. Their website boasts 'whisper quiet operation' https://www.ruarkaudio.com/products/r-cd100-cd-player so if yours makes a noise and it bothers you, I would recommend another brand. I have a real hatred for noisy spinning things when it comes to HIFI and I would never tolerate such a product. Many on here will yawn, but I once owned a £249 Sony 4k Blu ray player. It was built like a tank, with loads of metal inside. It played every format and codec you could think of and the sound and picture quality were incredible. I'm considering buying a new one and a TV to go with it, just in case this sort of device disappears forever.

 

[PJB]

Thanks for the reply. As you say, the contrast with the marketing material (and Ruark is, I know, a heavily marketed product - it just worked for my use case and room) is odd. It feels as though it treats every new track as a newly inserted cd.

The difficulty is finding a CD transport that will work with Ruark if their own doesn’t!

 

[Al ears]

To be fair they are not reknown for anything vaguely hifi, if you bought a 610 why would you then want a CD transport??

 

[DougK1]

I can see why you wanted the matching CD transport, it is a perfect aesthetic match for the 410/610. If it's noisy send it back and purchase a better player, it won't match the 410/610 but it will run silently. I can't see the compatibility issues as the 410/610 both have standard RCA line-in connections.

 

[daytona600]

Have a 20year old marantz & totally silent mech

 

[PJB]

To be fair they are not reknown for anything vaguely hifi, if you bought a 610 why would you then want a CD transport??

As I say, the use case worked for me in this case. I’ve got the 410 plus subwoofer and it’s fine - but I do still want to play cds. The inability to produce a silent cd transport has surprised me and I simply wanted to check others’ views as to whether this is something they may need to remedy. Thanks for replying.

 

[PJB]

Ruark did recommend cd players to use with their systems. I purchased one and it struggled - they told me they were launching their own player as they were encountering problems with third party compatibility. It seems a huge fumble to have launched a player with this fault.

They expect cd players to attach via USB but suggestion to use the RCA connection is helpful - thank you.

 

[podknocker]

Ruark did recommend cd players to use with their systems. I purchased one and it struggled - they told me they were launching their own player as they were encountering problems with third party compatibility. It seems a huge fumble to have launched a player with this fault.

They expect cd players to attach via USB but suggestion to use the RCA connection is helpful - thank you.

You could ask Ruark for a servo version update sent out on a CD if the device has firmware you can update. There might be a chance of downloading the same update onto a thumb drive and flashing the device that way. If the user guide gives this option, it might change the behaviour of the logic and servo. If you can't then you are stuck with a noisy lump.

 

[PJB]

You could ask Ruark for a servo version update sent out on a CD if the device has firmware you can update. There might be a chance of downloading the same update onto a thumb drive and flashing the device that way. If the user guide gives this option, it might change the behaviour of the logic and servo. If you can't then you are stuck with a noisy lump.

Thanks. I had wondered if they would (need to) do this - the 410 can receive online updates. And it feels to me to be a behaviour issue. However Ruark deny that there’s a problem - I know this is more a consumer than audiophile product but am surprised they think this is ok.

 

[podknocker]

You expect vehicles and domestic appliances to make a noise, because of their function and the parts inside, but when it comes to listening to your tunes, weird noises can be very intrusive. It's the same with vinyl fans. I don't know why many of them are fixated with top quality recordings, but then accept surface noise and clicks from this tired format. If it's not part of the music, you shouldn't be able to hear it. Try another Ruark device and if it's noisy, get a refund and spend £249 on something else.

 

[DougK1]

Ruark did recommend cd players to use with their systems. I purchased one and it struggled - they told me they were launching their own player as they were encountering problems with third party compatibility. It seems a huge fumble to have launched a player with this fault.

They expect cd players to attach via USB but suggestion to use the RCA connection is helpful - thank you.

If you do purchase an alternative make sure it is a CD player, not a transport, as you will be able to use RCA or optical connection with a player. Got any friends who could loan you a CD player?

 

[PJB]

If you do purchase an alternative make sure it is a CD player, not a transport, as you will be able to use RCA or optical connection with a player. Got any friends who could loan you a CD player?

Thanks - that’s helpful. So worth thinking about a decent player as it will use its own DAC, not the 410’s?

 

[DougK1]

Thanks - that’s helpful. So worth thinking about a decent player as it will use its own DAC, not the 410’s?

Correct Via RCA it will use the DAC in the player, via optical it will use the DAC in the Ruark. Plenty of decent players in the £250-350 range.

 

[podknocker]

https://www.richersounds.com/pro-ject-cd-box-e-black/#tab-reviews

It won't match your Ruark kit aesthetically, but this seems to be OK. You need to demo this in a quiet listening room, to make sure it's not the same as the Ruark.

 

[PJB]

https://www.richersounds.com/pro-ject-cd-box-e-black/#tab-reviews

It won't match your Ruark kit aesthetically, but this seems to be OK. You need to demo this in a quiet listening room, to make sure it's not the same as the Ruark.

Thank you for this - I appreciate you taking the time. I’d seen this and will consider it. Given that I’ve got a Ruark unit from Richer I can check it out with them. I’m still mystified that Ruark think their device will be ok - their market may not be audiophile but this seems so obvious and annoying a fault.

 

[DougK1]

Think I'd rather go for this:

https://www.richersounds.com/denon-dcd600ne-black/

Available in black or silver and has RCA + optical out, the Project only has RCA + coax, your Ruark doesn't have a coax in.

But it's the OP's choice that really matters, all we can offer is advice

 

[DougK1]

Thank you for this - I appreciate you taking the time. I’d seen this and will consider it. Given that I’ve got a Ruark unit from Richer I can check it out with them. I’m still mystified that Ruark think their device will be ok - their market may not be audiophile but this seems so obvious and annoying a fault.

Audiophile or not it's a pretty poor show to say that the noise is normal!

 

[PJB]

Think I'd rather go for this:

https://www.richersounds.com/denon-dcd600ne-black/

Available in black or silver and has RCA + optical out, the Project one only has RCA + coax, your Ruark doesn't have a coax in.

But it's the OP's choice that really matters, all we can offer is advice

That’s helpful as well - thank you. I’d hoped to keep the physical footprint down (part of the logic of the all Ruark set up) but appreciate your points on the outputs.

 

[daytona600]

It won't match your Ruark kit aesthetically, but this seems to be OK

Project CD BoxDS2 + Walnut end caps better visual match

 

[PJB]

Audiophile or not it's a pretty poor show to say that the noise is normal!

These will only have been out in the wild for a few days, so they will perhaps get more feedback!

 

[PJB]

It won't match your Ruark kit aesthetically, but this seems to be OK

Project CD BoxDS2 + Walnut end caps better visual match
View attachment 8003

Thanks!

 

[podknocker]

The Project CD Box DS2 is £599 though and the Pro-Ject CD Box E is still nice and small, but only £199 and will do the same job.

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

Ruark having advised me to return a third party transport and await the launch of their own as they were struggling to maintain compatibility with non-Ruark devices.

That sounds fishy to me. Definitely agree with the general tone of 'return and buy something else.'

 

[Sixtyten]

Audiophile or not it's a pretty poor show to say that the noise is normal!

The inference being that ones that don't make a noise are abnormal, so any player which is quiet is faulty. Having experienced similar gaslighting with Marantz, I'd be cutting my losses and getting something else.