Latest news with #Ruark
Stuff.tv
5 days ago
- Stuff.tv
My favourite Ruark Bluetooth speakers just got a huge upgrade
If you'd asked me yesterday what the best Bluetooth bookshelf speakers were, I'd have pointed straight at my MR1 Mk2 setup without blinking. In proper money-where-mouth-is fashion, I've got a set in front of me as I type (which replaced an amp/speaker combo) and another hooked up to the living room telly. But today? Ruark's shattered my pointy certainty by unveiling the shiny new Ruark MR1 Mk3, which will set you back $579/£399 when it rocks up in early July. At a glance, this revamped Ruark system looks reassuringly familiar, with the same friendly vibe and compact footprint. Rather than screaming LOOK AT ME, the Mk3 is all subtle, soft curves that should fit into any office or living room. But there have been some changes. The grilles are now slate grey and charcoal ousts soft grey as a finish, joining walnut. Bevelled edges reduce the design's boxiness. And the speakers have grown a bit, although that's hardly noticeable unless you moonlight as a ruler. (Oh, fine: they're 5mm wider and 10mm deeper, making them H185mm x W135mm x D155mm.) That extra space isn't for show, note – Ruark's used it to pack in some serious upgrades. Amp it up Crack open a Ruark MR1 Mk3 speaker and, well, you'd probably invalidate your warranty. But you would be able to gawp at the Class D amp tech adopted from Ruark's R410, paired with new NS+ bass/mid units and custom 20mm silk dome tweeters. The result, according to Ruark, is more power, more controlled bass, a lucid midrange, exceptional detail, and an audio experience that defies the size of these speakers. But then, Ruark would say that. Still, as someone who, remember, owns two pairs of the Mk2s, I can confirm they punch well above their weight. So unless Ruark's forgotten how to make speakers, you can expect these will be great as well. And Ruark's savvy is surely confirmed when you flip the Mk3 around and spot the connectivity options. There's combined line-in/optical, a dedicated turntable input for vinyl fetishists, subwoofer output (for which Ruark, natch, recommends its own RS1), and a very welcome new USB audio input. Hate cables? AptX HD Bluetooth in the Mk3 handles high-quality, low-latency wireless audio and lets you adjust the volume using your TV remote. So no more fiddling with the tiny zapper that came with the Mk2 and was so small it could conceivably be lost down the back of an atom. Just one more reason, then, to hover over that buy button come July.
Forbes
5 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
British Audio Brand Ruark Reveals Redesigned MR1 Mk3 Wireless Mini Speakers
The new Ruark MR1 Mk3 wireless speakers now have a USB input so they can be used as computer ... More speakers. Classic British audio brand Ruark has launched a complete revamp of the company's mini-Bluetooth speakers. The new MR1 Mk3 speakers are the latest evolution of Ruark's highly regarded MR1 desktop speaker system. First introduced in 2013, the MR1 proved phenomenally popular. This latest iteration looks like its predecessors at first glance, but almost everything about the MR1 Mk3 is new. Ruark says the new design brings 'even greater performance and versatility' to one of its most iconic designs. Combining clever design with precision engineering, MR1 Mk3 speakers are tuned to deliver a big sound from a compact form. Featuring enhanced USB audio and Bluetooth capabilities, the speakers are suitable for connecting to modern devices, whether for music streaming, television audio or high-resolution playback via a computer or turntable. The MR1 Mk3 wireless speakers from Ruark have a wide choice of inputs and have been completely ... More redesigned inside and out. Since 1985, Ruark has designed and engineered all its products in-house, keeping a tight grip on sound quality as well as the aesthetics and manufacturing finesse. The new MR1 Mk3 reflects this approach and is the culmination of more than four decades of acoustic expertise and crafted speaker systems. Ruark claims the MR1 Mk3 have ideal acoustic properties, while the handcrafted wood cabinets have a sophisticated look thanks to their bevelled front edges and new Slate Grey fabric grilles. The new enclosure for the speakers has been subtly expanded to draw out optimum volume from Ruark's newly designed NS+ Bass/Mid units. For the amplification, Ruark has adapted the Class D technology used in its R410 streamer, for a substantial increase in power output and control. The Ruark MR1 Mk3 has a phono stage input for a vinyl turntable and an output for a subwoofer. Equipped with AptX HD Bluetooth technology, the MR1 Mk3 supports wireless streaming and low-latency audio, making it suitable for use with TVs and streaming devices. Users can now adjust the volume directly from the connected device, enabling full control via a television remote when used in this setup. For wired applications, the MR1 Mk3 has a USB audio input making it suitable for direct connection to computers or audio equipment that have a USB output. This new feature should make the MR1 Mk3 a popular choice with both music fans and serious audiophiles who want the highest resolution playback. At the rear of the main MR1 Mk3 unit are all the inputs you might need: USB audio in, Bluetooth AptX ... More HD, MM Phono stage and a combined aux and optical input. Additional line-in and optical inputs are also provided and offer a bit more flexibility for connecting third-party devices such as a Wi-Fi music streamer. A dedicated turntable input is also included, featuring a high-quality moving magnet phono stage with variable gain, making it a simple and effective option for vinyl playback. Despite the compact form of the MR1 Mk3 speakers, Ruark claims they can fill a room with sound. For users who desire an extended bass response—particularly for movie or gaming use—a subwoofer output is provided. Ruark's own RS1 Subwoofer is designed to partner the speakers. The Ruark M1 Mk3 speakers are available in the U.K. now and priced at £399 per pair.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Gen X was supposed to be peaking. Instead their careers and finances are tanking
The Gen X career crisis is having a moment — a viral one. When The New York Times (NYT) ran a story last month about the wave of mid-career creative professionals hitting obsolescence, it quickly shot to the top of the site's most-read list. Readers flooded social media with replies, citing the sharp irony of reaching your peak just as your industry flatlines. In the weeks since, a stock market crash has come along to make things worse. Triggered by sweeping tariffs and investor unease, the downturn has sharply eroded retirement savings and reignited recession fears — hitting hardest just as Gen Xers were supposed to be settling into their peak earning years. Since the start of April, losses have accelerated, leaving the S&P 500 down more than 11% year to date. The Nasdaq has plunged 17%. Apple (AAPL) stock — once a retirement-plan darling — has plunged more than 21%, dragging IRAs and 401(k)s down with it. And for mid-career workers who have relied on stock-based compensation to build wealth or bridge career shifts, the selloff has been doubly punishing. This isn't Generation X's first system collapse. It might just be the most literal. And for many, it feels like a final insult. Born between 1965 and 1980, Gen X came of age with punk rock and Reaganomics, learned to code in BASIC, and entered the workforce only to be met by a near-continuous series of economic disruptions: the 1990–91 recession, the dot-com bust, the 2008 financial crisis, and the COVID crash. Now in their mid-40s to late-50s, they're navigating careers — and retirement prospects — shaped by technologies and economic shocks they never saw coming. These years were supposed to be about payoff for those in white-collar fields and for workers in skilled trades alike. By their 50s, many Gen Xers expected to be earning their highest salaries, gaining seniority, maybe even paying off a mortgage. Instead, they're scrambling to stay relevant in jobs that have been automated, outsourced, or reclassified into gig work. The promise of hard-won security has been replaced by physical strain, shrinking benefits, and rising anxiety about what happens if the market keeps falling. For Rebecca Moon Ruark, a 50-year-old marketing professional and mother of two outside Annapolis, Maryland, the moment feels eerily familiar — and much harder to rebound from. Ruark has spent the past 15 years building a career in higher education communications, particularly in direct mail. It was a niche she loved, and one that once paid well. But lately, the work has been drying up. 'With the rise in popularity and usability of machine learning, AI, and popular language models like ChatGPT, I'm receiving fewer direct mail jobs,' she said. 'I've noticed a definite downturn over the last six months.' She recalled one moment when her human edge still won out: A client pitted her copy against ChatGPT's. Her version performed better. 'I didn't give it much thought then,' she said. 'Now, I know better.' In higher-ed writing, pay has stagnated for more than 15 years, she said, but the more consistent contract work she has secured still requires a human touch. Still, Ruark is increasingly uneasy about the future. She recently started contributing more to her 'hemorrhaging' retirement account on the advice of a market-savvy friend, but said she hasn't checked its balance in over a month. 'This crash or recession or whatever we're calling it hits different because I'll be 50 this year, and I don't want to work forever,' she says. 'In 2009 I left my full-time job and found plenty of freelance gigs. I had the energy to hustle. I won't always. That's how this economic downturn feels a little more foreboding.' Though several years younger than Ruark, Doree Shafrir also spent her entire career chasing work through an ever-shifting media landscape — and now finds that the chase is getting harder. After the 2008 crash, she left a full-time job and quickly landed freelance work. 'That is not the world now,' she said. A longtime journalist and podcaster, Shafrir is part of what she calls 'Generation Catalano' — born just after Gen X — and she has weathered every boom-and-bust cycle in media since the early 2000s. Her résumé reads like a time capsule of digital publishing's rise and fall: Gawker, The New York Observer, BuzzFeed (BZFD) in its heyday. She thrived in the freelance economy that followed the last crash, eventually launching a successful podcast and writing a memoir. She pivoted again with the rise of Substack, writing a motherhood-focused newsletter. But the ground keeps shifting. Podcast ad revenue has shrunk. Direct-to-consumer brands have pulled back. Substack feels like a supplement, not a solution. 'Plenty of very talented people are not working,' Shafrir said — and this time, there may not be an obvious next move. 'The tariffs have people really spooked. It feels like a death spiral.' The difference this time, she said, is the scale — and the fatigue. 'This moment does feel different — AI is really scary,' Shafrir said. 'It's not like people didn't struggle in the past, but the number of people I know who are underemployed or out of work entirely? That feels new.' For some, the challenge isn't just adapting — it's enduring. A San Francisco–based video producer and editor in her 40s, who asked to remain anonymous due to employment concerns, said this latest stretch of unemployment has been her most brutal yet. After years of stable corporate work, she made a strategic pivot in her early 40s, hoping to shift into full-time editing as a chronic illness made physically demanding on-site shoots harder to manage. The transition came with a pay cut, but she saw it as a necessary recalibration — until the pandemic hit. After losing one job to in-office mandates she couldn't physically meet, she's been job hunting ever since: 99 applications, 25 formal rejections, one interview — likely only because she knew someone on the team. 'Most of the jobs I see for video creatives pay very low, especially the remote ones,' she said. 'And now that more companies are requiring people to come in, there are fewer jobs I can even apply to.' She's not new to career reinvention. She once edited a full-length documentary — her dream coming out of film school — and later built a solid corporate resume that helped her buy a house. But today, she's confronting a harder truth: 'Admitting to myself that all I'm looking for is a job now, not a career, has been hard to accept.' 'It feels very different from the previous times I've been unemployed,' she added. 'There's this extra double dose of uncertainty: being female, a person of color, chronically ill, unemployed for this long, and with the state of the TV/film industry? This feels like the hardest round yet.' For Julie Liddell Whitehead, a 54-year-old writer and mental health advocate in Mississippi, the crisis goes beyond job loss. It's about erosion — of purpose, of professionalism, and of the human voice itself. After maintaining a blog for over a decade about living with bipolar disorder, she discovered her writing had been scraped to help train ChatGPT. 'It's theft,' she said plainly. Once a college instructor, she left teaching after watching plagiarism give way to AI-assisted workarounds. When asked recently to give career advice to a high school writer, she declined. 'The scary thing is watching the devaluation of human ability,' she said. 'A lot of us have spent a lot of time practicing our craft — writing or coding or accountancy or engineering — and we're possibly looking at the end of all of those career paths.' Michael Bourne, a 59-year-old novelist and teacher who moved to Canada from the U.S. in 2012, sees this moment from both inside and outside. He came of age in the newspaper industry, working his way up through local dailies before realizing, in the early 1990s, that something fundamental had changed. 'Technology killed it — and nobody saw it,' he said. Now, from his home in Vancouver, he watches the U.S. economic fallout with a sense of déjà vu. 'There's real affection for American culture here,' he said, 'but people are frightened and saddened by what's happening.' 'This could easily send Canada into a recession, too,' he added. 'It's miserable. Really bad.' For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Sign in to access your portfolio
