Ruark's gorgeous retro radio gets a March makeover

If you heard a loud "boing!" at 9.01am this morning, that was the sound of spring having sprung – it's the spring equinox today, and from here on we'll be getting more daylight than darkness.

So, it's an excellent time for Ruark Audio to give its rather lovely Ruark R1 Mk4 retro radio a spring makeover.

I'm a big fan of the R1's design, which mixes old and new to great effect. Other reviewers have said that it's the most radio-looking radio they've ever seen, and I think that's a great way to describe it. And now there's a new colour option, Pistachio Green.

The new shade is much lighter than the existing Pine Green R1, which to my eyes looks like it should be in a study full of dusty books. The pistachio version's much cooler for a kitchen, bedroom or living room radio.

New look, same spec

The Ruark R1 Mk4 keeps the same specification as before.

There are DAB, DAB+ and FM radio tuners, and you can also stream from your phone or computer via Bluetooth. Previous versions have won stacks of five-star reviews for their sound quality, which punches way above its size, and I'd expect an identical performance here.

There are three parts of the design that really stand out – the wooden grille, which is 70s-tastic in the best possible way, the ink-black OLED display, and Ruark's distinctive and useful RotoDial controller on top. This in particular is thoughtfully designed, simple to use and doesn't get you lost in endless screens.

It's a great portable radio too thanks to its diminutive dimensions – H175 × W130 × D135mm – and relatively light weight of 1.5kg. It's also travel-friendly, with an FM tuner that's multi-region and supports World, USA, Japan and Korea FM broadcasts.

The Ruark R1 Mk4 Pistachio Green edition is exclusive to John Lewis in the UK, and it has a recommended retail price of £239. It'll be available to order from 24 March.