Affordable yet audiophile-worthy music player Activo P1 from Astell & Kern takes on FiiO and Sony Walkman
Astell & Kern’s portable digital audio players (aka DAPs) are known for their audiophile-worthy quality and beautiful designs, but not so much for friendly prices. Under the Activo brand, the South Korean company has now launched the Activo P1 that, despite its more affordable price, doesn’t compromise on features and build quality.
Featuring a 4.1 inch touchscreen, the P1 has an aluminium and polycarbonate body that’s compact and rounded, making it ideal for one-hand use. Textured and tactile buttons on either side provide playback and volume controls. Battery life is rated at 20 hours, with PD3.0 enabling fast charging within 1.5 hours.
The P1 supports wireless streaming over dual-band Wi-Fi from most popular platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Qobuz, Tidal and Roon. Hi-res audio is supported at up to 384kHz and 32 bits/sample, including DSD256. The P1 is also Roon Ready certified.
For those who prefer to carry around their own music library, there’s 64 GB storage onboard, expandable up to 1.5 TB with a microSD card. Audiophiles will also appreciate the 4.4 mm balanced output, in addition to the standard 3.5 mm unbalanced output and Bluetooth 5.3. The P1 can also be used as an external DAC for phones or laptops via USB-C.
The built-in parametric EQ offers control over up to 20 frequency bands, plus Q-value adjustment for very fine customisation. Astell & Kern has fitted the P1 with its Teraton Alpha amps and ESS ES9219Q SABRE dual DACs. For non hi-res audio files, its Digital Audio Remaster technology upsamples the audio to enhance the sound quality.
The Activo P1 will be available soon in the US on Amazon for $440, and is already available in the UK for £399.
The portable DAP category is not exactly crowded, and most devices, including the majority of A&K’s lineup, are expensive and aimed at well-heeled audiophiles. The Sony Walkman NW-A306 and the FiiO M11S (available on Amazon) are the primary competition at this price point. For those who miss their old iPod Nano and long for a basic music player, the Sony Walkman NWE394/R and SanDisk Clip Jam are excellent options.
Source(s)
