Coming from the well-respected house of Astell&Kern, ACTIVO is a new sub-brand focused on active lifestyles. It launched its P1 Digital Audio Player at CanJam London.
For what is essentially an Astell&Kern device, the ACTIVO P1 is keenly priced. It's perfectly pocketable, and thanks to its fluid user interface, Native DSD256, 32bit/384kHz support and 20-hour playback stamina, it seems to tick all the boxes.
Up front, there is a 4.1-inch HD touchscreen that presents the uncluttered user interface, Bluetooth 5.3 with support for 24-bit wireless playback using LDAC or aptX HD, PD 3.0 fast charging, full MQA decoding and Crossfeed, with Roon Ready support also soon to come pending completion.
Wrapped up in the aluminium and polycarbonate shell, the P1 is powered by an octa-core processor and features two ESS ES9219Q Sabre DACs in a dual-mono configuration. Additionally, it sports dual-band Wi-Fi and comes with the Google Play Store preloaded, which, unlike its parent company's system, gives you unfettered access to the Play Store's offerings—including the most popular music apps. Also preloaded are three sample tracks from NativeDSD showcasing native DSD playback on the ACTIVO P1.
We are told that the P1 also benefits from a dedicated amp circuit based on Astell&Kern's Teraton Alpha sound solution, which promises "sound clarity and broad spatial resonance."
You can also tweak the sound to your liking through an "advanced EQ" and seven DAC filter options. The parametric equaliser options separate frequency ranges into 20 bands, and Gain is adjustable by 0.01dB increments for precise and accurate control. Furthermore, you can also control the Q value to set the exact frequency range.
You get 64GB of onboard memory, which can be increased by up to 1.5TB via microSD card.
The ACTIVO P1 is available now for £399 from Amazon.
Visit ACTIVO for more information
Posted in: Headphones
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