- Activo volcano intra-ear monitors are available now
- IEM Triple Pilot with 3.5 mm, 4.5 mm and USB-C connections
- $ 80 / £ 99 / approximately $ 127 at
If you are looking for high-level intra-ear monitors with a low price, Astell & Kern would like to help-or rather, his Activo lifestyle submarque would do it. After launching his fantastic Actico P1 hi-res audio player and his activo Q1 IEM just as impressive previously, the brand announced a third family member: the Activo volcano. And they are a fraction of the price you would pay for the first quarter.
The official price of headphones in the first quarter is $ 349 / £ 299 / approximately $ 600 in. But the new IEM volcano costs only $ 80 / £ 99 / approximately $ 127 in – and we suspect that they will be an addition of incredible value in the world of the best wired headphones.
Volcano value
I am intrigued by these new IEMs because I examined and used Q1, to which I gave four and a half stars in my Activo Q1 review. The most obvious difference is the appearance of the IEMS volcano: they do not have the large brass boxes and the steel nozzles of the Q1, and there is also another driver inside. Here, you get a triple driver configuration including a dynamic 8 mm and two 6 mm pilot.
The frequency response is the same as the Q1 to 20-20,000 Hz, and the sensitivity is 100 dB / MW. The impedance is 16 ohms. The cable is a copper hybrid without oxygen with seven strands and five strands with connectors with two pins at one end and a choice of connectors of 3.5 mm, 4.4 mm and USB-C to the other.
The package includes compulsory ear advice: three memory foam and three silicone. And although the weight has not yet been detailed, the IEMs look much less than the Q1; Not a big problem for me, but some criticisms suggested that the Q1 was a little too Husky in a few cases.
At this price, the volcano undermines several impressive rivals, including the powerful Sennheiser IE 200 headphones. Their unique dynamic driver covers a wider range of frequencies – 6 Hz – 26 kHz up to 20 Hz of the volcano – 20 kHz – but the volcano is considerably cheaper: Sennheisers are currently sold at around $ 119 / £ 125.
