Astell&Kern has doubled down on its sub-brand Activo recently, after a few years in which it didn't get many products to speak of. In 2024 the brand launched the P1 player, as a more affordable digital audio player than it has ever made before – and the brand didn't wait long to follow that up with some new in-ear monitors (IEMs) to pair with it.
The Q1 in-ears are designed in partnership with the Singaporean audio brand Dita, with the same broad aim as the P1. They're intended to lower the price of entry for audiophile-grade equipment, without compromise on quality. After a few weeks of listening, I'm impressed with how they've fared.
